ARIES (March 20 - April 19):

January begins with the love and creative planet, Venus retrograding in Capricorn until February 3, 2006, during which time the lessons of Venus will need to be confronted.  Capricorn is a more challenging sign for you and causing many of you to deal with your relationships or they will deal with you.  After Venus goes direct Feb. 3^rd it continues in the sign of Capricorn through March 5^th, 2006, a continuing period of adjusting or resolving your Venus challenges.

Venus in Retrograde is a period that occurs about every 18 months when the shadow side or the irrational part of Venus tends to take over at the most inappropriate times.  Venus represents all that is feminine, artistic, romantic and peaceful. When retrograde, the immature or uncomfortable side of these issues will come up for you. Relationships are often tested during this cycle. The good ones will last and the weak ones won’t. But just as often old loves and friendships can reappear from your past.

Venus in Capricorn is transiting your 10^th house sector, which is the domain of career, your professional standing and authority figures.  Venus is a social and attractive energy and its transit here could bring praise from your boss, or love at the job, to more popularity with your profession.  Venus rules the arts, which makes this transit excellent for those in the business of the arts and especially show business. When retrograde, the energy turns inward and may seem frustrating or delayed. January could be a time when artists feel blocked or struggling with a new project.  It can also be a month when the rest of you may have trouble getting along with your bosses or co-workers, so you might want lay low but not to ignore obvious issues that need to be sorted out.

The major influence of 2006 will be the planet Saturn in opposition to Neptune with Jupiter at the center point that can be the solution to the opposition or it will expand the problems until you do something about it. The silver lining, so to speak, is that our lives will be forced into changing and if you avoid or fear the process you will be the one making it more difficult. With awareness and foresight the Jupiter influence can indicate the area where you will find protection and positive growth.

Saturn was very close to an exact opposition to Neptune before turning retrograde November 23, 2005.  This was also when Mars was retrograde, which was part of the ‘grand cross’ configuration from October 25, 2005 through February 17, 2006 and what happens during this period is a hint of things to come during most of 2006, both in personal lives and the life of the nation. The next Saturn Neptune opposition will be exact August 31, 2006.

Neptune in Aquarius opposing Saturn in Leo is a time when both planetary energies are trying to take control in your life until it comes to a compromise by balancing the needs of both or a stalemate.  Saturn is transiting Leo moving through your 5^th   sector of children, creativity, speculation and romance until September 2, 2007. It’s time to commit to your children, write that novel, or pitch that TV script and so forth. Saturn in the 5^th house sector puts the focus on your creative endeavors at work or with your children. Neptune in Aquarius has been moving through your 11^th house sector since 1998.  The 11^th rules your hopes and dreams as well as your friendships.  Neptune’s transit indicates that your future, expectations, or even your friends have been going through an uncertain transition.  The opposition would only bring these factors to a head and avoiding the lessons will only delay the inevitable until now.  Taking responsibility for any 5^th house issue will clarify the confusion or avoidance about your future and friendships. You have obviously been avoiding the change for a good reason but now you will need to face it or your future will begin changing you without your input.

Saturn’s transit through the 5^th house of creativity and leadership could trigger someone asking you, or you asking yourself to take up greater authority and responsibility in your chosen field. You will have a strong need to be taken seriously and to become more of an individual than you have been up until now.  If your creativity is not as confident as you'd like, then you need to give yourself new positive messages which allow you to take more chances and to rekindle your love of fun and pleasure. This is also your gambling and speculation sector, so if you do decide to risk make sure you know what you are doing, and take full responsibility for any outcomes.

Saturn, in myth, is the father of the gods and represents authority and the laws and regulations of the land.  Here is when we confront our limitations and our sense of duties and responsibilities.  Often the Saturn transit feels like a burden but that is usually a perspective coming from not wanting to take responsibility for that which is in your own best interest. This is a maturing transit and it’s only the immature who will resist it and make it worse than it needs to be experienced.

Neptune, in myth, represents the collective unconscious because of its designation as the god of the seas.  The seas are symbolic of the embryonic fluids we all come from and in Jungian terms this is called our shadow.  The best way to navigate through the waters of our shadows is to have faith and trust that all will work out to keep from feeling disoriented or lost. Often the issues associated with Neptune’s cycle are that of transition and the uncertainty of the changes.

Neptune has been transiting your 11^th house sector of one’s hopes, dreams and wishes from 1998 through 2012 and not again for 168 years.  Neptune can represent our dreams and when transiting this sector of the chart it can stimulate your dreams into action.  But if your previous dreams had been more delusional then this would be the period of disappointments when they go up in smoke.  The gift in this would be finally replacing unrealistic goals with those that are more attainable, but it could hurt for a while but ultimately be worth the struggle. The difficult side only applies to those who have been in denial and for those with a more solid and practical outlook will experience their hopes and dreams coming more into their reality.  This sector also rules the domain of friendships and for those in denial will experience disappointments but for those more firmly rooted in reality might have transcendent experiences with their friends.  The Saturn Neptune opposition can have beneficial effects by making your dreams become reality by committing to the work needed.  Your challenge will be with the arts, but also with romance, having children or playing competitive sports. You can’t realize your dreams without risking failure.

One of the clues for resolution of the Saturn Neptune challenge is the transit of Jupiter moving through the sign of Scorpio through 2006.  Jupiter represents expansion, optimism and protection. When Jupiter activates your chart it expands the opportunities or the problems until you resolve the issues.  Jupiter’s transit is an indicator of where some of the answers to your Saturn Neptune questions are located.

Jupiter is transiting Scorpio in your 8^th house sector of sex, but also finance, corporations, and business partnerships until November 23, 2006.  If you are seeking a deeper intimacy with another the Jupiter transit will bring more opportunity for sexual merging. In business, Jupiter brings generosity and opportunities from others.  The key to your Saturn Neptune challenge can be resolved by simply being open to the generosity of others.

Jupiter is transiting your 8^th house sector of other’s people monies and joint finances.  This is a good time when your credit rating can expand, or when you can obtain a mortgage or business loan. Jupiter here will protect your financial interests.  This is the time to ask for what you want in business and then go for it.

And finally, Mercury in Retrograde is when everything seems to go crazy and lasts about 3 weeks. Those who know about the effects of the retrograde often cringe when they hear that Mercury is at it again.  What is going on is that everything that is related to Mercury, the messenger god, seems to go awry.  This is the time not to sign legal documents or make promises and travel plans are often interrupted. But what is really happening is that retrograde periods stimulate our unconscious patterns more than usual. Since Mercury represents our decision-making facilities the retrograde period is a time to make sure that your rational mind hasn’t been too overly influenced by your unconscious desires.

The dates of Mercury in Retrograde 2006

March 2^nd   - 25^th

July 4^th - 28^th

October 28^th - November 17^th

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