Welcome to the Western Calendar’s “Death Valley”: that last week of the year when everyone is still burned out from the Christmas Holiday, yet looks forward to The New Year like an exhausted runner who realizes he’s got another lap to do. If you’re the kind of person who spends a lot of time regretting the past or dreading the future, this week has it all for you!
In all seriousness: this week (and 2014 in general) is packing a lot of edginess. The Uranus-Pluto square is still grinding away at things, and Mars is only just starting out on its long winding trip through the Sign of its debilitation. There will be tempers, there will be outbursts, and apple carts will be upset. But the world (both the world in general and your personal world) have survived worse, and with a little careful thought and wisdom, you’ll be able to carve out a comfortable niche amidst the chaos without having to use a chain saw.
Mars in Libra often knows what it wants, but can have a hard time applying its force properly to the goal. This week, it squares Pluto, Mercury, and the Sun (and opposes Uranus to boot!), which won’t help it express its needs gracefully or kindly. Be particularly careful about applying your edginess to personal matters on Monday, as a Void of Course Moon in Sagittarius for most of the day may leave you feeling like speaking up or lashing out verbally, and Sagittarius isn’t exactly known for its tact.
New Year’s represents a chance for a new start, just like a New Moon does. It’s just an unfortunate calendrical coincidence that 2014 starts with a particularly angst-ridden New Moon in Capricorn. The morning of January 1st sees a Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Pluto conjunction all opposed by Jupiter in Cancer, and the whole lot are squared by Mars in Libra and Uranus in Aries. A New Moon and a New Year are both excellent times to set out your intentions, and if this year you intentions involve demolishing something, you’re in luck. Otherwise, you may simply find your nerves are too jangled to concentrate on your goals.
So is there any good to come from this week, or is it all one big hangover without a party? The good news here is that all those squares and oppositions happening make for some powerful conditions, mentally and emotionally. Trines and sextiles are all nice and soft and friendly, sure… but they tend to not get the job done, or are just too fuzzy to fully exploit. No matter the energies the sky provides us, planetary placements don’t make us do the things we do; they are simply accomplices. You don’t have to blow up at your boss or your mate or the neighbor’s dog or kick over the dining room table when the mashed potatoes come out lumpy: It’s just a lot easier to react that way under the current conditions.
In 2014, let’s all try to remember that we’re all in this thing together, that a little patience and understanding and empathy can make our world a better place, and that ultimately we should all care more about one another and less about ourselves and our petty little concerns.
Now: put that chain saw down, okay? You’re scaring the neighbors.