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Astrological Forecast
January—February, 1990
By Terry Lamb, M.A.
Major Planetary Events
Sun conj. Neptune 1206' Capricorn Jan. 2
Sun conjunct Saturn 1619' Capricorn Jan. 6
Sun conj. Mercury 18 Capricorn Jan. 8
Full Moon 2042' Cap/Can Jan. 10
Sun conjunct Venus 28 Capricorn Jan. 18
Mercury station. dir. 942' Capricorn Jan. 19
Sun enters Aquarius 000' Aquarius Jan. 20
New Moon Eclipse 635' Aquarius Jan. 26
Mars enters Cap. 000' Capricorn Jan. 29
Mars oppos. Jupiter 143' Cap/Can Jan. 31
Solar Cross-Quarter 1500' Aquarius Feb. 3
(Candlemas)
Venus station. direct 2055' Capricorn Feb. 8
Full Moon Eclipse 2047' Aqu/Leo Feb. 9
Mars conj. Uranus 757' Capricorn Feb. 9
Mars conj. Neptune 1341' Capricorn Feb. 17
Pluto station. retro. 1747' Scorpio Feb. 18
Sun enters Pisces 000' Pisces Feb. 18
Jupiter sta. direct 048' Cancer Feb. 24
New Moon 630' Pisces Feb. 25
Mars conj. Saturn 2205' Capricorn Feb. 28
The Chinese have a curse: May you live in interesting times. January brings us into
another period of "interesting times." We've had a bit of a break for the
holidays—the most recent interesting time was when Mars and Pluto conjuncted around
Thanksgiving. If you had any doubt about the potential pitfalls of this conjunction,
remember the upsurge in terrorism in El Salvador and the assassination of the new
President of Lebanon at that time. Of course, we choose what we will do with the
energies—will we display powerful courage, or will we choose violence which plays out
the repressed anger of the mass consciousness The terrorists in Lebanon and El Salvador
chose the latter. But the governments and their people in the Eastern bloc countries for
the most part chose courage, by opening their countries to the waves of glasnost passing
through their consciousness.
However, these new `interesting times' take on a different tenor. We are dealing with
Capricorn: the grand master of leadership and the administrative arts, the archetype of
our ability to develop self-sufficiency and power-from-within. Capricorn is the bastion of
the status quo. Saturn (the ruler of Capricorn), Uranus (the disrupter or revolutionary)
and Neptune (the visionary) all line up in this sign. If you can imagine that, you can see
why Cardinal Cross people (those with planets in Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) are,
to say the least, a bit confused and disrupted right now. They have another 6 years of
interesting times (until Uranus leaves Capricorn for Aquarius). But the most interesting
time will be the year or two when Uranus transits their individual Cardinal point(s).
Even if you have nothing in the Cardinal Cross, you can gain by developing your
consciousness in Capricorn. We may all be effected by the power and magnitude of the
conjoining of these planets in Capricorn (an event which occurs in a 1452-year cycle),
because they represent lessons to which all humankind is susceptible. This was brought
home quickly to the discomfort of those in South Carolina and San Francisco when they
found that they suddenly needed to rely on their survival skills. A friend of mine used to
say "Saturn will bring you to your knees." While I feel that this is overly
pessimistic, it is good to keep in mind that this potential exists. We must be prepared
for hardship, even if it never visits us. Indeed, the preparation is the essence of Saturn
and Capricorn. Those who impose limitations upon themselves do not notice when the
external world imposes limitations. This is perhaps the deepest lesson of the power of
Capricorn. Capricorn is the last earth sign of the Zodiac; here the things of the earth
test us. Can we take care of our physical body Do we truly know how to survive Can we
support ourselves harmoniously in our culture It is a fact of life in our realm that those
who have learned a lesson, need not repeat it. If you have learned to live modestly, if
you are prepared for hardship, if you routinely face your responsibilities, then you are
less likely to face these issues personally because you have learned your lesson.
Unfortunately, there are many that have not learned this, and they create the energy
patterns for catastrophic change such as earthquakes and hurricanes. The greedy multitudes
that ignore the ills of our planet tip the balance in favor of such harsh Capricorn
lessons.
This is the main theme of the past two years and this coming year. All other
experiences will be couched in terms of this larger issue. January sees us dealing with
the second and third solar conjunctions of the Capricorn stellium—those with Saturn
and Neptune. This is the last time we will see Saturn and Neptune interacting in such
close proximity for 36 years. Saturn, with its nearer orbit and greater speed, begins to
move beyond the range of Neptune's vibratory influence. By April, we will see Uranus begin
its dance with Neptune; a two-year event that promises to bring about spiritually based
reforms—or the slow death of our planet through our failure to stop poisoning it.
January is the time to plant your seeds for the New Year. Unlike 1989, which was a year
of planting, 1990 will be a year of sprouting—at least for activities ruled by
Saturn. Businesses that are not ruled by Uranus and Neptune (which are still in an ending
phase) will flourish. Some pockets of our economy with begin an upswing. Other parts will
finally begin to show signs of exhaustion. The real estate market will continue to bust
until Jupiter makes it past the big guys in Capricorn later this year. Then it will begin
a period of modest growth, or at least stability. A drop in interest rates may trigger
this. Ultimately, real estate will be viewed in a different way as a result of the
"shakedown" in Capricorn. It will be considered more precious, and fewer changes
in ownership will take place. This will cause a major change in the real estate industry
and in areas of government, which rely on taxation changes during real estate sales to
support their own growth.
The conjunctions provide the ideal time to look ahead for a year and make plans related
to the energies of the planets involved. Briefly, landmark events surrounding Neptune's
movement occur as follows:
Sun conjunct Neptune Jan. 2, 1990
Neptune stationary retrograde Apr. 16,1990
Sun opposite Neptune July 4,1990
Neptune stationary direct Sep. 23,1990
Neptune rules vision, spirituality, pollution, inner reality, Truth, confusion, and
subtle or insidious influences.
Saturn's landmark events are:
Sun conjunct Saturn Jan. 6, 1990
Saturn stationary retrograde May 4,1990
Sun opposite Saturn July 14,1990
Saturn stationary direct Sep. 22,1990
Saturn rules work, business, responsibility, the use of power-from-within, structure,
plans, and our ability to meet our needs.
Recall that both Mercury and Venus turned retrograde at the very end of 1989, and you
will know why 1990 may get off to a slow start for many people. Mercury conjuncts the Sun
on the 8th, however, to bring a breath of fresh air into our lives. Although Mercury is
still retrograde for another 11 days, the light has appeared at the end of the tunnel. You
can commence new activities at this time since this begins the new Mercury cycle, although
many of us may still be recovering from the old cycle. Think in terms of activities that
usually take 3-4 months to complete when considering what to project for in Mercury's new
cycle. Mercury conjuncts Saturn and Neptune for the second of three times during the
retrograde period, so larger issues may be involved than usual in Mercury's realm. For
instance, whereas paperwork is usually affected, perhaps financial paperwork will feel
more influenced. Keep in mind, however, that these planets also sextile Pluto, so there is
a greater hope of a positive outcome.
The Full Moon on the 10th brings out themes related to meeting needs and facing
responsibilities as the Cancer-Capricorn axis is activated. Look to the house in your
chart that these signs inhabit to get an idea of what issues may arise. Since the Sun will
still be in orb to the conjunction with Saturn at this time (with Mercury and Venus not
far off), look for a need for greater limitation in many personal matters during the
coming two to three weeks.
However, having observed those limitations, the day truly begins to dawn more brightly
when Venus conjuncts the Sun on the 18th and Mercury goes direct on the 19th. During Venus
retrograde, we commonly experience a time of re-examining our economic and relationship
realities. Themes of freedom and responsibility will pervade this retrograde period. Do
you feel as though you need freedom from those revolving credit charges Cut up your credit
cards and begin to pay off your bills! Do you feel as though your relationship is too
restrictive Find ways to be who you really are in your relationships; challenge the other
person to let go of possessive love and give unconditional love (but you must also do the
same). Perhaps a long delayed commitment is in order—put your money where your mouth
is! Once we have reached the conjunction, the time for new Venusian activities has
arrived! File for divorce or plan a wedding, schedule your bill pay offs or plan for the
new purchases you need to make.
Mercury's change to direct motion will make the wheel of life move more smoothly once
again. Even though Mercury rules a small realm of life—the fluidity of
actions—all things can be affected in the short term. It is with a sigh of relief
from many of us that we go back to being able to do things in a timely
fashion—everything from paying bills to getting the check in the mail!
With the Sun's entry in to Aquarius, we will experience a lightening of life's load, a
quickening of the spirit. A glimpse of spring (often called the January thaw in the North)
heralds times of greater light ahead. Many cultures ritually celebrate this under various
names—Ground Hog's Day, Candlemas or Lady's Day, St. Brigid's Day. This is the time
when we in the Northern Hemisphere begin to experience an almost imperceptible lengthening
in the days. The skies begin to brighten, the storms alternate with periods of crisp
freshness and the promise of spring growth. The rituals celebrate the return of the light,
the promise of the maiden as she begins to take back the world from the Lord of Darkness.
The time of rest is still upon us, but we can look forward to a future of light and
warmth.
This promise, however, is mixed with the "blessing" of Mars entering
Capricorn. Normally, Mars' entry into a sign is not enough to warrant my attention in one
of these forecasts, but here we can expect some activation of which we should be aware.
Its movement is so rapid at this point and its fiery influence so activating that I feel
that we will begin to experience the impact of its interaction with the planets in Cancer
and Capricorn when Mars enters Capricorn on January 29th. The conjunctions signal new
beginnings in enterprises lasting approximately two years, which is when the next set of
conjunctions will occur, roughly speaking.
Mars begins its challenges almost immediately by opposing Jupiter on the 31st. This
time period will suggest what is coming with the conjunctions in Capricorn, since
Jupiter's energies are very much linked with the planets in Capricorn at this time. Expect
some social movements to gain prominence in the news, some economic flutterings and
perhaps changes in the interest rate as the Fed attempts to balance things off.
Personally, this can be a time of overconfidence and overspending—perhaps those
Christmas debts are finally coming due!
Venus returns to its normal direction on the 8th of February. We get 18 months to
resolve the issues and fulfill the plans begun during the previous 6 weeks.
The Full Moon in Aquarius-Leo comes the next day and starts a new focus lasting 6
months. The journey through the dark retrograde realms safely behind us, we can change our
focus to practical matters having to do with themes of love and creativity, group
activities, intuitive insights and revolution against the status quo. Since this eclipse
falls in my 6th and 12th houses, I expect to apply these themes in work and service
activities. If I'm not doing what is right for me, I may become ill.
Mars conjuncts Uranus on the 9th also, and this sets the pace for the coming eclipse
period. Impulsive actions may provide disruption to the smooth resolution of eclipse
related issues. It may be a time of fighting fire with fire, whether this is wise or not.
Fires and sudden rebellion may be in the news.
When Mars conjuncts Neptune, the energies manifest somewhat differently. A chain
reaction car accident due to dense fog or a storm with severe cold and/or snow is more
likely. Religious violence may come to the fore, and drug related activities may make
headlines. If you have strong aspects to this conjunction, especially a square to your
natal Neptune, it is a time for caution. Although many good things can come of this aspect
(like what, you ask), it is a potential victimization aspect. The good things include
spiritual insight, courage to carry out actions based on spiritual motives, attention to
visual difficulties (like needing new glasses) and providing aid to the victimized and
underprivileged.
Pluto stands still on February 18th as it begins its return to retrograde motion. I
usually notice events affecting large bodies of people (corporate cutbacks, mafia
executions, changes in public policy) occur during the week surrounding the station. If
you are to be affected personally by Pluto's transit this year, you will experience
symptoms of what you planned for yourself at this time. Pluto's motto is "Be careful
what you ask for, because you will get it." It represents our use of will to create
our lives.
The Sun's entry into Pisces occurs on the 18th as well. With that we experience the
hush before the bursting forth of spring. It is often a time when we are prone to quiet,
dreamy contemplation, as we wait for the rapid growth of Aries and the new zodiacal year.
If we are wise, we will cultivate our spiritual resources and look at how well our plans
are developing.
Jupiter finally returns to direct motion on the 24th. The money crunch is over, folks,
(relatively speaking). Jupiter will now begin to make its final pass in opposition to the
planets in Capricorn. We will perceive this at that time, but will not fully feel until
late spring to early summer. The economy may begin to pick up a bit at this time, but
we'll be sailing more smoothly once the Sun's transit of Cancer is over in July.
The New Moon on the 25th continues to emphasize this theme. Doing something for others
in need on this lunar cycle will pave the way for the spring's shower of blessings.
Mars conjuncting Saturn on the 28th suggests that we will need to work hard for a few
days surrounding that date. Depending on where it falls in our natal charts, we may be
strongly motivated by the promise of reward to get some project off the launching pad.
This may also be a period of unseasonable cold in parts of the Southern Hemisphere and
unseasonable warmth in the Northern Hemisphere.
At this point we begin to get a break in the unremitting activity of January and
February. It's been a challenge, but we made it! The year of 1990 dawns with heavy
responsibilities to be faced but also with bright hope.
May you live long and prosper in these interesting times!
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