Roxana Muise © December 2005

January plays host to 15 dynamic aspects: 4 changes of sign, 3 conjunctions, 3 oppositions, 2 squares, 1 Beginning Shadow Boundary, 1 New and 1 Full Moon.

The energy patterns all month long present potential for mutual aid, teamwork, and cooperation between unlikely participants. This energy lends itself well to supporting nurturing with a substantial framework or structure; and to soften the discipline that you dispense with compassion and kindness. To fully benefit from this cosmic endowment, it is important to find some way to apply altruistic deeds or spiritual concepts to your everyday transactions. The current world theme deals with releasing grudges and ill feelings, and embracing the oneness and peace that surpasses understanding. Such behavior cannot be forced upon others; it must come from the heart.

1/1 Venus retrogrades back into Capricorn 12:18 PM. There is a renewed opportunity to open your sensitivity to the needs of others, and to find creative ways to help them become self-sufficient. You also may recall the results of your previous overemphasis on material desires, and now find that you can consider more realistic and fulfilling choices. (=Uranus/Pluto, =Sun/Neptune)

1/3 Mercury enters Capricorn 1:25 PM. Time for building confidence, tolerance, and a philosophy of idealism. Develop a method for using all parts of the mind to focus on a more fulfilling way of life. (=Jupiter/Neptune)

1/13 Sun conjoins Venus Rx 23:40 Capricorn, 3:58 PM. Avoid overindulgence, but know that your needs can be filled and your desires can be attained without having to prove anything to others. Work on your self-worthiness, but without needing others’ approval. (=Neptune/Pluto)

1/14 Full Moon 24:50 Cancer/Capricorn, west coast 1:48 AM, east coast 4:48 AM. a happy alliance of nurture and protection. Relationships that have been building for some time can blossom and come to fruition. West coast: unexpected contacts can bring hoped-for results. East coast: share resources with those who are open to shared responsibilities and shared visions. (=Jupiter/North Node)

1/15 Mars opposes Jupiter 15:26 Taurus/Scorpio, 1:21 AM. This is the beginning of a Dancing T-cross * that graces this month’s cosmic displays involving Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. Move your focus from content to context, and examine the struggle between higher and lower expression. Seek balance, symmetry and self-control in your aspirations. (=Saturn/Neptune)

1/15 Grand fixed square: Mars/Jupiter 15:38 Taurus/Scorpio, Moon/Neptune 16:20 Leo/Aquarius. This is as close as it gets. An emotional exclamation point that calls attention to the Dancing T-cross. Guard your resources, and do your homework regarding investments and creative plans. Critically monitor projects that others recommend before you jump in. (=common midpoints)

1/17 Mercury conjoins Venus Rx 21:28 Capricorn, 7:31 AM. Good time to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have left the physical plane. Even if you need to suspend your ideas of an afterlife, remembrance of those who are gone can be a healing experience. Or, remembrance of significant or historic past events with like-minded people can be healing for the Earth. (=Neptune/Pluto)

1/18 Mars squares Neptune* 16:35 Taurus/Aquarius, 5:50 AM. Unconscious choices may lead to premature decisions, and possible mistakes. Clashes between the spiritual admonition to meditate/pray on a situation and the need to act can seem irresolvable. Examination of inspiration/ESP/answers to prayers can save time, money and reputation, so employ a little self-control and see what happens. (Neptune=Mercury/Uranus)

1/19 Sun enters Aquarius; west coast 9:15 PM, east coast 12:16 AM (1/20) Isabelle Pagan called Aquarius the Truthseeker. This also marks the time of year for vision quests, and for determining the needs of society. Today’s needs are great, and altruistic practices have become popular. Many people come to expect continued generosity from everyone. You have the freedom to choose where you donate your energies – so Rather than cut off all your generosity or give in to guilt, choose carefully and make your gifts count. (=Uranus/Pluto)

1/22 Mercury enters Aquarius 12:42 PM. (Venus, Moon, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune all parallel at 15 south – orb: 35 min). Much of what transpires during this time may seem illusory. Invoking your intuitive sense can be helpful to create a sense of strength. There may be interactions occurring in society that influence collective thinking, and bring to bear a shift in philosophy. (= Venus/Neptune, Uranus/Pluto)

1/26 Mercury conjoins Sun 6:48 Aquarius, 1:34 PM. Strong emotions feed independent actions. The need for self-control becomes evident, as mental discipline may be obscured by ego needs. (= Moon/Uranus)

1/27 Mercury opposes Saturn Rx 7:54 Aquarius/Leo, 5:04 AM. Objective analysis is the key to discerning the truth, although you may feel that everything is moving in slow motion. Foundations have yet to be set, and information and structural data may be collected. (Saturn = Mars/MC)

1/27 Sun opposes Saturn Rx 7:52 Aquarius/Leo, 2:49 PM, contra parallel 18+ South/North. An objective look at your own hidden conditions can bring self-illumination. Attention to personal structural problems pays off, as you can't serve humanity when you are in personal turmoil. Self-sacrifice ends your usefulness. (=Pluto/MC)

1/27 Jupiter squares Neptune * 16:56 Scorpio/Aquarius, 5:27 PM. Communal destiny may be influenced by consciously supporting responsible actions. Verify the answers to your questions by testing them against spiritual principles, and projecting them toward possible outcomes. (Neptune=Pluto/North Node)

1/29 New Moon 9:32 Aquarius; west coast 6:15 AM, east coast 9:15 AM. Beginning a new project with an eye to responsibility is likely to succeed. Forgiveness of old hurts or offences can clean the slate and create a process without obstacles. West coast: scrutinize your environment and interact with people of vision and flexibility. (=Uranus/Ascendant), East coast: make a commitment to responsible stewardship over the environment of the project. Jump through all the hoops of whoever is in control, keeping all above reproach. Make sure everyone involved understands what is at stake – success through ethics and adherence to law. (=Pluto/Ascendant)

1/30 Neptune BSB (Beginning Shadow Boundary) 17:02 Aquarius, 4:36 AM. Foresight and hindsight join hands as we look back over the esoteric/spiritual/mystical interaction of 2005, and look forward to next year’s interface. Keep an inner balance between unconscious and conscious thought-forms, and between spirit and personality. (=Sun/Moon) The phenomenon of overlapping Neptune shadows is present for the next two weeks. Neptune’s ESB (Neptune’s Ending Shadow Boundary for 2005 is reached on St. Valentine’s Day.)

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day rituals join the Earth’s many cultures and the energy of the collective unconscious which we all share. Technological inventions enable us to link and communicate in a global manner. Peoples of nearly every culture (even those who follow Lunar calendars) visualize the new year as a clean slate from which to work as if it embodied the energy of a global "New Moon" – invoking the power of hope for a better future.

When we say Happy New Year, we happily invoke the energy of Janus, the ancient Roman god of passage. He had two faces -- one for endings and one for beginnings. Janus, for whom January was named, was the guardian of the gateway between the past and the future. Janus (from the Latin root janua, meaning door) was honored as the guardian of the door, with a key in one hand and a club in the other. Janus' festival, called the Kalendae extends from January 1^st to the 3^rd. He is said to be the great grandson of the Greek god Kronos (Roman, Saturn), through Zeus, and Apollo. Interesting that Janus is now being used as the company name for a mutual fund; symbolic of learning from the past to be successful in the future by making informed decisions in the present.

Sacrifices were also made in January to the goddess Fortuna for favors in the coming year. Fortuna was the Roman goddess of luck, and was associated with the fertility of the earth and the beings who inhabit it. Her other Roman name is Fors, meaning "She Who Brings." Her full name, derived from Vortumna, "she who turns the year about," came to symbolize the unpredictable nature of fate as the wheel of life spins on its axle. She was often depicted standing atop a ball (such as the one that drops in Times Square at the New Year), which also represents the uncertainty of fortune. Fortuna was so popular, that she had festival days in April, June, and October as well. This goddess of destiny reminds us to travel the peaks and valleys of life with acceptance, a perception that may offer us some comfort on our journey. Today we make resolutions to sacrifice destructive or useless habits to make room for worthwhile and constructive activities and behaviors that will hopefully lead us to good fortune, and a better life.

January’s gemstones are the garnet and the agate. The agate is a type of chalcedony, made up of layers of color. Its history suggests it was worn to clear emotional blockages by piercing the veil of inner levels of consciousness, and allowing remembrance of past lives. Moss agate was worn to balance emotions and as a blood cleanser; lace agate was worn to release muscle spasms and tension.

The most prized color of the garnet is the deep clear poppy red of the pomegranate, called almandine or pyrope, although garnets also come in many hues: red-orange (spessartite), yellow (andradite), and green (tsavorite). These gems were reported to bring restful sleep to their wearers, and to calm a restless brain. Garnets were also associated with constancy and fidelity, and were said to fortify the heart and blood of the owner. Legend holds that Noah hung a large garnet in the ark for illumination. In Arizona, ants excavate garnet pebbles while digging their holes. The ants deposit the gems in their refuse mounds, giving them the name "ant-hill" garnet. The word garnet is derived from the Latin, granatum, which means grain, and derives from the same root as pomegranate. Garnet crystals are granular in their natural form - shaped like the fruits of the pomegranate.

Pomegranates are sacred in the Jewish religion, and are used to symbolize the seventh day of the week (Saturday), and the planet Ninib (Chaldean equivalent of Saturn), ruler of the winter solstice. Pomegranates are often seen atop the candlesticks of the Menorah. Pomegranates were the only fruit allowed inside the Holy of Holies. It has been said that pomegranates, an astringent winter fruit, destroy worms in the intestinal tract (pomegranate fruit is not hospitable to destructive worms) and are a good source of lycopene, an important phytochemical and cancer preventive. Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades ate 6 pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, binding her to Hades’ kingdom for the winter half of the year. The pomegranate tree was sacred to Saul (Biblical), and Adonis (from whose blood it grew), and was used to supply red dye for the robes of temple priests. Miniature pomegranates decorated the Jewish High Priest’s robes.

January 1^st, New Years’ Day, also known as Hogamany, is a Scottish celebration that includes a walkabout around the boundaries of ones’ property. Also called "first footing", folklore tells us that the first foot inside your door after midnight, December 31 will foretell the flavor of the coming year’s fortune.

January 5th marks the Christian celebration of the 12th day after Christmas, known as Twelfth Night or Epiphany, which is derived from the Greek and Latin roots meaning appearance, manifestation, and revealment, and to show forth or to manifest. An epiphany today means a meaningful experience wherein a numinous moment occurs that changes the significance of everything in the life. The celebration of Epiphany is taken from the story of the three Wise Men from the east, who traveled 12 days and nights to see the newborn savior. It was "revealed" to them in a dream, that if they follow the "appearance" of a special star or light in the heavens, they would find a child in whom The Christ was "manifested". The Wise Men or Magi brought special gifts from their homelands, fit to offer a king.

The gifts consisted of gold (ruled by the Sun), the precious metal of Kings, because of its beauty and rarity. Of all the metals, it is nearly inert - doesn’t easily mix with other elements, and doesn’t break down, but maintains its elemental form. The second gift, frankincense (also Sun ruled), was an aromatic hardened gum resin of the Boswellia Carterii Thurifera tree, used as an incense in religious rituals, and represents pure prayer. Boswellia is an anti-inflammatory, now used to treat arthritis. The third was myrrh (Saturn ruled), a resin from the Commiphora myrrha tree - used in incense, as a holy oil for anointing the dead, as a mouthwash, as a vermifuge, and as a painkiller. It is a fragrant but bitter-tasting gum resin used to make incense, perfumes, medicines, and holy ointments for consecration. Known today as guggul herb, it used to control cholesterol and arteriosclerosis. Both resins are found in Arabia and Somalia, and are used in protection rites. Epiphany is celebrated as a time of consecration - a time of dedication to a better future. A consecration is a type of declaration of fidelity – a promise. And so an epiphany invokes the Sun, to reveal the light, and Saturn, to confirm the bargain. In January, the Sun is in the sign of Capricorn, governed by Saturn.

The Aquarius Sun this January 27^th is in opposition to Saturn in Leo, in mutual reception, and before Uranus was discovered, ruler of Aquarius. Saturn was the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Kronos, son of Uranus and Gaia. There is also an association here with Janus. Saturn ruled the past and backward motion of Capricorn (a visible Earth sign), and the future and forward motion of Aquarius (an invisible air sign). When Saturn is retrograde, as it is now, it takes on the mantle of Capricorn and focuses on past traditions. When Saturn turns direct on April 6, beginning its complete and swift forward journey through the 1^st decanate of Leo (completed June 29), we can begin seriously embracing the promise of the future. One way to support the Aquarius’ future mode is to have a potted ivy plant in your home. The curious leaves and tendrils of the Saturn-ruled ivy are said to drive evil and negativity from the home. Saturn is associated with chronic fear. "The world would have a smoother ride if only it would let some fear out of its tires." –Anonymous. Saturn also rules consistency and reliability, and as such may be retained as its own antidote.

January 18 commemorates Surya, Hindu Solar deity, known in northern Europe as the Swan Maiden, a demi-animal air spirit – half supernatural and half-mortal. As the story relates, a magic feather robe, a ring, or a golden chain enabled her to transform into a beautiful maiden. While in human form, she was taken to wife by a young mortal male. Eventually, she regains her feathers and flies away. This is a tale of the divine marriage, the yearly journey of the Sun: in spring, she sheds the mists (her feathers) to bathe and refresh herself, and becomes a fertility goddess. In the fall, donning her feathers, she flies away, taking summer with her. In Capricorn, she flies free, sometimes dropping some feathers that fall as snow.

The power of the breath is ultimate in the healing process, as there is no life without breath. On January 19 when the Sun changes signs from earth to air (Capricorn to Aquarius), we can consciously release the last outbreath of Solar earth and take in the first breath of Solar air. Integrating the breath with the physical expression can provide a powerful ceremonial tool. The healing power of the breath is developed through duration and volume. Standing facing the east, gently breathe in and out through the mouth – deeply and rhythmically. With the first few outbreaths, release all pain, frustration, anger and imbalance from the past, seeing those energies dispersed on the wind. With each inbreath, picture each cell, each pore being embraced by the current of healing consciousness, driven by divine wind. Feel the healing breath as it enriches and supports your life. After the first eight breath cycles, outbreaths may be used to send healing energies to others.

The second Monday of January (January 9, 2006) is Coming-of-Age Day in Japan, a national holiday that recognizes those who have reached the age of 20. They are seen as entering adulthood, and thus becoming self-reliant, self-responsible members of society. They have gained the right to vote and are allowed to drink and smoke if they choose. This ceremony has been celebrated since time immemorial, although the age has changed.

January 25 in the runic calendar is Disting, the feast of the Disir, the Norse guardian goddesses. In the Druidic form of this ritual, the Fire Maiden lights the fire of wisdom and love and power, and makes an offering so that the sacred fire burns within us. Then the Keeper of the Well pours water of wisdom and life, and makes an offering so that the sacred waters flow within us. Then the Tender of the Tree dresses the Cosmic Tree, Yggdrasill, symbolic of Life and our connection with the Earth, and asks that the sacred tree grow within us. Symbols of land and sea and sky within and without honor the adage "as above, so below".

January 26 is Vasant Panchami, the festival of Kites, devoted to Saraswati, goddess of learning and wife to Brahma. She is asked to bestow the wealth of Knowledge to all humanity. Celebrants wear yellow clothing in honor of the mustard fields, symbolic of spring coming to the land.

January 8 is Waqf al Arafa, an Islamic observance day during the festival of Hajj, wherein Muslim pilgrims pray to Allah for forgiveness and mercy. Hajj is celebrated from January 8 through January 11, for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Full Moon of January is known as the Wolf Moon in Pawnee Indian lore - Pa'Ni means wolf. The Great Spirit gave Wolf Spirit the job of guarding the Evening Star (the Moon). When the Morning Star (the Sun) took charge of the sky, the Wolf Spirit was given the winter quarter of the universe to guard. The wolf has the survival skills to meet the challenges of the winter season. It was also called the Wolf Moon because wolves became hungry enough to advance into the world of humans looking for food.

Knowing others is intelligence;

Die without dying, and you’ll endure forever.

Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu #33

Translated by Brian Browne Walker,

St Martin’s Griffin, NY 1995

Roxana Muise, PO Box 3948, Lacey, WA 98509-3948 USA

www.entheos1.com roxana@entheos1.com

©December 2005 Roxana Muise

NASA SpaceWeather readers were asked to suggest a name for the second new Moon to occur in a month. The SpaceWeather staff voted on all the submissions, and here is the outcome:

· Honorable Mention--Double Dark Moon, Dark Blue Moon, Astronomer's Moon

· Runner-up--Monkey Moon (from the verb "to monkey," which means to imitate), suggested by Henk Bril of the Netherlands.

· The Winner--Ebony Moon, suggested by Troy Silvey of Atlanta, Georgia.

January 1: 204 years since the discovery of Ceres by Giuseppe Piazzi.

January 2, 1959 the USSR rocket probe was the first to orbit our Sun.

January 8 is the 364^th anniversary of the death of Galileo.

On January 10, Robert Wilson, so-discoverer of microwave background radiation will celebrate his 70^th birthday.

On January 28, 1986 Challenger STS 51-L exploded 73 seconds after liftoff and destroyed the crew and vehicle.

The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on January 31, 1958

January 1 after sunset, you can see the crescent Moon and Venus (as the evening star) in the southwest. And on January 31, you will see Venus as the morning star on the southeastern horizon 2 hours before sunrise. Observations of all of Venus’ phases within 48 degrees of the Sun proved to Galileo that Venus orbited the Sun. If you wish to see all the phases of Venus in an animation by Wah of Hong Kong, go to the link: http://spaceweather.com/swpod2005/26dec05/wah1.gif