Wheel of Light Astrology by Rio Olesky - January 2018
January 1 is supposed to be the beginning of the New Year. However, two events that took place in late December could be considered the true start of a new cycle. One of those events occurs every year: the Winter Solstice that took place on December 21. At that time the Sun entered Capricorn. One could think of this annual event as the birth of the Sun. From that point and for the next 6 months, the Sun will be moving north, promising the renewal of life in the northern hemisphere. The other event occurred on December 19. Two days prior to the Solstice, the ruling planet of Capricorn, Saturn, entered the sign of its dignity and will remain there until March 2020. The transit occurs approximately every 28 years. In the past 200 years, Saturn has entered Capricorn only 3 previous times in December, and never as close to the Solstice as 2017. Conjunctions always indicate times of new beginnings. We can assume that the Sun-Saturn conjunction at the time of a powerful point like the Solstice can bring some important and intense changes. I will discuss this event in greater depth and detail in my annual Perspectives talk. This year it will be on January 9 from 7-9 PM at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. Admission is $15 at MP3 recordings of the talk will be available. I will also be offering a class in intermediate astrology that will begin on January 24 at SRJC. For information about the class call Rio at 707-887-1820.To enroll in the class, call the Community Education Office at 707-527-4582.
One way we define planets is that they represent energies. The sign a planet resides in is an archetype that filters the energy. When a planet is in the sign it is said to “rule” its expression is pure. Nothing gets filtered out. Its influence, therefore, is more powerful. The nature of Saturn and Capricorn is to focus. They define goals, the structure within which to achieve the goal and the estimated time of arrival. Saturn is the energy of personal responsibility. Ultimately this implies the necessity of becoming aware of all our thoughts, feelings and actions. We can’t control the world, but we can control ourselves and the direction we want our lives to move toward. To whatever degree we don’t take primary responsibility, we are allowing other people or external circumstances to control us. The I Ching reminds us that “all life on earth is conditioned and unfree”. Saturn is the energy of limitation. We can choose the ways in which we are willing to accept limitation and thereby also choose the ways we will be free. Or, we can give that power away and let various forces in our world choose those limits for us.
In the collective context, Saturn represents authority and Capricorn represents organized structure such as the state or a corporation. We can assume that this transit will enhance the power of authority figures in both government and business as well as the institutions themselves. From my point of view, this is not good news. We are already living in a country in which the president represents the interests of the corporation. He has already plotted this country’s course on a very restricted platform in which only the interests of this country matter, and only a limited minority of citizen’s interests matter. The big picture of climate change and interaction with the rest of the world in mutually beneficial ways are not on his radar. How can we alter this picture and the depressing goals that are already in place?
Capricorn is a sign of action. Two courses emerge for us over the next 2 ½ years. One is on the personal level. With Saturn in Capricorn our potential for self-discipline is strong. We can initiate patterns in our own lives that enable us to be empowered. When one is empowered, he or she realizes that they are the prime source of authority in their own reality. They are the prime source of permission, approval and recognition. They establish their lives within a clear context of limits and boundaries. When we don’t accept and work with self-discipline we are giving our power away and letting others set those limits and boundaries for us. This could pertain to helping the environment by doing something as simple as remembering to eat quality, locally grown food and recycling our waste. We can choose what products to buy based on the policies of the company that made them. Capricorn is goal oriented. We can also activate self-discipline by defining and working to achieve what we define as important. Usually people associate Saturn and Capricorn with material goals, which is something they do pertain to. These influences, however, can also pertain to personal growth. We can apply discipline to a spiritual path and work with the single pointed focus of Saturn to enhance our spiritual growth and consciousness development. A great deal of progress can be made in this arena over the next couple of years.
