Astrological Energies January 31 to February 6, 2011

NorthPoint
Astrology Journal
Written by Pam Younghans
Uranus Rings by David A. Hardy

URANUS is very active this week, wrapping up business as the planet nears the end of its journey through Pisces. During these past seven-plus years, Uranus has been encouraging us to break out of the expectations and "shoulds" we may have lived with for lifetimes, in favor of following the calling of our soul's higher path.

Since the planets are always working to move us from lower vibration to higher, during Uranus' transit through Pisces we've especially been working to release ourselves from the less-productive manifestations of that sign. All signs have both positive and negative traits, with the latter usually being when the positive qualities have been taken to an extreme.

For instance, the higher vibrational Pisces is compassionate, understanding, imaginative and mystical. But, taken too far, compassion and understanding can turn into self-sacrifice, rescuing, victimhood and martyrdom; imagination and mysticism can become escapism and avoidance of responsibility.

ONE OF THE MOST important lessons we learn when we're working with Pisces energy is about unconditional love. Many of us have grown up with role models that equate unconditional love with self-sacrifice, either through the example of our parents or through religious training that encourages self-denial. Our challenge is to learn to love unconditionally without falling into the trap of believing it means we must give our life force away to another. Unconditional love includes the self and other equally.

We learn a lot about unconditional love from our pets, both in how they regard us and in how they best thrive. If you've ever watched the "Dog Whisperer" show, you know that treating a dog with unconditional love does not always mean doing what "feels" loving. Dogs, like children and other people, need structure and boundaries to live and grow. Doing what humans might naturally call a "loving" thing can actually encourage a dog to be fearful and aggressive.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is not always what we might think it is. It is accepting of a person, but not necessarily allowing of a behavior, especially if that behavior is hurting us or them in the process. If we support unhealthy actions by rescuing another or martyring ourselves, we are not truly serving anyone's highest good.

As Uranus begins its final six weeks in Pisces, we may want to do some final release work on the whole victim/martyr dynamic, wherever it appears in our lives. We have aspects from Uranus to Mars, the Sun and Venus on Tuesday and Wednesday this week that should help us move forward in this area.

THE NEW MOON on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning in some time zones) will also help us take new risks in some area of our lives. At the time of the lunation, both Mars and Ceres are closely aligned with the Sun and the Moon in Aquarius.

Mars is the planet of action, risk-taking, and courage. In Aquarius, those courageous actions are based on our own individual knowing of what is true for us, not on trying to live up to the expectations placed on us by others, or even those "shoulds" that we have taken on internally.

WITH CERES in this stellium (a grouping of three or more planets together), this New Moon also encourages us to nurture independence and self-determination in ourselves and in others. In her book Asteroid Goddesses, Demetra George writes that Ceres in Aquarius expresses self-nurturing and gains self-acceptance through accepting our eccentricities and ourselves, even if we "follow the beat of a different drummer."

And, in support of the "Dog Whisperer" tactics, Ms. George writes this about the influence of Ceres in Aquarius:

Imbalances can occur if there are no limits or guidelines, if there is more freedom than someone is prepared to cope with. If this occurs, the person needs to gain inner control and self-discipline so that they can handle the responsibilities of that freedom.

Where in your life do you need to either (or both) provide more structure and give greater freedom? This week is a good time to come to terms with what needs to be done in these areas, and to call on the courage needed for taking action.

THE SABIAN SYMBOL for the fourteenth degree of Aquarius, the location of this week's New Moon, reminds me of the effect of a worm hole in space:

"A train entering a tunnel: The ability to short-cut the process of natural evolution by the exercise of will, mental skill and physical self-discipline."

This image goes along with the sense that our evolution is greatly speeded up now. The actions we take and the decisions we make that move us in the direction of growth and progress are amplified with this New Moon. They are also supported by Jupiter in Aries.

Just like when we're entering a tunnel, we may not yet know exactly what we'll find when we come out the other end. And it can also take a few minutes for our eyes to adjust to the change in light source.

But once we've adjusted to the change, we'll be able to see the light we are headed toward, and we'll get some glimpses of the potentials that lie ahead.

2011 TELECLASS RECORDING: The recording of my teleclass on the Astrological Influences of 2011 is available for purchase. To find out more, please send me an email at pam@northpointastrology.com with "2011 TELECLASS" in the subject line.

I will reply with instructions on how to purchase and either view/hear the class online, or download the MP3 file to your computer. You will also receive a PDF of the slides of the monthly aspects and lunations.

Now that we're in the second month of the year, I'm reducing the cost of the recording by just a bit, now $30 instead of $33. Please email if you're interested!

Blessings,

Pam

NorthPoint Astrology Blog: Please check out my blog for updates at http:/northpointastrology.blogspot.com/ -- I look forward to your comments! Please feel free to share this NorthPoint Journal with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2010. All Rights Reserved.