***please note- i have since added more insights to this alignment since i posted this article on tuesday 1/19 so feel free to re-read again :)
on january 20th all 5 of the traditional planets (mercury, venus, mars, jupiter and saturn) will be visible in the early morning, pre-dawn sky! this will last for a month until february 20th- and from january 27th to february 6th the moon will be involved as well. this is rare but not 100 years rare. the last time this occurred was in 2005 and the next time will be 2018/19. yet it does have significance- astronomically and astrologically.
what is interesting is that during pre-dawn hours (i looked at the chart for sedona at 6:45am as our sunrise is 7:32am)- retrograde mercury will be the last to rise (he is right on the horizon)- with venus, saturn, mars and jupiter rising above him (in that order). so we have jupiter in virgo who is conjunct the north node right now leading the parade across the sky- and retrograde mercury in capricorn is akin to the caboose. interestingly mercury is the ruler of jupiter and the north node right now (both of them are in virgo- which is ruled by mercury). so there is an energetic link between jupiter, the north node and retrograde mercury right now- and in this blog i will explore what that is and what it means.
the jupiter/north node conjunction is an amazing alignment that is exact 4 times between january and june of 2016. there are two variations of the north node- true and mean. true is erratic so the jupiter/true north node conjunction occurs 3 times (january 23d, january 28th and june 21st) , while mean only occurs once (june 24th). jupiter is the planet of expansion, opportunity and growth and the north node is the path of destiny and evolution- so put the to two together and we all have amazing opportunities for significant growth and destined timeline shifts in our personal lives as well as collectively. with both bodies in virgo the focus is on being of service, showing up to do the work and discerning the Truth about ourselves, others and the world around us. it’s also a great time to get healthy, whole, organized, efficient and bring greater order and self-mastery into our lives.
mercury retrograde is the psychopomp- he is able to move between the upper and lower worlds and in this role he is a guide to dead souls. from a depth psychological perspective this means he can help us dive deep within and face our subconscious/shadow/Unconscious and take what we realize back up into the Light of consciousness and integrate it. it is important to note that we do not bring the Light into the dark/underworld. we take what we realize in the dark/underworld and bring it into the Light. this is an important distinction- because the moment you shine Light on the darkness the darkness is gone (or we are blinded by the Light and we don’t see the darkness anymore). but when you meet the darkness on it’s own terms- in the dark so to speak- you get to see things you would not have seen if you simply shone a Light on it.
mercury is conjunct pluto- the Lord of the underworld- and square both uranus and black moon lilith this week (he made this alignment in mid to late december and will do so again at the end of the month)- bringing pluto into the pre-dawn sky lineup even though we cannot see him visibly. in the chart for sedona i see pluto rising with mercury and mars in scorpio culminating (with jupiter- the leader of the bunch- already past culmination)- a very intense combination that is all about penetrating beyond the facade and getting to the Truth. luckily neptune is trining mars- bringing an idealism, compassion and altruism into his focus- otherwise he could be more warlike and aggressive in nature (which honestly the warlike, aggressive energy is still there due to all the intense astrology this month- but it can be mitigated right now by the trine to neptune and our choosing to take a Higher, service-oriented path).
with jupiter and the north node leading the planetary parade and retrograde mercury with invisible pluto ending it- i see a link between our opportunities for growth and evolution and the necessity to dive deep, face the shadow, go beyond the surface and get to the Truth of ourselves, of others, of situations in our lives and in the world around us. and with both virgo and capricorn highlighted- the focus is on showing up to do the work, staying committed and seeing it through even when it gets boring, and staying deeply aligned with our integrity and desire for personal mastery so that we don’t get sidetracked or park it on the side of the road (the road to enlightenment has many tempting parking spaces).
with all the traditional personal planets visible- i feel there can be some kind of revelation happening for each of us- personally and collectively. yet to realize what wants to be revealed we have to be willing to see that which we have avoided seeing or have not been able to see before. i love that venus is on the galactic center- as she is connected to a lifeline of Higher Wisdom, Higher Love, Higher Power via the GC- reminding us that we all have a choice in how we act, think, and live our lives right now. and taking time out of our busy lives to meditate, reflect and introspect can bring some profound insights and aha moments (so it’s highly recommended!).
the dispositor of all the planets goes from mercury to saturn to jupiter (meaning all the planets defer back to this trio)- linking the planet of communication and thinking with the two teacher planets. jupiter teaches by expansion, opportunity and positivity while saturn teaches by contraction, discipline, hard work and dealing with reality. put these three together and we have opportunities to strip away what is no longer Truth for us- personally and collectively- and open up to realizing more of what is really True (within and without). growth comes by way of pruning- a reminder that before you shoot for the stars you should check to make sure your personal foundations are solid and your backyard is cleaned up (meaning deal with your shadow rather than blind yourself with your Light).
if you are able to wake early to see this alignment in the pre-dawn skies- do so! it will surely be a sight to see :)
blessings…
~dh
P.S. if you want to learn IN DEPTH ASTROLOGY my next foundation series stars on monday january 25th! for more info click here- https://www.divineharmony.org/astrologyclasses
for more info on this alignment you can read earth sky’s blog post about it linked below :)
http://earthsky.org/science-wire/when-will-all-five-visible-planets-appear-simultaneously