STARFIRE

January 2007

January 2007 - New Year 2007
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And A Happy New Year to All of Us...Please

There’s a New Year in the stars, and the planets point the way to making it a happy one. Year after year, I get so excited about New Year’s and the New Year chart that I almost forget the chart is totally the product of human thought. New Year’s might even be the only holiday made up by scientists.

Most of our holidays honor specific people (presidents, parents, Martin Luther King), or commemorate events (Labor Day, Memorial Day). The oldest holidays celebrate astrological events (Midsummer’s Eve, Halloween, winter solstice and Christmas, Easter). For all our thoughts of “Auld Lang Syne”, New Year’s as we celebrate it today is marked by a calendar that is less than 300 years old and that was created by scientists to put our calendar back in alignment with astronomy.

No wonder astrologers love to talk about New Year’s. It’s our own holiday, sort of.

And this one is full of portents and omens.

Now doesn’t that sound serious?

2007 will be a serious year. It’s a 9 Universal Year, the end of a 9-year numerology cycle, so it will be a year of endings and completions in preparation for new beginnings in 2008. The 9 year isn’t just about endings; it’s also about public distribution, so it includes endings like publishing a book and having it hit the best seller lists and take on a life of its own.

One major challenge for 2007 are that eight of its planets are below the horizon at New Year’s. With eighty percent of its energy internal, it’s not a year full of automatic achievement.

Fortunately, the Moon’s in Gemini in the 9th house, where it will bring us an abundance of new ideas, both philosophical and practical. (Let’s just hope the politicians grab some of those ideas and change our world.)

Saturn is in the 11th house; from that placement, Saturn often limits corporate income (sorry, economy) and restricts our own hopes, wishes and dreams. The quick fix for Saturn is to write down your goals–all your goals, even the daily ones. I’m spending New Year’s Eve making a long list of hundreds of manifestations I’d like to see now and in the next ten years; it’s not every year Saturn provides such simple opportunities.

Pluto will be finishing its long stay in Saturn, preparing to dip in and out and finally lodge in Capricorn in 2008. Look for major changes on the international front as we find out which countries have actually learned to play diplomatically with each other during the long years of religious wars with Saturn in Sagittarius.

Expect changes in the publishing industry, too. Look for dramatic, if not explosive, expansion of direct to the public opportunities. Bill Gates and his computer in every home is the model for Pluto-driven business. Publishing distribution systems are archaic and due for a change. Cutting out the middle man doesn’t mean every writer has equal access to the market; Pluto still favors the big guy.

International business should stabilize after a chaotic few years–but the public in general probably won’t see benefits until 2008.

In the meantime, watch for sales and bargains as retail stores and even internet businesses work to expand in a contracting market. Think bargains. Never pay full price in 2007.

Opportunities may turn up close to home. Small ideas that expand step by step will be more profitable than huge new projects. International travel will probably be more fun in 2008 than 2007.

So what will be fun this year?

Short travel. Regional or national travel.

Reading groups at the neighborhood bookstore. Community classes to explore things you’ve always wanted to learn (candlemaking, anyone?).

Shopping with a friend, making bargain-hunting an outing.

Getting involved in local or even national government. The 2008 presidential races are underway even though there are too many twists and turns between now and election day to make predictions fun. Tour the local morgue (This IS a mystery magazine, so we don’t have to be squeamish) or check into your local citizens police academy.

Have you tried teleconferencing for a low-cost way to get the whole family together? Just search for “free teleconferences” to find hosts that don’t charge a cent. (Sign up for my own free New Moon teleconference call by sending an email to newmoon@maryogara.com) The new year is a fine year for communications with everyone you know.

Make a list of 2006 successes to remember the old year by and pick a focus for your life for the new year. Saturn loves focus.

Above all, make 2007 a year dedicated to making meaning for yourself and others. Astrology is an art because it helps make meaning out of life. And that’s what the creative arts are about, too; making meaning.

As Steven Spielberg was honored at the Kennedy Center Awards in December 2006, a presenter quoted Spielberg as saying that young artists communicate their own emotions, and mature artists express the emotions of the community.

May you each find 2007 a year of meaning and creativity and joy and accomplishment. May you learn something each day you are delighted to know and find yourself grateful for the year as 2007 turns to 2008 twelve months from now.

Mary O’Gara, Ph.D.