STARFIRE

January 2010

January 2010- The Good News in January: Jupiter Moves into Pisces
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The Good News in January: Jupiter Moves into Pisces

The less said about the New Year’s chart, the better. Mars was retrograde at the Winter Solstice, a valid predictor for the first quarter of the New Year, and both Mars and Mercury were retrograde in the New Year’s chart. The economy looks as sluggish as cold car engines during the December blizzards along the East Coast.

The good news starts January 17th, when Jupiter, the planet of expansion, moves into Pisces. Jupiter is the ancient ruler and the modern co-ruler of Pisces, so the planet of expansion and abundance will be playing on its home court again.

But what about the conflicting charts for solstice and the New Year? The solstice chart is only valid for three months, and the New Year chart is less valid in world economy than it was in the years when the Western economies dominated the world money markets. Still, there’s a blend. The Jupiter chart is important enough to give us reason to expect strong economic recovery, but the drag from the other two charts say it may not be visible immediately. At the least, the drag from the other two charts says it won’t take off with the speed of a hot air balloon or the power of an explosion.

Public confidence will get a boost before the markets and the national economy do. In the chart set for Washington, the good news from Jupiter shows up in the 7th house, which represents both the public and our national partners. Look to our national economic partners for signs the world-wide recession is ending; our own economic indicators may lag behind other countries.

Saturn will be in Libra, where it’s strong and unusually benevolent, but Saturn is placed in the second house of money and resources in our national chart. Think of the economy for the next few months as an old car turning over slowly in cold weather–but trust the engine to ignite and run. We’ll see solid progress this year, but it takes time to rebuild depleted resources for businesses and to recover stimulus money for governments.

The big news shows up in the sectors for creativity and jobs. The Sun and Venus, along with the North Node, promise more jobs and more profitable ones. Venus in the 6th house of employees and work is the strongest indicator yet of people moving from unemployment benefits to jobs that pay more than the benefits. (If someone who was earning six figures and paying taxes on a six-figure income before the recession runs out of benefits and takes a low paying job to survive, neither the family nor the government thrives. Real recovery means employment with reasonable compensation for individuals and employment with anticipated income tax for the government.)

Mercury direct and in the 5th house promises real estate profits again, although the proximity of Pluto says the market will be a different market. Pockets of easy profit may never come back, but new ones will develop. It may still take creative thinking and negotiating to make a sale happen–but that’s easier to do with Mercury direct and in the 5th house of creativity.

Four planets in Capricorn, including both the Sun and Venus, gives further reason for hope for the economy.

So where will we see the growth first?

The good news for artists is that we may see it in industries like film and movies, but also in readership of romance, science fiction and fantasy. Gasoline will be more abundant, but how much of that relief will trickle down to the consumer depends on stat4 and federal taxes as much as on the economy. Still, we’re seeing windfall profits again on a sporadic basis (Uranus in the 8th house) and a business-friendly climate with the small stellium or grouping in Capricorn.

Mars in the 12th house, even though it is still retrograde, says there’s unseen power behind the progress the chart promises. We may not be leading the world in recovery, but we will be recovering as a nation. Small businesses that are able to make creative and innovative changes may reap the windfalls this year, or at least be the first to benefit from consumer confidence..

The presence of Mercury and Pluto in the fifth house, coupled with the Sun and Venus in the sixth house, representing profits from creative endeavors, suggests that writers and artists in general will find the year more profitable. Grant money may be more available; that’s hard to define because the money comes from diverse sources in addition to public donations. The music industry may receive the most direct benefits from Jupiter in Pisces, but the book and art industries will profit, too.

So raise your sights as you plan for the New Year. Count on recovery–and on personal and creative initiative. Rebuild inventories, whether your products are tangible or intangible. Intangible goods often benefit from Pisces planets before the tangibles do. By spring, talent and industry will create new ventures that can complete with more sluggish international companies just because they are young and lean and innovative.

Technology products will be less abundant, so you may not want to wait forever for new purchases of electronics. Mercury will be direct by noon on the 15th, so there’s a small window on the 16th when you may still find bargains in electronics. If you buy something with moving parts, remember Mars is still retrograde and buy the warranties.

If we switch gears to numerology, 2010 is a 3 year, a year of creativity and expansion. Its tarot equivalent is the Empress, promising abundance that’s physically visible.

Clearly we’re entitled to anticipate a good New Year–even if the abundance flows like molasses in January and only warms to a stream as we move through the spring and summer seasons. Still, it’s worth making angels in the snow and a hot chocolate toast to changing times.

Mary O’Gara, Ph.D.