This week’s turnaround

After a very sluggish start to the year, we are finally seeing some forward momentum. Venus just began moving forward again, and Mercury follows suit on Wednesday. If you, like me, have found it difficult to get going lately, perhaps you also are grateful for this shift. There is a lot of momentum for change over the next few months.

The first photo shows Venus at the first ‘gate’ to the Underworld – the first of seven visible conjunctions with the waning crescent Moon. At this first gate, the queen removes her royal crown in her first surrender to the demands of ‘the place below’. 

Another new beginning comes as the Moon is new in Aquarius tonight, offering a chance for new vision after this month of re-evaluating, re-valuing, re-prioritizing and reviewing under retrograde energy. All New Moons offer us a chance to start again and focus our attention on a new or repeated intention. In Aquarius and close to Saturn, there is a theme of reclaiming our authority from the collective, and committing to how we contribute to the whole through being true to ourselves.

Then on Wednesday,  the Sun reaches the halfway point of Aquarius, marking the cross-quarter holyday of Imbolc, or Candlemas (or Groundhog Day) when we celebrate the returning of the light in the northern hemisphere. While the nights may still be long, there is a noticeable lengthening of the days. Light a candle or two and think back to any seeds you planted at the Solstice or Capricorn New Moon and see what feels enlivened. (Here is a post I wrote on Imbolc in 2020).

I’ll be recording the next episode of The Natural Wisdom Podcast this Saturday, February 5th at 10 am Mountain/noon Eastern. I’ll be talking about this renewal of energy and how to work with it, including through diet and lifestyle. All $8 patrons are invited to join me live, and the recording will be up on the podcast that afternoon. I’ll post the link to join on Friday.