On January 20th, the sun—the great light that determines our zodiac signs—enters the sign of Aquarius. While the New Moon (known in Kabbalah as “Rosh Chodesh”) was on January 10th and that Aquarian energy is already all around us, when the sun enters this sign we will feel its energy much more intensely.
Saturn—the planet of discipline, responsibility, boundaries, and structure—rules over the months of Aquarius and Capricorn. It is a planet that demands effort from us to reach our long-term goals, which is why it is known as the “Great Teacher.” Nevertheless, its energy manifests differently in the two signs. According to kabbalistic astrology, Saturn is the last planet in the Solar System. The side of Saturn facing Capricorn—the side that sets boundaries—also looks toward the sun. From this position, its energy is associated with discipline, ambition, structure, and perseverance, and the sign becomes conservative and rigid. The side of Saturn facing outer space is the one facing Aquarius, and its influence in this sign is quite different. It brings forth originality, innovation, a progressive, avant-garde mindset, and conscious evolution. The month of Aquarius, an air sign, follows Capricorn, an earth sign. As we’ll see, its energy is completely different and we’ll feel this change when the sun enters Aquarius.
“This month we will all have access to big ideas that go beyond logic and reason.”
The month of Aquarius is one of the most controversial months due to its egalitarian, rebellious, and liberal energy. Well-harnessed, these traits can be great qualities, but oftentimes Aquarians like to play devil’s advocate—a challenging energy for those who live with people born under this sign. Their great intellect often makes Aquarians intolerant and impatient with people they perceive as slower or less intelligent. Aquarius is the sign of geniuses and, therefore, the misunderstood, as well. This month we will all have access to big ideas that go beyond logic and reason. We only need to open ourselves up to that possibility and venture into the future with this sign’s innovative, original energy.
In Aquarius, social well-being and utopia becomes empowered. It’s an excellent month to pursue community service and commit to a cause, as well as volunteer work. Aquarians make big commitments and love taking on responsibility when it comes to social issues and causes. My suggestion during this time is to commit more to your social and community work—one of the most spiritually elevated tasks there is. Going beyond ourselves and looking after others helps us work on what we learn in Kabbalah: transforming our Desire to Receive for the Self Alone into a Desire to Share.
Despite Aquarius’s great capacity to take care of society, it is also one of the coldest signs in the Zodiac. Aquarians struggle with emotional connection, which makes interpersonal relationships more complicated and superficial, lacking in sensitivity and tact. This is something we will all need to confront during this period.
Half the week is influenced by a New Moon from the 10th to the 18th, and the other half by a waxing gibbous phase from the 18th to the 20th. Both phases are great for beginnings and planting new seeds, and then putting in effort to manifest them. It’s great to take advantage of this energy combined with the sign of Aquarius. Seek out areas in your life where you need to make changes, where you need freedom or greater flexibility, and to think differently. Where do you want to be more unique or create more equality in your life?
“Where do you want to be more unique or create more equality in your life?”
Despite the sun being in Aquarius, we have a lot of planets in earth signs bringing stability, practicality, and achieving objectives. We have the chance to manifest results, but this also presents challenges for connecting to our emotions, creativity, and flexibility, as earth signs tend to be more pragmatic and tied to reality. Further, there is only one planet in fire, creating a lack of passion, self-expression, initiative, and optimism. We will need to make a greater effort to connect with these.
Sunday and Monday are optimal days to connect to our emotional, sensitive side, and they are great for meditation and prayer. Tuesday and Wednesday are great days to be active, courageous, and workout; take care not to be reactive and impulsive. On Thursday and Friday, we can commit to reviewing our finances and seeking out connection with beauty; we may feel rigid during those two days. And Saturday our communication and intellectual capacity are advantageous.
Without a doubt, the most important astrological shift this week is Pluto’s entry to Aquarius. Pluto spends 248 years completing its orbit around the sun, spending from 13 to 20 in each sign. With Pluto in Aquarius, there may be radical changes in society, community structures, and technology. This change will bear its mark on us, because whenever Pluto is in sight, changes are deep and decisive. Pluto transforms by destroying old energies that no longer work to our benefit to make space for new ones. In this case, we face huge social changes that, in fact, already started before Aquarius’s arrival and we’ve been feeling for months. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we had the French and Industrial Revolutions. Thus, we stand before huge shifts that will undoubtedly alter the future of our society.
