Well, it looks like a better year, doesn't it??? No heavy duty Saturn, Pluto, Uranus transits. ....Saturn opposite Uranus at the end of the year seems to be the only fly in the ointment. Yet there are planets that are close. Uranus has had the asteroid, Pallas, close, most of 2007. It's still there til March. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, indicating a genius mentality when aspected positively, and Pallas is all mental - the goddess was born of Zeus' head, so she's not in touch with emotion - this conjunction will see children born at this time genius in the field of computers and math.....Uranus rules computers and Pallas rules the ability to think in patterns and put things together others wouldn't see.

At the same time, Chiron is keeping close on the heels of Neptune....in fact it will do so til 2014! Chiron is the wounding and Neptune is illusion/delusion....even sabotage sometimes. How are these two going to work? They are in Aquarius - and will move to Pisces before they split up an opportunity to move beyond our limitations. The last time Chiron and Neptune met up, it was 1945. I've heard from people who were children in that time that they were fed some propaganda of sorts from their parents, which, since they were their parents, they believed, and built their life on. It behooves nurturing parents of children born in these years to watch for negative programming by someone. It would depend on which house it's in, who the probably culprit might be.

When Saturn opposes Uranus in November, it will also oppose Pallas, of course, as well. Those who think within the box are not going to cotton to people who think outside the box....and so far outside the box most of us can't comprehend the genius (sort of like "Charlie (David Krumholtz) " on "Numb3rs").

During the first few months of the year, Mars flits back and forth opposing Pluto before it moves on. Mars is the god of war, and the previous ruler of Scorpio before Pluto was discovered. It's usually a time of dark forces. Mars also represents cars, and Pluto is anything with an RE before it, so REpair works here. Keep your car repaired. ...there are 3 types of policemen. #1 is the Virgo type who wants to serve and protect, #2 is the Saturn type where they want you to follow the rules and stay within the box, and #3 are the Pluto types that want dominion and control.....the latter is more likely to be behind the bush just waiting for you to make a mistake.....so watch your p's and q's (literally! that's shorthand for pints and quarts!!) and don't give them anything they can complain about.

Pluto enters Capricorn in January, with Jupiter nearby, and then Jupiter takes off, staying in Cap for the year, to make the ingress a bit more easy. Saturn starts off the year aspectinig a number of planets, and close to opposing Uranus, so we can feel a little of its non-appreciation of Uranus' hippie qualities at that time. In June, Saturn gets close to trining Pluto again, as it did in August of 2007. In July, Saturn and Pluto are still in a pretty close trine, but Mars joins them, conjuncting Saturn. As we saw with the bridge collapse, even a trine isn't good with Mars in the picture.

As we start into the summer months, Uranus is starting to move in to square Pluto, which it won't do til June of 2012, but it'll be hanging in close proximity the whole time. When Uranus conjuncted Pluto in 1966, it started the whole hippie, free love, uncommitted relationships, and being more open in sexual expression.....which brought in Roe v. wade, in 1973. In the coming years, culminating in 2012, we'll probably see more individualism again, and the people standing up to power.

For you Cancer:

Jupiter trines Saturn from the 7th house of mate/2nd child, to the 3rd house of siblings, writing, communication. Your mate can help you with a sibling, perhaps, who's calling you to task for something you did or were supposed to do.

Jupiter sextiles Uranus from the 7th of mate to the 9th of religion/travel. You and your mate may be able to go on a trip you've longed for, or you can be led to exploring a new religion.

Jupiter sesquiquadrates Saturn from the 7th to the 3rd.. As the faster planet moves away from the trine at 120 degrees, it creates a sesqui at 135 degrees....a little blip on the radar screen to see if you handled the positive energy right.

Saturn Opposes Uranus/Pallas, from the 3rd house of siblings/writing/communication/lower education to the 9th house of travel/religion. Short trips and long trips are in focus here. Also education. Saturn plays by the rules, and looks askance at Uranus' desire to do things differently....sometimes just to do it differently.

Jupiter inconjuncts Neptune from the 7th to the 8th....Neptune's dissolve can find an inheritance or expected money not coming thru, but your mate may have a solution.

THE OUTLYING PLANETS

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are called the 'major' planets because they move slowly. They are the 'directors' of our play of life, and dictate the set and the scenery and outline the major direction of the play.....they would be the ones who write the 'bible' for soap operas - the long range direction of the stories. Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, on the other hand, are the "personal" planets: they are the actors who trigger the events, and can also be looked at as the 'daily writers' of our individual soap opera who write the daily events. So, in astrology, we look to the outlying planets and see what they are doing to get a sense where the action is going to take place.

For you, Moon Baby, Pluto spent 12 years in your work and health space. You could have had a boss who who ruled with an iron hand. You could have had a lot of intrigue and political machinations on the job. You may have wanted to quit and change jobs, and if you did, you found that with Pluto going thru the 6th, that the energy 'followed' you in the sense that this was your 'classroom' for Pluto, and you were drawn to a new job with similar energy. Sometimes it's better to stay with the devil you know than the devil you don't know.

Now Pluto moves into your 7th house of relationship/mate, 2nd child, Mom's mom and Dad's dad. This is an ancesteral house, showing you patterns of behavior that have come down thru the generations to be healed. This is also what is known as the 'shadow' house, the elements of yourself that you have hidden and don't want people to see. Yet you are attracted to someone who just likes to parade it around and it sometimes gets to you that they can't contain it as you do. Relationships are suppose to help people to come to a harmonious whole. The extrovert marries the introvert, and the extrovert helps the introvert to come out and shine more, and the introvert helps the extrovert to mellow out....yet sometimes after awhile they just get tired of dealing with their opposite energies and try to control the other person. This is what can happen with Pluto moving thru the 7th. Your marriage will go thru a testing, and those with real merit can come out the other side intact. You can even use the energy to become a powerful twosome, but you have to work at it. Your mate may come into power, or become more empowered as the time goes along, which could change the balance of power in the relationship.

Pluto goes retrograde on April 2nd and goes direct on September 8th.

Neptune is now in Aquarius. Combined with Uranus, it's been a bumpy ride the last 8-15 years. There have been upsets and jobs lost, as you've been encouraged to get out of the rat race and pursue more personal goals. The nebulousness of Neptune, has found carving a niche for yourself rather difficult. Now that it has followed Uranus into Aquarius (as Uranus moves into Pisces), the ride should be a little easier, as the energy is more to Nep's liking....Aquarius is a transcendant sign of higher vision much as its own sign, Pisces.

For you, Cancer, Neptune is now in your 8th house of joint finances. This can be a nebulous time, money wise, with the money you co-mingle with your mate...and that can be a roommate if you aren't otherwise attached. Better not to lend money now, and maybe a good time to create your own bank account, where the aspects are better. Neptune could make it hard for you to actually manifest an inheritance. Everyone would have to be really clear about what they're signing, so as not to be hoodwinked.

Neptune goes retrograde on May 26th, and goes direct on November 2nd.

Uranus- On March 11, 2003, Uranus moved into Pisces after 8 years in Aquarius. It then retro'ed back to Aquarius on Sept. 16th,2003, and then back to Pisces by Dec. 31st to continue on it's way thru Pisces for the next 7+ years. Uranus rules Aquarius, which is an air sign, and Pisces, of course, is water. Water and air don't work too well together. Just as Uranus got 'stuck' in Capricorn, it dives into the unknown areas of emotion, and gets confused....that objective, logical air quality doesn't understand emotion, ala "Mr. Spock" and "Data" of Star Trek. Triggering emotional buttons can have Uranus moving into uncharted areas, and acting inappropriately, even for itself. As a friend of mine, the late actress June Ellis (herself an Aquarian) once said, "How can you predict Uranus, when it is unpredictable?" When Uranus enters a new house (new room, more specifically) it throws on the lights, and exposes all that is in that 'room' to be be cleaned out, pulling the rug out from under as it goes, forcing you to move forward in new directions.

Cancerians will find Uranus shaking up the 9th house of world travel, religion, publishing, higher education. You don't like to travel much, Cancer, you like to stay home and tend the hearth, but you may find the world your home in the coming 8 years. It's also the preparatory house for the career in the 10th. Use the changes that come your way, to establish a new base, with which to have a successful career.

Uranus goes retrograde on June 26th and goes direct on November 27th.

After a rough 2 1/2 years in Leo, Saturn left the lofty sign and moved into Virgo on September 6, 2007. Leos in particular, breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a good time for Leos. Michael Richards (Kramer on Seinfeld) had his meltdown, Isaiah Washington of "Grey's Anatomy" had a long drawn out meltdown (just quit while you're ahead, Isaiah! He must have Snake energy in his chart somewhere - has to be right, can't be wrong and has to have the last word! - Let it go, for heaven's sakes!). Barry Bonds proceeded towards the home run title under spurious circumstances....if Saturn hadn't been in Leo, the last two and a half years would have gone better, but as Saturn made travel plans to move on to the state of Virgo, the energy lightened up and he got his tying home runs and went on to add to the total. For others, like Steve Carell, his career took off. For Leos, who like to live large, found Saturn more onerous than most planets traversing it. They started to part-eeeeeeeeeee when it left. they felt a sense of relief and 'let out of jail'. That ponderous cloud over their head moved on and the sun came out to shine a bit...yet it went into their money house, so hope you didn't part-eeeeeeee too much, Leo, the bills will come due at some point, and Saturn will wonder why you didn't put something aside in the savings account.

The Baby Boomers of the 40's found that Saturn was going over the same territory (Leo) it did in 1946-48. The problem there being that Saturn caught up with Pluto in 1947, and in 1948, Chiron squared them as they broke up. There was lots of angst during those years, and now, as Saturn moved thru it again - their second Saturn return, and revisiting the S/P conjunct, those in and around their 60's were feeling the aches and pains and emotional blocks of the traumas of those days.

Saturn went thru Leo again from 1976-78, so Baby Boomers had a fresh look at the wound again, and those born later, experienced it for the first time. Those born in the late 60s and early 70's experienced the recycling of the energy as they went thru their first Saturn return, and found the body manifesting the emotional blocks which occurred in their early years. In the 70's, Saturn was squaring Uranus - the 'cop' knocking heads with the "hippie" of the zodiac, but at least not causing the angst of the Pluto connection. For all signs born after the late 70's, this was the first time they felt it going thru Leo, the sign of ego and self worth, so they all felt some ego denying in relation to the house position it was in. Leos particuarly, those born in the early 80's are now in their mid 20's and they had never experienced Saturn riding rough shod on their need to shine.

Now, Saturn is in Virgo. In modern times, it went thru Virgo from 1948-51, and 1978-81. Virgo energy works better with Saturn, for it rules Capricorn and is part of the earth trine. Doesn't mean there aren't lessons to learn and karma to address, but it's a cadent sign and thus, lighter energy. Those who are recycling the energies from the late 40's and late 70's, will find issues coming up again to heal. Emotional blocks which were created during those times can manifest as illness. This is where we can thank Saturn instead of cursing him, because it brings into manifestation what we have been harboring in our souls for all this time, in a tangible expression which, if we detect it right, leads us to the answer.

Taurus and Capricorn will benefit most from this transit, as it will trine their sun sign during this juncture, and they'll find that the 'gods' are approving and bringing rewards for work well done. Virgos will be tested, but they are such workaholics that they probably won't know the difference. Sagittarians, Pisces and Geminis will feel the square energy, and find they have to stand up to authority figures who would like to mold them to their will. Leos, Aquarians, Aries and Libra will find themselves making 'adjustments' as Saturn quincunx (30 degrees) and inconjuncts (150 degrees), their signs. That leaves Cancer, Scorpio in a sextile position to Virgo, which will create a YOD pointing to Aquarius and Aries, respectively; when Saturn tests, your "answers" are in those houses, Moon baby and Scorp....it's up to you to figure it out. *

For you, Cancer, you can be tight about money, Moon child, and not like to part with a cent. That's kind of odd, because Leo is in your money house, which should encourage you to be open and giving and generous with what you have. If you have more than enough for yourself, then you can give, but if not, you play it close to the vest. Saturn moving thru your 2nd house the past couple of years found you holding on to every dollar even more tightly.

Now, Saturn moves into Virgo, and your 3rd house. Whew! You've had a long 5 year period with Saturn moving thru the first house of Self, in Cancer, and then thru the 2nd house in Leo, for money. Now, it's time to take a breather. Maybe you'll have to stand up to a sibling, neighbor, or rally for something at the city council, but generally speaking, it should be an easier time frame. It's a sextile position, so it creates a Yod from Cancer sun to Saturn in Virgo, and the Yod points at Aquarius. Whatever comes up to vex you, look to where Aquarius is in your chart - the 'answer' is there.

Chinese astrology - For most of us, the sun sign is always in the area of the Cat, in the Chinese chart.....but for the summer and winter babies, the sun moves a little bit further, and in the summer, Cancerians have their sun sign in the area of the Tiger, instead. Hence, your transits are a little different, as are Capricorn's. For you, Saturn moved thru Leo, and your 2nd house; in the Chinese chart, it was the area of the Cat. You found that people were coming down hard on you, maybe comparing you with others and finding you wanting. Or, you may have been doing that to others.

Now, as Saturn moves into Virgo, it moves into the Chinese area of the Dragon. Your appetites are less during this period; probably a good time to go on a diet if you want to. You have siblings that are Dragons in some fashion, and you may be at odds with them or they with you. Try not to squelch their desires, and don't let them squelch yours. Your stomach may be tight from the stress.