Welcome to 2020! We’ve arrived at the start of the second decade of the century. As a kid, you may have watched Star Trek or Star Wars and thought that the year 2020 seemed so un-obtainably far, in the distant future. NOW----- it is HERE! And not only are we starting a new decade but a New Age! The 1970s Broadway hit “Hair,” gave us the Fifth Dimension’s song “Aquarius.” Over the past ten years, the Age of Aquarius became a favorite astrology research topic of mine. In the year 2012, the start of that fabled astrological “New Age of Aquarius” became a reality. Each astrological “Age” lasts 2,155 years and comprises the time that the celestial path of the North Star, Polaris, takes to pass through an entire constellation of stars. The Age of Pisces began several hundred years before the birth of Christ and had its symbolic “beginning of its end” on December 21st, 2012. With each new Astrological Age, human beings have an opportunity to evolve. The Piscean Age brought about the development of organized religion, leaders who interpreted the word of God for the common people and the concept of contrition and self-sacrifice. In contrast, the Aquarian Age brings the diversification of religion and the concept of self-creation of our lives that doesn’t require sacrifice, but instead, views the creation of personal happiness and success as available to all. 

On December 4th of 2019, we reached the first of two major celestial markers in the 2,155-year cycle: the arrival of OUTER PLANETS IN THE LAST THREE ZODIAC SIGNS- Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Neptune, the planet ruling Pisces (last sign of the zodiac) is the planet of imagination in the arts. It shares partial ownership with Libra, of poetry, painting, film, music and dance. Where Neptune enters, creative flights of fancy follow. Because it is the last sign of the zodiac; because it shares with Pluto, the furthest orbit around the Sun and because Neptune is the planet that rules the sign of Pisces and the Piscean Age, Neptune’s passage through the last sign of the zodiac marks THE VERY END OF THE PISCEAN AGE. In a brilliant “last hurrah!” before 2026, when Neptune enters Aries, Neptune in Pisces will bring incredible breakthroughs in the arts over these next five years. WHEN NEPTUNE ENTERS THE SIGN OF ARIES ON JANUARY 27TH OF 2026, OUR PLANET EARTH WILL HAVE COMPLETED ITS ENTRY INTO THE AGE OF AQUARIUS! What an amazing time-- we have chosen-- to be alive! 

During the month of February 2020, the outer planets, Jupiter through Pluto, will be in Capricorn or Pisces (except Uranus, now in Taurus.) This combination of Capricorn & Taurus/earth and Pisces/water energies is the perfect celestial environment for great new avenues of artwork to be expressed. In film and tv, the emergence of the long-cycle tv series with the backing of mini-studios, Amazon and Netflix, has given us a huge new influx of options in home entertainment. In the fine art world, many paintings and sculptures now made out of recycled materials, have a Gaia-centered theme of eco-conservation. In music, a host of new artists in all genres has come available through internet-based curated “channels.” In dance and theater, seasoned performers are coming back to the live stage to re-create the intimate experience that holds audiences captive like no other. The February weekends of the 8th and 9th, with the Full Moon in Leo, the Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend of the 14th to the 16th with the Moon in Scorpio and Sadge and the Pisces New Moon weekend of the 22nd and 23rd are perfect times to get out and enjoy the arts at a performance or festival. Enjoy!

The most important planetary shift which takes place this year is the movement of outer planet Saturn from Capricorn to Aquarius. On Sunday, March 21st, Saturn enters the sign of Aquarius where it will give our lives an electrical “charge-up” in the area of career, life/work balance and standing in the community. From March 21st, 2020 until March 7, 2023 Saturn will be imposing Aquarian limits and demands for self-discipline. Saturn in Aquarius tells us to clean-up our “act” in order to UPGRADE OUR LIVES in the areas of career and family life. For some of us this may mean taking a job with greater benefits in order to support the family better. For others this transit indicates working harder than ever to manifest exciting career dreams. If you have an art, a service or a product that you want to bring to a larger stage, NOW is the time to prepare for that step UP! The best way to get such a big mission accomplished is to set quarterly goals. Keeping a checklist of milestones along the way is also helpful. You now have 3 years to undertake studies or an internship with a teacher who will advance your knowledge exponentially. By March of 2023, or even sooner, you will be ready to fly with the wings of an Eagle to the upper atmosphere of greater success! 

April features a Full Supermoon in Libra on the same day as a potent Mars square to Uranus. There is a climate of challenge and upset in April when the tides turn from the reflective and creative “winter-scape” of earth and water planet energy to the challenging and initiating energy of fire and air planets. Political and military upsets are likely this month around the world. Seismic activity is also on the rise, especially during the Full Moon week of the 5th to the 11th of April. In the world of science, new discoveries are birthed and announced. In the arts, fierce new forms of expression raise their heads to the light of day. The upcoming finale of History Channel’s “Vikings” series is an apt symbol for this exciting Aries/Taurus month. 

Keep the Kleenex box handy in 2020. Emotional WATER SIGN MERCURY RETROGRADES will occur this year from February 16th-March 9th in Pisces, June 18th-July 12th in Cancer and October 13th-November 3rd in Scorpio and Libra. A vote recount of some kind is likely to be needed on Election Day 2020. This is likely because Mercury goes direct again at 12:50 p.m. EDT on the Election Tuesday, November 3rd under a Moon in Gemini with Mercury in Libra. Choices! Choices! Choices! As much as Geminis and Librans don’t like to make them---they’re necessary---especially today! A LONG VENUS RETROGRADE will take place over a 44-day period this year from May 13th to June 25th in the sign of Gemini. During this month and a half, love affairs cool off and Venus-ruled natives, Taurus and Libra, will be feeling less than fabulous. WE WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE A 2020 MARS RETROGRADE from September 9th-November 13th in the sign of Aries. With Mars retrograde, our physical strength and primal instincts will be weakened for various reasons during this period. Aries natives will be feeling especially puny during this time period but regain strength and conviction as of November 14th. JUPITER (planet of expansion and good fortune) GOES RETROGRADE—JUST ONE DAY AFTER VENUS-- on May 14th. In an election year, the stock market and home sales usually take a financially uncertain dip. But this year, with both financial planets (Jupiter and Venus) going retrograde together, it is likely to be more of a major plunge! Markets are likely to begin the climb to recovery once Mars resumes direct motion again on November 14th. Jupiter’s retrograde is extremely short this year, lasting exactly 4 months (instead of five) from May 14th to September 12th. Jupiter in Capricorn will make us tighten our belts this year, whether we really need to, or not. Capricorn is the good manager and the good father. Under his influence, we learn to save a resource for when it’s most needed and to make the most of every dollar. Set aside some extra savings each month this year. A rainy day may be right around the corner at any time in 2020, but especially between mid-May and mid-September! 

Now let’s take a look at the 2020 January/Capricorn zodiac sign birthday month. Happy Birthday Capricorn! The Winter Solstice is the highest spiritual moment of the year in earth-based religions. This past December we experienced the Solstice in our nation’s capital on Saturday the 21st at 11:20 p.m. EST. Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights began the very next day. An intense and emotional Moon in Scorpio sets the tone for the Winter Solstice Day when it entered at 7:57 a.m. EST, on December 21st. Five days later on the 26th, we experienced the winter Solar Eclipse at 5 degrees Capricorn on Boxing Day/Kwanza. Capricorn Sun sign natives will experience many uprooting changes this year, now that JUPITER (planet of expansion and good fortune) HAS ENTERED THE SIGN OF CAPRICORN on December 3rd, 2019. At first, expect the changes you need to make in your life this year to cause you a ton of stress. In order to expand and move forward in life, upheaval is involved. Whether you are moving to a new job, partner, home, city or country in the coming year, it will NOT be a breeze. If you are a Capricorn Sun sign person, it is likely for you to feel the squeeze of the Jupiter steamroller over your life--- until January of 2021--- as you struggle to make all the changes required of you in the next twelve months. The best way to approach a major Jupiter/Sun sea change year is to follow your heart and your gut. Many opportunities will come your way in 2020. You need to follow the ones that you TRULY FEEL are exciting, new and interesting. When offered a choice between opportunities that benefit the family or community as a whole (including yourself!)---opt for those. Capricorn Seagoats are the good “fathers” and “managers” of the zodiac. Happiest when they are helping others to do their best, they make great entrepreneurs, professors, managers and community leaders. Converse to having Jupiter EXPANDING your sign, stretching you to your human limits, Capricorns will also experience RELEASE from Saturn in their sign as of March 23rd this year. For the last 3 years since December of 2017, Capricorn Sun Sign natives have been held in the vise of the control planet---- Saturn. You may have been caring for a sick spouse, partner or child, or an elderly parent under difficult circumstances over the past three years. You may have suffered serious financial and professional setbacks. You may have had difficulty keeping a roof over your head. Whether you have experienced one of these setbacks or possibly ALL of them, you have been “through the mill.” THE GIFT THAT SATURN BRINGS at the end of its passage over your Capricorn Sun is what I call “the Diamond of the Soul.” The compressed carbon of your Soul has had to reshape and remold itself into a new, more efficient and more brilliant form. New skills were acquired as well as major teachers found, of essential wisdom. If you have played your cards with integrity, authoritative supporters now come to greet you AT THE END OF YOUR JOURNEY! Congratulations! You have come out the other side. Now—USE this Diamond!   

Each year we look to the aspects your Sun makes to inner and outer planets to determine the type of year that awaits you. Please note: If you don’t see your birthday included in the aspects discussed, you are not being forgotten or left out. This means that you are blessed to experience a year in the essence of Capricorn. (Seagoats born on December 21st and from the 17th to the 19th of January will have an un-aspected Capricorn year.) With an un-aspected Capricorn year, you are likely to be integrating all that you have learned about work and your profession to make real progress toward your career goals this year. You will find yourself working harder than ever but experiencing real gains in both work results and in recognition, from higher-ups. If you take on a significant project this year, you will HAVE TO put in extra hours, but the profits will be all yours. All in all, it’s an exciting year ahead! Capricorns born on the 21st of December celebrate their birthday on the highest holy day of the earth religions year—the Winter Solstice and the Return of the Light! Take time on your birthday to make a mental note of all the things that are improving in your life. You have a chance to shine more light on many areas of your life this year. Let the light in AND lighten your load Caps! Capricorn natives born between the 22nd and the 27th of December will have a year blessed by a trine of their Sun to Uranus (planet of innovation) in Taurus. This year you have the privilege of up-grading your life! You can learn to work smarter, not just harder, as in years past. Your intuition is key. Learn to use it and learn to use electronic communications via Instagram, instant message, Mail Chimp, etc., etc., to get your message out. Results are encouraging! Capricorn natives born between the 24th and the 1st of January will experience a year blessed by a conjunction of their Sun to Jupiter (planet of expansion.) Wow! This is your year to branch out and take some real chances. Travel, higher education, writing, teaching, publishing, philosophy and religion: ALL of these areas of concentration are indicated as available opportunities this year. Go with what your gut tells you is the most exciting-- and you won’t regret it! Seagoats born between the 25th and the 27th, and especially on the 26th, will experience a year en-lightened by a New Moon Solar Eclipse! This will be a very important year of “Firsts” for you. Forge ahead toward your dreams with confidence. You’ll be surprised how the courage to follow your intuition and your desires will benefit you in romance AND at work. Choose your focus and ---Go There! Capricorn natives born between the 5th and the 10th of January, and especially on the 7th, will experience a year in which their Sun is blessed by the magic touch of a sextile to Neptune (planet of Spirit.) This is the year in which you truly pitch-in to become one of the community. You will feel the need to be of service to others and you will spend time helping and getting to know your neighbors. Spiritual practice and insight is easier to access and you will withdraw at times to soak up this precious light. Capricorn folks born between the 9th and the 12th of January, and especially on the 10th will experience a year in which their Sun is energized by a conjunction to Mercury (planet of communications.) You have a LOT to say this year Caps-- and there are many ready to listen. If you have a business, a service or an artform to promote, hang out your shingle THIS year and keep a notebook handy to jot down additional ideas. Go for it! Finally, Capricorn Seagoats born between the 11th and the 16th of January, and especially on the 13th, will experience a year in which their Sun is conjunct Saturn (planet of responsibility.) This is the last year, and perhaps the most intense, in which self-reliance is your greatest resource. The weight of responsibility will begin to ease up, thankfully, as of March 21st (the Vernal Equinox) when Saturn FINALLY shifts out of your sign and into Aquarius. Keep your head down and “Keep on Truckin’” in January, February and March to get your year off to a good start. It feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders now, but as of June the Sun will begin to shine for you again dear Seagoats! 

The best days for ALL Capricorns to celebrate their birthdays in January are: New Year’s Eve with the Moon in flight-of-fancy Pisces (watch your drink & call a cab if needed); the weekend of the 4th and 5th with the Moon in sensuous and luxury-loving Taurus; the weekend of the 11th and 12th with the Moon in celebratory Leo and the Martin Luther King Day weekend of the 18th to the 20th with the Moon in intimate Scorpio and adventurous Sagittarius. Enjoy! 

We can ALL Ring in the Chinese Lunar New Year on Saturday the 25th under a brilliant Moon in Aquarius! Normally, the Chinese New Year comes in February. 2020 is the year of the Metal Rat which only occurs every 60 years. People born in the Year of the Rat are generally born with the Zodiac Rat characteristics. Rats are considered very industrious and thrifty, diligent and positive. They love to enshrine and collect. They have a keen intuition and can foretell danger.