2017 Astrology - The Year of the Warrior - Dec 2016-Feb 2017

Astrological Preview
The End of December 2016 and into February 2017

December 25th has an emotional Scorpio moon and numerous connections to loving Venus, so this will be a great day for family connections and the enjoyable sharing of stories and gentle laughter. The moon is in its quiet void-of-course phase all day, so Christmas is not an ambitious day, which is perfect for connecting in deep and appreciative ways with family and friends. It is a day that supports relationships and the sharing of deeper levels than you have felt in a long time. The two shopping days immediately after Christmas are under the influence of a generous Sagittarius moon. So, decide on your budget before purchasing at stores or on the Internet, as the tendency to overdo is obvious.
The New Moon is at 8 degrees Capricorn, on December 28th at 10:53 PM PST. The Sun will also align with Mercury, representing the halfway point of the current Mercury retrograde cycle that started back on the 19th of December. There are two clusters of planets in very different signs. Mars aligns with Neptune in dreamy Pisces. This is great for psychics and visionaries, but particularly bad for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
You receive help energetically in combining your ambition and your vision for the New Year. At the same time, there is a strong, pragmatic Capricorn influence telling you to be practical. If you can find a way to bring the intuitive visionary together with more practical but possibly mundane applications of that higher vision, no one will get in your way in the coming month. However, it is also normal to float around like a space cadet if you are not grounded while waiting for your vision to come to you. Help it come to you through meditation or introspective ceremony, but don’t try to force it. There is also an ongoing trifecta challenge from the past two months through Uranus shaking up your reality, Jupiter pushing you to transform your belief systems, and Pluto asking you to “Let go and Let God.” The combination of the three planets is re-balancing your relationships, forcing you to create time for your self, and the deeper calling for you to be in your authentic power. Initially, this is a complicated mix, but you will be much stronger when you figure out how to get them working together.
Revolutionary Uranus is finally ending his retrograde cycle (started in late July) on Thursday the 29th. And I just want to say, “Whew”! Since it occurs very early in the morning, you may have trouble sleeping so don’t panic. Or you might just have weird, wild, and wacky dreams. In the weeks ahead, this shift is attempting to help you open to new and innovative concepts, new technology, and exploring new friends and organizations. The moon moves into Aquarius on Friday and through New Year’s Eve. This continues the social energy that will be most of December, asking you to reach out beyond your comfort zone in a multitude of ways. On New Year’s Eve, Mars exactly aligns with Neptune. Avoid excessive alcohol or drugs all week under this combination. Bringing forth your spiritual warrior is a good thing for ambitious Mars and psychic Neptune. However, it can also represent a breaking apart of the old you from the new you that is emerging. There also might be a part of you that just wants to go to sleep through the celebrations and put the old year behind you.
The New Year begins with Mercury retrograde in Capricorn and Sagittarius through January 8th. That makes the first week of the month excellent for getting in touch with your plan for the coming year. Relationship planets Venus and Mars will be in Pisces most of the month, so there is a gentle tone to start the year. Which I am sure everyone will be extremely grateful for.
Planet Earth had a very difficult year in 2016, so you will be happy to hear that December gives you the beginning of a much-needed relief to the chaotic energy of 2016. It is also propelling you into a more sound and strong resolution that will be what you need to continue forward into 2017.
The obvious bump in the road is the communications breakdown cycle known as Mercury Retrograde, December 19-January 8. Although this can be a challenging cycle for holiday travel and rigid schedules, the illusion of Mercury moving backwards in the sky helps you retreat from the external upsets and chaos instead helping you to go within for a much needed mental break. This retrograde is occurring mostly in the restructuring sign of Capricorn and the final degrees of optimistic Sagittarius. My suggestion is to pull back from the external world and create a “behind the scenes” plan for 2017 with those with whom you feel safe. As in any Mercury retrograde, it is important to allow wiggle room in your neatly laid plans because adaptability is going to be required after Mercury turns direct on January 8th. Allow extra time for flight connections and double check reservations if you are traveling.
The keywords for the next few months are “consolidation and expansion.” The consolidation comes from the Third Quarter Moon at solstice. A darkening moon asks you to look at where you are leaking energy in ways that are not productive. Under these aspects know that the progress you are looking for will take years to unfold. Therefore knowing how to strategically plan and move your energy in ways that you can maintain for long periods of time is going to be very important.
Notice if you are still trying to do activities or be with people that no longer resonate with you. Pretense is going to go out the window and authentic expression is going to be the only way to keep your personal clarity and learn the lessons that are yours and yours alone moving forward this year. Saying goodbye to people or activities that need to be finished gives you more power to direct your energy into your passions and in ways that are true to you. You literally will not have the energy to waste on people and situations that are locked in patterns and projections that are unmovable, rigid, or unwilling. Progress comes by allowing in new perspectives and taking responsibility for your choices and actions. You cannot blame others from this point forward. It is up to you to decide what you find valuable in life and then move in those directions that create fulfillment, happiness, and peace. This is a year where you will have to stand up for something, whether that is you, your country, your financial future, etc. When you are passionate about the activities and people in your life, expansion will unfold naturally.
There is great expansion possible when enthusiastic Jupiter is in relationship-oriented Libra and pushing innovative Uranus in Aries. Along with a couple other planets in the winter solstice chart you will feel driven to meet new people and experiment with inventive ideas. There is a high degree of action in the next three months because of many aspects and configurations happening. You will benefit by opening to a larger circle of groups, friends and organizations, be they personal, philosophical or business in nature. You may want to join a cause or group action. You will finally know that you must reach beyond your comfort zone in 2017.
New Year’s Eve has a friendly Aquarius moon. This continues the social theme of December. Aquarius opens you to a higher idealistic perspective for you and the world. It is time to take responsibility for yourself. Do yourself a favor and write your personal vision for 2017 before going out to celebrations. The only danger to New Year’s Eve is impatient planet Mars challenging space cadet Neptune. Since Neptune rules drugs and alcohol, and Mars is one of the planets associated with police and mechanical things, give extra space to cars that drive erratically and watch your speed when you are out driving. This is a very bad aspect for drinking and driving.  A positive use of this energy can bring out your spiritual warrior and that is how I suggest you use this pattern to your best advantage. The traditional burning bowl ceremony is a perfect release under this fiery yet forgiving combination. You are being challenged to take action to create the higher vision you hold for yourself in 2017

JANUARY
The New Year begins with mental Mercury continuing its rethinking retrograde cycle until the 8th. New Year’s Day is going to be an excellent one for writing in your journal. It’s OK to make your aspirations big because there is plenty of time to revise them in the spring anyway. So don’t lock anything in stone. If you learned anything from 2016 it was to be more fluid and recognize that nothing is going according to the old plans and patterns. Choosing directions is all you can do but remember that you will continue throughout 2017 to have many additional forks in the road so you might as well have a strong mindset of change and that will help you to constructively navigate all the directional shifts in this New Year.
Welcoming in the Year of the Warrior – The Numerology for the 10/1 and the Power of New Beginnings
I know that you want to know and have a clear view of where you are going in 2017 but this is a year that when added together is the number 10. So this year is going to be all about a lot of change and many rapid and unpredictable new beginnings. A 10/1 year, it is like a snowball going down a hill rapidly. You are going to have lots of change that collects the energy of your chosen path. As you begin to implement those changes in your life the energy will create bigger and bigger shifts as the year progresses. Remember that we are still dealing with the Neptune in Pisces until 2028 so we are all learning to roll with the big waves hitting us and recognize that in truth we don’t have the control of the past mental illusions and that there is a bigger current carrying us to an unknown destination. Surrender is the key and learning what is really important and what gives your life happiness and meaning.
You are literally changing the trajectory of your life. It is a big moment and one that in the future you will reflect backwards and see how this moment shaped your life from this moment forward.
The number 10 year is about coming back to yourself (the number 1 or the “I”)
It is going to be difficult to change the external but you can reclaim your internal self. That is the only way that you are going to be able to find the doorways to the power that is going to be needed as you progress forward this year.
The number 10 year is about taking a warrior stance in your life. You are doing your own person Haka Dance this year and it is one of great significance for your life forward.
(What is the haka for?
The haka is a type of ancient Māori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when groups came together in peace. Hakas are fierce displays of a tribe's pride, strength and unity. Actions include violent foot-stamping, tongue protrusions and rhythmic body slapping to accompany a loud chant.”)
Warriors know when to fight and when to plan. They know when to organize and strategize and only when a clear pathway emerges do they move forward and take action. That is what you need to keep in mind this entire year.
As a year of the Warrior, it is about finding your inner strength and individuality. You cannot depend on pre-existing governments or social structures to give you the security of the past. You cannot depend on others if they are not strong and centered also within themselves. As a warrior, you should not go into battle with people that you do not totally and completely trust. You have to know who has your back and who might stab you in the back when you are not looking.
In a number 10 year it is called a “Samurai” position. You will be required to have a level of mental and emotional control in order to be effective in the external world. You will be required to have a clear discernment of others because of the great need for groups to come together in effective and peaceful but assertive ways.
The Water Protectors in North Dakota are showing us the most effective way forward. If you cannot find a peaceful heart and move from that place, then your actions inflame situations rather than move the world towards a peaceful solution and resolution.
We have had many great teachers showing the power of peaceful movements. Yes, these ways require great sacrifice. Yes, they require you to take physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual hits that perhaps you have never experienced before. But as a world we have to move past all this anger, aggression, and hatred. You cannot fight hate with more hate. You have to show those that are hateful how much suffering they are causing others. You have to allow them to discover on their own, how their lashing out in such destructive ways eventually makes them feel terrible inside. How their anger actually begins to eat them alive. How it is no longer about them finding an external source for their displaced anger but about recognizing that they will have to live with themselves and what they have done to others.
Karma is a great teacher though a slow one. Anger that lashes out is always originally internally self-created. It will take a long time for many to find a place of accountability and personal responsibility. That is why you have to stay strong in your belief of love, peace, global harmony, and the atmosphere of personal responsibility.
If you really want a world where All of humanity learns to work together in cooperative ways you have to be willing to be flexible and open to listening and holding to the core truths that are the glue that keep this world together. And that glue is love. Each person is being asked to love this crazy world, love each other (regardless of whether you agree or disagree), love the cognitive process of resolution and cooperation, and love the fact that emotions are often messy and hard to navigate.
The world needs spiritual warriors. Are you willing to be one of them?
Assertive Mars moved into Pisces back on December 19th and stays there until the New Moon on January 28th. This combines well with the other relationship planet, Venus, also moving through Pisces January 2nd through February 3rd. Your intuition is heightened at this time, so go on an inner journey beyond the veils of this world to see what messages and missions are ready for you to bring down to earth. This can create a new theme of Healing and Hope by the end of 2017!
January is not without its challenges, but they are mostly the week of January 8th leading up to the Cancer/Capricorn full moon on the 12th. The planets form a pattern called a Grand Cross. It looks like a big cross in the sky if you connected the dots between the action-oriented signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Allow extra space in your schedule this week to expect the unexpected. A Grand Cross pulls you apart in four directions and then reintegrates you in a new and better way. Although you might feel slightly beat up going through this process, the end result hopefully will be a better you.
If you had difficulty starting your New Year’s diet and exercise program, take heart by knowing athletic Mars moves through Aries, January 26 though March 9th. Aries likes to move, be it through exercise, dance, yoga, martial arts or whatever you do to get your blood circulating.

FEBRUARY
February is an interesting month. Valentine’s Day is sandwiched between two eclipses. The lunar eclipse in Leo and Aquarius is on February 10th. Full moons tend to pull you apart emotionally, and lunar eclipses just magnify and amplify the effect. This Leo moon eclipse urges you to look at where your heart is engaged vs. where you are living life in a detached, go-through-the-motions manner. The opportunity is to participate in life in a way that your heart is engaged, yet not get sucked into the drama around you. If you are just going through the motions in life, then this eclipse will push you to make changes, or you might go into deep depression. (Which is not recommended!) To get a hint about how this eclipse is working, watch people born from 1951-1955 as death & rebirth Pluto in Leo gets activated in their charts. It also activates the charts of anyone born within a week of January and July 15th.
The moon is in Libra for Valentine’s Day. That’s perfect since Libra represents relationships, romance, grace, beauty and luxury. Libra likes nice restaurants, art and jewelry. This is not the zodiac sign to be frugal. It is an enthusiastic day for couples because the life-giving Sun is in harmony with warm and generous Jupiter. It’s best to take advantage of this energy before the evening gets late as emotions wear thin the later it gets. Activities that take place between two eclipses are significant. Be focused and clear, saying what you mean and meaning what you say- no fantasy wishful thinking or false promises.
The solar eclipse is on February 26th in Pisces. This special new moon helps you go beyond the veils of this world to bring forth a higher vision and intuitive insight for your incoming projects. There are numerous planets and asteroids in Pisces now. Make certain you see the world as it is, because it would be very easy to fall into fantasy thinking. While this is excellent for creative activities, it can also see only what it wants to see in relationships and business dealings. Hold the higher vision, but keep your feet on earth!
Overall, these months will give you the opportunity to release and forgive the past, and do the initial visioning of that which is ready to come into your life next.
~Suzanne Wagner~