Lunar Notes: New Year’s Eve – Big Night or Bust?

Wednesday morning, in the wee hours, Venus gets ready to party when she enters fiery, freewheeling Sagittarius. Here Venus’ idea of a party may manifest as a hike in the woods or a basketball game. If anything, Venus in Sagittarius is looking for adventure. Waning Moon in Virgo Wednesday and Thursday is a great time to get the year-end paperwork and other detritus of 2015 organized and filed away.

Those New Year’s resolutions involving health issues are best begun under this waning Virgo Moon.  Smoke that last butt, quit the booze and start that diet to lose weight on New Year’s Eve. Don’t wait until New Year’s Day. For then the Moon will have shifted into Libra. Libra Moon is great for social interaction. This year some of the best parties will happen on New Year’s Day. People need people under this Moon. This is a good time to mend fences. The issues may not get resolved, but the door is opened. Folks are prone to listen, to be fair and to see both sides of the picture. Take a chance, take a step. If the door gets slammed in your face, it’s still worth a try.

During the evening of the 1st, Mercury enters Aquarius, encouraging conversations with friends and like-minded folks. Mercury in Aquarius inspires unique and innovative ideas. This night with Moon in Libra and Mercury in Aquarius keeps the party going until late in the evening. Not a lot of heavy emotional garbage floating around — more of a detached, friendly atmosphere.

Just past midnight on January 2nd as Friday rolls over to Saturday, the Last Quarter Moon occurs. Venus is in good shape here so the parties spill over to Saturday. Take advantage of the continued good will because on Sunday, Mars becomes a passionate warrior when he enters Scorpio. Mars operates at full power here. He’s not looking to make amends, be friends or make nice-nice. Mars here calls it like it is. In the afternoon, Moon enters Scorpio and sets off that Mars, which could trigger an outburst of pent-up emotions. Moon in Scorpio is emotional, sensitive and often takes offense where none was meant. Tread lightly around people’s feelings.

Things smolder until Tuesday when Mercury gets into the act around sunrise. Then Mercury in Aquarius squares off with Mars in Scorpio enabling that Mars to articulate whatever has been rumbling beneath the surface. Out it comes. The commute could turn ugly as well when Mercury turns retrograde at 8:06am and will remain so until January 25. Don’t get bent out of shape because Mercury is retrograde. It is not the end of the world and you can’t hide under the bed for a month.  Mercury goes retrograde about three or four times a year. It’s a fairly common occurrence and many folks are born with Mercury retrograde. Yes there are a lot of communication snafus, misinformation, and crossed wires during Mercury retrograde periods. It is a good time to gather information, evaluate and analyze. It is a great time for planning. The cautionary tale here is that things begun under Mercury retrograde often turn out differently than expected. After Mercury turns direct, new information surfaces that can bring a different slant to a situation. Do check and recheck any appointments, dates or times of events and be ready to adjust schedules.

A short time later, Venus squares Neptune, exposing our vulnerability. While this aspect can inspire the artist, it activates our blind spot. We’re impressionable and often don’t see what is really there; we see what we want to see. In the evening, those rose-colored glasses get ripped right off when the Sun joins Pluto. Expect a bid for power and control. Sun and Pluto in Capricorn insures that the fog of Neptune is burnt away. The holiday season, the fun and games are over. We are back into the business of January, into the heart of winter, literally and figuratively. This aspect can bring some intense experiences that often bring about transformation. Hunker down and remember to breathe.