“The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire”

Richard M. Nixon

2017 is very much the 2nd book end of 2016, before moving into a very different era from 2018.

This year will bring the a much-needed spark and creativity needed before we bunk down and get down with the hard work in the 2018 – 2020 era, as Saturn, Uranus and Pluto will dominate from Earth based signs.

2017 is a year where any major plans, dreams, goals or visions will be constantly evolving and your job is to get down with the hustle and see things as short-term opportunities for you to evolve with the goal. These gains will be seen post 2017.

This coming year is not the year to force things through in a linear step by step, A … B…. C  kind of logic. The volatility of all the major transits occurring in the last degrees of Fire signs will disrupt any non flexible forwards planning. A bit like 2016’s fire monkey year; agility, flexibility and mutability is your friend !  Being on guard and aware of the nature of this elemental force to change and mutate is the way to circumnavigate 2017.

2016 had an almighty Mars retrograde (a fire planet being disturbed and unleashed for 8 months instead of 6 weeks ! ), Saturn in Sagittarius (a return of structure to a 30 year cycle in a fire sign) as well as the Saturn / Neptune Square, which was the major aspect that defined 2016. The Saturn / Neptune dynamic was as Astrologer Austin Coppock says was a “Waves and Walls” transit. Waves of People/Ideas/Fantasies hitting Walls. Brexit, The American Election, The Refugee Crisis where people literally were traveling in on waves and water and meeting walls of governments and armies. 2016 was delusion busting time and as we move into 2017  we now look to how we must operate in a world where it is fresh in our minds how the Neptunian vision & fantasy can meet obstruction and harsh realities.

2017 like 2016 has a lot of energy placed in Fire signs, in most cases a repeated transit trigger points at the last degrees of Fire signs (Aries, Sagittarius, Leo). This means if you were born in the last week of any of these Fire Signs, you will feel a flurry of activity around your Sun and other planets or points you have at these degrees. You will feel it more than most. Most of you  fire types will get off on it, some will learn to work with what is inherently at your ego’s core as it gets reawakened,  like a tree seed in a bush fire. The rest of the elements – Earth, Water and Air learn to work with the most intense and unstable of all the elemental energies. Any one born in the last week and a half of any sign will feel these energies by default as these energies will aspect to your natal energy points.

Below is the major transits for the year and some of the interesting astrological points of 2017.

Mercury Retrograde – Mercury goes retrograde 3 – 4 times a year for 6 weeks including its time in the shadow. Its something most people are aware of as a transit. 2017 sees all these Mercury retrograde’s occurring in Fire signs. This gives the Mercury Retrogrades a more heated flavour and they are going retrograde over points of the fire signs which have been activated this year by other major transit points at this degree in fire. In layman’s terms. The last degrees of any signs are the most potent and these last degrees of Fire Signs have had a bit of a working over already !

When the planet of Communication (Mercury / Hermes) makes its retrograde motions over these fire points you will be looking at receiving new information, reflecting on past communications etc. Just make sure you don’t shoot your mouth off going over old territory in a rant of passion. That would be the low energy use of these retrograde’s ! Use it to evolve a creative vision or something you are passion about. Use the Retro to seek answers to deep questions, you don’t have to shoot your mouth off.

Mercury Retro: 

April 10th @ 4 degrees Taurus – May 4th @ 24 degrees Aries

August 13th @ 11 degrees Virgo – September 5th @ 28 degrees Leo.

December 3 @ 28 degrees Sadge – 23rd December @ 13 degrees Sadge

Venus Retrograde – Venus goes retrograde every 18 months for 40 days and 40 nights. She goes to the underworld, hangs out with Hades (or the devil) and then pops out the other side to be visible as a morning star. During the disappearance of Venus from the night sky she will be going back to a retrograde cycle from 8 years ago. Venus will Retrograde in Aries not the most tranquil or peaceful of signs for Venus to reflect in. There will be serious refocusing and assessments of the “I” or the Individual within Relationships and how current relationships are working for you as an “I”. A capital no one else is on the agenda, “I” kind of way. If it isn’t going so well, make sure that you don’t bring any Mars fury to this mix. Aries as ruled by Mars and with Venus “weakend” by this Retrograde try not to unleash hell if you find things aren’t as you like.  This is also not the time to do anything to yourself beauty wise that can’t be reversed easy. This retrograde is a nice time to reflect and assess, get some old self grooming things happening again, ie: self care. Just don’t fall for the aggressive nature that Venus in Aries can have.

Venus Retrograde: March 4th @ 13 Degrees Aries – April 15th @ 26 Degrees Pisces

The Eclipses – Eclipses happen 2x a year in opposite signs for 2 years at a time. Eclipses are super moons that relay information to you that may not be immediately revealed. Information is eclipsed !

The last of the Virgo / Pisces Eclipses occurs on Monday 27th of February as a Solar Eclipse. This eclipse closes a 2 year cycle and will be conjunct Neptune and the South Node. Huge !! Neptune is Pisces ruler and the South Node is about Past Lives. This is a massive eclipse to end on and don’t be surprised if you have surreal dreams or a message comes to you through your subconscious which helps let go of old habits that keep you in the past !

The First New Moon Solar Eclipse in the Leo / Aquarius Axis will take place on August 22nd  @ 28 degrees Leo. This Eclipse is HUGE !

This Eclipse will be the first time since 1918 that a Solar Eclipse will be 100% full across the entire United States. It will begin in the Pacific North West and will be fully visual right down to the Southern East Coast of America. Its been nick named the big American Eclipse. The Eclipse is conjunct the North Node (Fate and Destiny) which has just entered Leo @ 28 degrees. This eclipse is also exactly on President Donald Trump’s Ascendant and conjunct his natal Mars. So this is a massive date for next year with many interesting things expected to come from it. Astrology isn’t predictive in a down to the dirty detail way, but it is a great way to look at energy points to see how it might manifest after looking at whats going on at the time and looking to past cycles that have been similar. This eclipse is perhaps the biggest thing Astrologers have flagged for the entirety of 2017 for the energy it draws on at the time and also that fact it is so strongly placed in the President elect’s chart . The physical nature of it being visible for the entire North American continent for the first time in 100 years is also huge.

February 27th New Moon Solar Eclipse in Pisces 8 degrees @ 0158 Sydney Time Conjunct Neptune and the South Node.

August 22nd New Moon Solar Eclipse @ 28 Degrees Leo @ 0430 Sydney Time – Conjunct the North Node.

Jupiter Opposite Uranus – Jupiter Opposite Uranus will hit 2 x exactly in 2017 but will be in orb and bouncing off squares to Pluto all year. Jupiter Opposite Uranus will be a push-pull on the two following ideas. Jupiter in Libra’s need to expand social justice and fairness within the tribe while Uranus in Aries will be opposing it say no what about my individual need to be able to be my own change agent and personal freedoms. Idealism vs Revolution. In previous contacts with these planets the American and French Revolution occurred, The Moon landing occurred when these planets were conjunct, Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas when it was in opposition. These planets are great indicators for expansive change to do around innovations for mankind.  The Internet is a Uranian innovation. When Jupiter and Uranus meet the expansion of innovation and revolution always eventuate but not always as one would expect. It is not as harsh as Saturn / Neptune, and it is working under the shadow of the changes that it brought.  But Jupiter / Uranus always goes big. Perhaps a ground breaking resolution to the Dakota Pipeline Protests. Innovative for the US with regards to Indiginous People’s Land Rights as well as a continuation of the Waves/Water and Walls water theme of the Saturn /Neptune square from 2016, which this protest was started under.

December 27 2016 @ 20 degrees, 2nd of March 2017 @ 22 degrees, September 28th 2017 @ 27 degrees of Aries and Libra.

Saturn Trine Uranus – Saturn will form trines (positive) aspects to Uranus on and off its opposition to Jupiter. This will give the Jupiter / Uranus transits an opportunity to ground itself (even tho it will be in Sagittarius a fire sign). This will help stabilise and settle the above process as it grows and evolves.

24 December 2016, 19 May 2017, 11 November 2017 in Sadge and Aries.

Jupiter Square Pluto – This is the first transit listed that doesn’t involve a fire sign. Jupiter Square Pluto is a very powerful dynamic and one that I feel will be the main stand alone player of the year. Jupiter the great benefic and expander will make a challenging aspect to Pluto / Hades or God of the Underworld. This will be a great opportunity to challenge and expand psychological mindsets that hold you down and will allow you to break free of certain mindsets that maybe holding you back. This isn’t a quick or fast paced energy but it is one that allows you to do some deep level clearing out of the psyche. Jupiter will be bringing in energy from a Librian slant. So there will be an element of the mind, intellect, Justice or even Art leading the charge in overcoming Plutonic re-workings of Government, Status/Image and Work challenges.

24th November 2016, 30 March 2017 & 4 August 2017 in Libra and Capricorn.

2017 sees us finishing off the changing dynamics 2016 offered, but in a slightly less aggressive way. With fresh optimism as Jupiter and Uranus come into focus. With Pluto playing strongly in these major trends.  It is an opportunity to move past deep psychological/sub-conscience shadow plays, which may previously have held you back.

2017 will help ease these changes in an expansive and potentially revolutionary or innovative way. It will be the last push to reconfigure your spark before strong conservatism looks to take over as the main energy coming into play. From 2018 as we enter the Saturn in Capricorn era, changing the landscape from a fiery smorgasbord to a slow earthy low hum, with deep structural shifts. This will be a slow but ‘structurally’ sound and conservative changes of affairs once we move away from 2017.

xx

Sarah