April and Jen are thanking you, sweet podpals, for 100k downloads! The next two weeks bring a variety of aspects with a somewhat foggy flavor: Jupiter asks us to believe, Ted-Lasso-style; Venus runs a relay race with Neptune, then hands the baton to the Sun; an Aries First Quarter Moon pushes us forward; Mars drives through the haze towards Neptune, before going out-of-bounds; Mercury joins Venus at the retrograde party; and the Sun meets up with powerful Pluto. Plus: kal sarpa yoga, vexing electronics, and just doing it!

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Read a full transcript of this episode.

Episode timestamps:

00:30 – April & Jen say, “Woo hoo! Yay!” Thank you, sweet podpals, for 100k downloads! You like us, you really like us! 😀😀

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02:02 – April is presenting for NCGR Florida Atlantic on the Astrology of 2022! A full day Zoom event on Jan. 15 – sign up here!

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03:01 – As Ted Lasso says: Believe! WEEK ONE (Jan. 3-9) kicks off the New Year with Jupiter, at 1.02 Pisces, square the Lunar Nodes in Gemini/Sagittarius (Jan. 3). This could have a “final exam” feel to it, as it is the last aspect to the Nodes before they change signs on Jan. 18th! (And here is Jen’s Sagittarian-themed story that she referred to!)

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06:55 – Venus, at 20.45 Capricorn, sextiles Neptune in Pisces (Jan. 5). Because Venus is retrograde (Rx), this is the second of three sextiles. (The other two: Nov. 30 and Feb. 24.) This may represent an opportunity related to people who come onto your path, or return to your life. Neptune is on the Sabian symbol, “A relay race” – so fitting for this 3-part dance! (To hear more about sextiles, revisit Episode 16, Let's Talk about Sextiles!)

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11:07 – Venus joins up with the Sun at 18.43 Capricorn (Jan. 8/9) in an inferior conjunction; Venus is between the Earth and the Sun. It is rapidly moving into the morning sky. This conjunction is on the symbol, “A child of about five with a huge shopping bag.” Perhaps we have more than we think we do! This could be an inside journey about loving ourselves more, and giving ourselves a little more grace. Honor who you are personally in order to strengthen relationships.

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14:20 – **MOONWATCH!** We have a First Quarter (FQ) Moon at 19.27 Aries on Jan. 9! The Moon is square the Capricorn crew of Sun, Venus, and Pluto! Is it outmatched? Well, Aries is the “Just do it!” Moon and not to be underestimated. The FQ phase represents a time to initiate action from whatever started at the New Moon one week ago. The imperative is to do something, but Mars (ruler of the Moon) is square Neptune – so there can be some lack of seeing the full, clear picture. This FQ Moon is connected to the lunar phase family that began April 11, 2021. What echoes do you hear from that time? What were your intentions then?

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17:52 – This is a very dynamic FQ Moon with lots of squares, and no planets on the other half of the chart. When planets are all squished between the Lunar Nodes (Rahu and Ketu), this is called Kal Sarpa Yoga (see Komilla Sutton’s video here; dates on her website. And for more on Linea Van Horn, visit her website.)

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20:48 – Book a personal astrology reading with April for the New Year! Rates go up Feb. 1, so lock in the current rate now!

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21:48 – WEEK TWO (Jan. 10-16) begins with the Sun in a sextile to Neptune (Jan. 10/11) at 20.52 Capricorn/Pisces. The relay race has passed to the Sun, bringing the opportunity for creative possibilities and planning!

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23:29 – Mars squares Neptune (Jan. 11) at 20.53 Sagittarius/Pisces. The next day, Mars goes out-of-bounds (Jan. 12-Feb.10), so it’s a little more reckless than usual. A planet square Neptune is not always clear about what it’s doing, so be careful about doing things you can’t undo. (And if you’re interested in our Solstice bonus episode with the 3-month preview, including out-of-bounds planets, contribute just $5 or more and we’ll send that to you tout de suite. Tres bien!)

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25:36 – This is the closing Mars/Neptune square from a conjunction that began June 13, 2020. Revisit Episode 29, Neptune Washing Over All, and the US Pluto Return – a timely episode for us in the US, as we approach our Pluto Return next month. The US is also having its Neptune opposition!

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26:26 – Mercury, at 10.20 Aquarius, turns retrograde (Rx) on Jan. 14 (3:41 am PST)! It will be Rx through Feb. 3. As always with Mercury Rx, try not to overbook yourself. And, will this be a particularly vexing Rx for electronics? We shall see! (Lend your ears to Episode 12, Mercury Retrograde: Where Are My Pants?)

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29:39 – The Sun conjuncts Pluto at 26.26 Capricorn (Jan. 16) on the Sabian symbol, “A mountain pilgrimage” – so perhaps this is an inward journey! The cosmic message for this meet-up is: Respect the power endowed in you, but understand that it doesn’t belong to you – it’s to be used to unite and empower others.

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33:45 – This episode is brought to you by podpals LEX ROBERTSON, MARIA NOBRE, and HILLARY STIFLER! To support the show (at no cost!) please follow, give us a 5-star rating, or leave a happy review – here’s how! And to hear our bonus Solstice episode exclusively for donors, just contribute $5 or more! You also will receive our amusing bingo card (and our deep gratitude)! Merci, podpals!