New Year’s Resolutions

I usually wait until the end of the Andrew Marr show on a Sunday morning before I decide the subject of the blog.  He doesn’t finish until 11 a.m. these days, which makes my blog even later.  By 11 a.m.  I was still in a quandary.  “How about the American government shutdown?” suggested hubby.  My friend Flick and I were still texting in disgust about our present government policies, particularly Universal Credit, after watching Theresa May being interviewed.  I mentioned I wasn’t sure what to write about, and Flick came up with New Year’s Resolutions for the various signs.  So whether you approve of New Year’s resolutions or not, here’s my pennyworth…!

Aries

Aries are pretty fit and go ahead people, so I shouldn’t think they would need to make hitting the gym for their New Year’s resolution.  If they are working on character traits, they might choose to work on their impatience, and take the Bach Flower remedy Impatiens.  Aries doesn’t mind making resolutions, and may go full steam ahead initially, but they don’t like to have to follow through.  It is the initial action that thrills them and ignites them.  So endurance and patience would be good watchwords for them.

Iran is an Aries country, and its New Year’s resolution should be to display more humanity towards those unjustly imprisoned, such as Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe.  Aries is a hot headed, passionate sign, and so I would give Iran the New Year’s resolution “have mercy”.

Taurus

Taurus is one of the signs the very opposite in nature from Aries.  It has patience and endurance.  It may however lack the go ahead element, and for this reason, some Taureans may make it their New Year’s resolution to head for the gym!  They are also great gourmets and foodies, and may resolve to take up a new food regime, such as rawfoodism. Taurus has many talents, and so one resolution may be to develop one of those further, such as fine art, pottery, ceramics or sculpture.

I have a Taurus Ascendant, accompanied by Type-2 diabetes, and was given a copy of Paul McKenna’s book “Get Control of Sugar Now!” (including CD) for Christmas.  I will let you know how effective it is!

Gemini

If  you know a Gemini, you’ll know that they make good conversationalists, and it’s great to go out and have a coffee and a chat with them.   But…they can be a bit compulsive about their chatter, and could use a little more meditative listening, and cultivating the silence.  They have great minds, but may need to extend their settings to take in information in different ways.  So a suitable New Year’s resolution might be to learn to still the mind, appreciate silence, and acquire listening skills, which will eventually make them even better communicators.

Kanye West and Donald Trump are both Geminis, and both inclined to speak before they think.  Currently, Kanye is caught up in the confusion of the Jupiter-Neptune square, plus he has Pluto square his Nodal Axis, so while that may not necessarily stop him talking loosely, it may be making him think more about life.  Donald Trump may not have shut his mouth, but he has currently shut down the U.S. government.  I am not entirely sure what is going on with him at the moment, as his transits have correspondingly gone on strike (they will be back soon).  I think his New Year’s resolution seems to be to build that wall.

Cancer

Some mastery of the sensitivities, emotions and feelings of this sign may be a good source of resolutions for this sign.  It is important to honour our feelings, but not be so vulnerable to them that we can’t progress, which happens to some Cancerians.  Or to be so focussed on one’s own family affairs as to not reach out beyond one’s everyday boundaries.  So to travel abroad to undiscovered places may be a goal for Cancerians, and give them a new perspective.  Or to learn meditative techniques which are particularly suitable for emotional development or control, such as the Tibetan Buddhist path.

Cancerian Angela Merkel may need some detachment this year, as she gradually lets go of the reins of her Motherland which she has served so well.  Jupiter is just entering her 1st House, bringing new opportunities for branching out.  It transits her Mars at the Galactic Centre in mid-November, which may bring a new sense of freedom or a renewal of energy.

Leo

A lion will be a lion, so you are born to lead, there is no getting around that!  So to own your power is right for you, and to learn to use it wisely a life task.  If you are a business owner or employer this could be a challenging year if you live in the U.K., balancing the economics of Brexit and compassionate and ethical practices towards your employees!  Not everyone chooses power and responsibility, but to hone your skills and strengths in this talent may be an area to explore when looking for a suitable New Year’s resolution.

To Leo Andrew Marr, who provides me with much inspiration and aggravation throughout the blogging year, I would suggest to let go of always thinking you are right when interviewing your subjects (he notably gives some a harder time than others).  I am thinking in particular of the pride in which he reprimanded Shami Chakrabarti.  She said: “I don’t know about you, Andrew, but I’m a democrat.”  He flared up and replied “Don’t try and patronize me – I’m as much a Democrat as you are”.

Virgo

As a Virgo, you have to keep your standards, it would be no good asking that you compromise on those.  However, you may be one of those super-critical Virgos (though admittedly equally critical towards yourself).  So, if you feel you are, then maybe letting go of judgement and criticism for a year might be a suitable goal.  There may also be other areas of your life and routines where you could let go, just a little.  Perhaps aim to relax more away from tight schedules, or commune with nature more.

For Roger Federer, who has Ascendant in Virgo, I have no advice, for he has achieved perfection (in many eyes!), he’s been there, done that, and got the Uniqlo t-shirt.  Maybe you too are a perfected Virgoan?

Libra

Libra may suffer from the opposite of its neighbouring sign Virgo, in that it is super-sensitive to being the butt of criticism.  Therefore, for Libra an ideal New Year’s resolution would be to try not to worry so much about what others think of you, whether in the realm of looks or character.  That will help you be more authentic, and avoid the criticism of being a people-pleaser!

Or if you want a role model in 2019, you could emulate Gwyneth Paltrow, another who has perfected the qualities of her sign.  Librans are said to be the beautiful people of the zodiac, and in 2013 she was dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine.  Her eating is exemplary (in many eyes!), and she sells herself and her products well.  She also knows how to consciously uncouple in a relationship.

Scorpio

Scorpios like a challenge, and so a New Year’s resolution may incorporate that element, but I would not dare to suggest a New Year’s resolution for Scorpios, despite the fact they are my favourite sign.  They have such intense, inner, emotional drive that they know certainly what they want, if not what they need.  So I will pass on this one, and invite any Scorpio readers to tell me exactly what their planned goals are for this year (it would be most enlightening!)

What I would like to say to the Scorpios among us, and what the rest of us may need from you, is to share more of your feelings, wisdom and survival skills.  Your willingness to look life directly in the face and deal with the things that some of us more namby pamby signs don’t want to, is very valuable in these troubled times.

Sagittarius

Well this is easy – just vow to “go for it!”.  That would be a fitting resolution any year for you, but particular in this Year of Jupiter in Sagittarius, when the world is your oyster.  Of course, this may set alarm bells ringing for other signs that have to interact with you, and who would rather you reined it in a bit.  After all, we know that the sky is the limit, but we don’t want things to get out of hand.  I’m a bit confused who I am talking to now, as I am a Sunsign Sagittarian myself…so we’re seekers after truth and like to aim for the stars.  And we’d like to keep expanding.  But maybe we should stop and consider others.

The books which have kept me expanding this last year, consciousnesswise, and provided the most food for thought, are the volumes of Dolores Cannon entitled “The Convoluted Universe”.  I have completed three of the volumes, thinking there were only four in total, but my sister bought me Book 5 for Christmas, which I didn’t know existed.  So if expanding is your trajectory for this year, these books come highly recommended.

From Book I:

“for every action that is done, there is more than one possible outcome. In your universe one outcome is realised, but all the energy of the other outcomes have to go somewhere. And so these other different outcomes that were not realised in your universe, cause another universe to come into being that’s practically identical to your universe, except that this particular outcome is different. And from there the universe continues to develop in its own direction”

Capricorn

Capricorns do have a fair few rules and regulations about their lifestyle, and maybe do not need New Year’s resolutions.  So a possible suggestion would be to actually ease up on some of the rules and regulations that they habitually go by, and make time to have more fun in their responsible world.  As a Capricornian, you may have more playful elements in your birth chart, such as a Leo Ascendant, but if you have not, you may need to more consciously aim to do the things you enjoy, and find more time to express your creativity.

The December 2018 winner of X Factor in the U.K.,  Capricornian Dalton Harris, has a most beautiful voice, and reached No. 1 in the charts with an inspiring rendition of “The Power of Love” for a couple of weeks or so, recorded with fellow Capricornian James Arthur.  If I were to bestow a New Year’s resolution on both of them, it would be to keep on letting those voices flow…

Aquarius

Dear Aquarians, you already live in the future, and have mastered that talent, so maybe balancing it out with living in the now style mindfulness, or researching your past lives to take note of what you might have forgotten or missed, could be your goals for 2019.  Your intuition, already great, would then be all-encompassing.  It is one of the greatest assets you have, and all is within you.

You are the architects of the future, and your thoughts are creative.  Your imagination can take you into other dimensions, and so we are all watching and waiting to see what you adopt as your resolutions, and take us with you.

Pisces

You may not think of yourself as strong, but you contain the possibility of everything.  Therefore you could pick anything from your hologram.  You could start with tackling one of your addictions (let’s admit to the fact we all have them).  There are so many to choose from these days: habits, substances, social media.  The addiction to addiction itself, maybe.  One Fixed Star which is helpful to link with in relation to addiction is Fomalhaut in the constellation of Pisces Australae.  As written in “Starlight Elixirs and Cosmic Vibrational Healing” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld: “On a psychological level, the use of this elixir is timely and important for most people on Earth now.  There is an enhancement of inner quiet as the addiction to the thinking state is reduced.”

Piscean Stacey Dooley, a wonder woman in my eyes, was chosen to see us into the New Year on BBC 1, after winning the December final of Strictly Come Dancing (starting as a beginner in dance).  This apart from making hard hitting documentaries around the world on women’s issues.  Pisceans can be multi-talented, and you get the feeling that Stacey could be or do anything.  They can be all-rounders, and sometimes need to focus on one thing in order to succeed.  So if you are Piscean, perhaps make it your resolution to employ your talents in a particular way this year.

Aspects

We may have started out this morning with a challenge, given to us by the eclipse and New Moon at 15 degrees Capricorn.  Maybe you set your intention yourself, or it was set for you, but the results of your efforts may be long-lasting (up to 6 months for an eclipse).  If it is your birthday, the next 6 months will assume extra importance in your life.  Generally speaking, a Capricorn New Moon relates especially to new beginnings in politics and administration. Today we seem to be in a hiatus on both sides of the Atlantic, with the U.S. administration on hold, and Brexit still at an impasse.  The coming days may begin to see some movement, as the Moon waxes.  It is a good day for organizing your life, or thinking about resolutions.

This evening, Uranus is stationary, prior to turning Direct, and this can only be good news if we are trying to re-align with the times.  Intuition will flow better, and future vision come into view.

Tomorrow (Monday, 7th) Venus enters Sagittarius, which is a fun sign for the planet of love.  There she can look forward to uniting with Jupiter, later in the month, an excuse to party.  It is a good sign in which Venus can allow herself the expression of love freely, and also good for allowing your voice to flow freely, such as spontaneous singing in the street (which I am quite partial to, myself).  Venus will be in Sagittarius until 3rd February.

Mercury squares Mars on Tuesday 8th, and this is incident-prone for some.  The incidents can include minor cuts and abrasions, or minor arguments.  “Keep calm and carry on” might be a good mantra for this aspect, to reduce irritation and increase tolerance all round.

Practicing meditation and calming techniques would be a good way to proceed throughout the week, whatever your New Year’s resolutions, because we face an almighty conjunction of the Sun with Pluto on Friday 11th, and the deeper issues of life come up for assessment.  There may be issues which have been niggling at you for a while, and which you hoped might vanish, but now become more relevant.  At this time, you need the wisdom and survival skills of a Scorpio, which you may anyway have in your toolkit.  Any creativity will have depth to it, and you won’t be able to skim the surface of things. But you will emerge the richer for it.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – new beginning, or turning point; intuition flowing better
  • Tomorrow – love flowing freely
  • Tuesday – fractiousness
  • Friday – in-depth