The Moon in Gemini captures the liminality of the current moment; one the one hand, finding firm mental footing in a trine with Saturn, and in the same breath, urged to dissolve into a puddle of yuck by a square with Neptune. Many of us are trying to hit the ground running in the new year, but the astro-weather might not be right for what you’re trying to initiate. The moon getting wishboned between these two powerful forces may feel familiar to those of us who find the concept of getting it together elusive at current. If that’s you, know that it’s okay! Between Mercury Retrograde, the ending of Mars’ retrograde, some recent Venus intensity and a whole new flavor of Jupiter, there’s quite a lot going on lately and it might just need a moment to settle. The back half of January should present greater operational clarity.

Thursday (1/5) presents opportunities for radical reinvention, surprise appearances, and personal revelation. This comes with the Sun’s exact conjunction to Uranus. We may also see a crescendo in developing news stories related to revolutions, uprisings, and social change. Meanwhile, the Moon in Cancer casts a square to Jupiter in Aries, pitting the urge for self-care against the drive for personal improvement. Mercury, freshly retrograde, goes from bad to worse as he locks into combustion – that is, when planets draw too close to the Sun, they are considered to be drowned out, swallowed by its light, unable to fulfill their function. Already on the fritz, Mercury Rx problems are only likely to intensify this week. Miscommunication is likely. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s.

The big event this week is the Full Moon in Cancer on Friday, 1/6. The early part of the week has set the scene here, as the Sun’s trine to Uranus and conjunction to Mercury should be big themes here, possibly intensifying fallout from cognitive misfires. Another big element at play is the moon’s proximity to the asteroid Pallas, long-associated with patterns and recognition thereof, something which I discussed a bit in my Capricorn Season piece: “…it’s a good time to reflect on relationships with others and emotional processes on an internal level. This is the time when many have just reconnected with family and old friends, for good or ill, as well as the season of New Years Resolutions. All of this is a good excuse to take a good, long look at our own hearts and what they’ve been conditioned to do. The Sun will be conjunct a newly-retrograde Mercury, still trine to Uranus, just past a square to Chiron, a recipe for epiphanies which have been hanging out just at the tip of your brain.”

Saturday (1/7) has the Moon keyed into Neptune and Pluto, and may represent a good avenue to introspection, fantasy escapism or artistic expression. Between that and the following day’s (1/8) Moon-Venus opposition, some may see a revisitation of themes conjured on New Year’s Eve, as that night saw the Venus-Pluto conjunction. There is also a fair amount of volatility in the air on Sunday, as the Moon will touch the Uranus-North Node conjunction by square, at the same time as Mercury Rx hits the configuration by exact trine. As previously discussed, Uranus is the master of shake-ups and surprises, and the North Node is a point of manifestation. Jupiter and Mars will also be keyed into this moon, albeit by soft aspect, but likely still adding a level of intensity to the day. A day to expect the unexpected and roll with spontaneity.

Monday, 1/9, sees Venus lock into an exact trine to Mars. I made mention of this at the end of last week’s piece, when Venus made entry into Aquarius, but this kicks things up a notch. Mars, a source of strength and efficacy, has just been put through the ringer, and many have likely felt particularly powerless, frustrated or thwarted these past few months. As the warrior planet pauses to reflect on his journey, Venus pauses to smile on him and offer him comfort. This could be a sweet aspect, soothing and cooling, and it may even be a baby-making aspect. Either way, Venus will stay with Mars until he begins to move again on 1/12. A practical Virgo Moon offers a final check-up to Mars prior to that on Tuesday (1/10,) though the square aspect involved may mean that this call to arms involves martial figures shouting at Virgoic busy-bodies to get out of their face.

Until next Hump Day!