It's All Good Astrology News - Jan. & 2009 Forecasts, NEW Online Beginning Astrology Class (First Class FREE!), 20% Off for January Birthdays, & Much More!

January 2009

From holistic astrologers
Benjamin Bernstein & Spiritsong

   828-658-9073 / 800-461-3569 (Benjamin) or 828-777-6688 (Spiritsong)
   www.ItsAllGoodAstrology.com
   benjamin@ItsAllGoodAstrology.com; mary@SpiritsongOasis.com

Greetings!

Welcome to the January It's All Good Astrology News. As always, thanks so much for the privilege of sending it to you!

This month's feature article takes an in-depth look at the most potent astrological energies coming up in 2009. It will definitely be a year filled with both challenge and opportunity!

As always, we love to give you ways to save money:
1) in light of the continuing economic challenges, we've increased the discount for a birthday month consultation to 20%, and
2) we're offering a discount up to $10 per class on Benjamin's online astrology mentoring class!

There's also information on:

Benjamin's Online Beginning Astrology Class starting this Monday, Jan. 5,
Benjamin's "Quantum Global Shift" lecture coming up Jan. 13, and
the January forecast!

Thanks again for choosing to receive the It's All Good Astrology News, . Enjoy the issue!

-- Benjamin

2009 Full-Year Forecast:
A Year of Extremes

by Benjamin Bernstein

NOTE: While this article contains three paragraphs of rather technical Astrologese, I have italicized them so that you can skip them if you wish. I have done my best to write everything else as close to plain English as I can!

Based on the astrological indicators, 2009 will be a year of extremes -- for both challenges and opportunities!

Revolution & Paradigm Shift: Jupiter Enters Aquarius

The year's primary theme -- revolution and paradigm shift - will be set up right away by Jupiter's entry into Aquarius on January 5. Jupiter will remain in Aquarius the entire year, stimulating ingenious breakthroughs and quantum leaps. These will be essential -- on the technical, social, political and ecological levels -- in order for so many humans to be able to live sustainably on our environmentally challenged planet.

Of course, revolutions and paradigm shifts can be messy and disruptive affairs, often manifesting in unexpected and unsettling ways. As you find yourself personally affected by these powerful global shifts -- as all of us already have been -- it will be helpful to remember that they are the birth pangs of a new, more equitable, more sustainable way of life. The corrupt old economic and social structures must die as the new ones are born, and those decrepit old monsters still have plenty of fight left in them.

Saturn & Uranus Oppose - Twice!

That fight is powerfully symbolized by the continuing oppositions of Saturn and Uranus. Their first exact opposition was on November 4, Election Day in the US, and they will make four more before they're done. (As I explained in my November 2008 article, this opposition was one of the factors that helped precipitate the global financial crisis.)

There will be two exact Saturn-Uranus oppositions in 2009, on February 5 and September 15. These will be times when the existing structures that have outlived their usefulness (Saturn) will be powerfully beset by the forces of revolution and paradigm shift (Uranus). As we saw during the global financial meltdown, Uranus' effects can be rapid, powerful and surprising. One must expect the unexpected. One must also have faith that, in the greater scheme, the targets of Uranus' lightning bolts must be altered or eliminated in order to make way for new paradigms better suited for our evolving reality.

Even though these Saturn-Uranus oppositions occur more than seven months apart, these two planets will stay "in orb" the entire year. This means that they will remain energetically connected, and will experience energetic "flares" throughout the year as they are aspected by faster-moving planets. These flares will be set off every few weeks by conjunctions, squares and oppositions from the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars, keeping the tension between the forces of tradition and innovation consistently stimulated.

Universal Love Spreads like Wildfire

All will not be sturm und drang, however. For most of the year, we will have the opportunity to benefit from an extraordinary triple conjunction: Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron joining together in Aquarius!

The two slower planets, Neptune and Chiron, have already buddied up as the year opens. Jupiter gets close enough to start making a significant connection with them in mid-March, then makes an exact conjunction with them during the last week of May. They squeeze in for another tight group hug in mid-July, but stay energetically joined at the hip from May 2009 through January 2010.

Jupiter and Neptune share spirituality as a common theme. Jupiter represents your faith, your beliefs, and your specific religious path. Neptune, which transcends the specifics of any particular path, represents the dissolving of boundaries: mystical union; the indescribable, euphoric blending of consciousness with Spirit. Chiron, the wounded healer, represents the wound that needs healing. It also represents the mentorship that one can provide when one has progressed far enough on one's own healing journey.

And let's not forget that all this is happening in Aquarius, which (sorry for the unavoidable repetition) is about revolution, paradigm shift and sudden change. These same energies are further amplified by the fact that Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, is also playing a major role in this configuration.

For starters, Uranus is in "mutual reception" to both Jupiter and Neptune. This simply means that they're in each other's signs. Uranus is in Pisces, which is co-ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune. And Jupiter and Neptune are in Aquarius, which is co-ruled by Uranus. Uranus is also connecting by aspect, making a 30° semi-sextile to Neptune pretty much the entire year. (Uranus also semi-sextiles Jupiter April through July).

A valid interpretation, it seems to me, is the opportunity for God's light to pour through with extraordinary power (since Jupiter magnifies whatever it touches). As it does, this energy can bring profound healing to the personal and societal wounds afflicting humanity. (Aquarius is also the sign that represents humanity as a whole.)

I can imagine a mass awakening, with people all over the planet having a sudden "Eureka!" moment. They would realize that their kinship extends beyond their particular race or religion or culture or country. They would "grok" that they are one not only with their fellow humans, but with the sacred living spirits that inhabit every animal, insect, tree, plant and stone. Once saturated with the incomparable ecstasy of divine bliss, they would discover that slipping back into negative patterns of hate, violence and anger is intolerable, for it wipes out the supreme joy that only a heart filled with divine love can experience.

You may say I'm a dreamer, and I admit that this scenario may not play out for every human on the planet. But I regularly associate with people who have already had this awakening, and see evidence all around the world that this type of consciousness is spreading faster and faster. I have no doubt that this embodiment of universal love -- whose propagation will make all of our other problems so much easier to solve -- will spread as never before starting this spring.

Of course, there are also likely to be some darker manifestations of these archetypal energies. Those who succumb to fear may well let their unhealed wounds (Chiron) feed their delusions (Neptune), leading them to proclaim their rigid dogmas (Jupiter) as the One And Only True Path (Jupiter again). However, it is my belief that the positive incarnations of these energies will ultimately prevail.

Saturn Enters Libra and Squares Pluto

The Fall of 2009 will bring two more significant astrological events, both involving Saturn. The first is that Saturn, after having spent just over two years in Virgo, enters Libra on October 29. Since Saturn brings challenge and Libra represents relationships, watch for all of your important relationships to be tested. Be prepared to release those that have outlived their usefulness, while those that are built for the long haul will be strengthened. (Saturn will be in Libra during two time periods: 10/29/09 thru 4/7/10, and 7/22/10 thru 10/5/12.)

Saturn is quite strong in Libra (it's "exalted" there), which will help those trying to maintain the status quo dig in their heels a little bit longer. Of course, the conservative powers-that-be will need all the help they can get on November 15 when Saturn and Pluto form an exact square. This aspect, representing "challenge for growth," will be quite intense, since Pluto's job is to destroy everything that has outlived its usefulness! (Saturn and Pluto will be interacting strongly from August 2009 through late 2010, and then again March thru August 2011.) This Saturn-Pluto period, according to the respected mundane and financial astrologer Ray Merriman, may be "quite possibly one of the most intense geo-political periods of our lifetime."

The 60s, Part Two?

Finally, there are two "background players" who deserve mention: Uranus and Pluto. They're building toward a square which will not be exact until 2012, but their combined energy is already striking sparks as they tease their way toward each other. (They'll only be about 5° apart in early July, for example, which is plenty close enough for significant interaction.)

Uranus and Pluto are the volatile couple who helped bring us the 60s. They were the keynote energy for that entire tumultuous decade, radiating the power of revolutionary transformation that saw the blossoming of the civil rights and anti-war movements, feminism, and ecological awareness. The square they are building toward now, which will have seven exact iterations 2012 through 2015, will be these two planets' first major aspect since the 60s, and promises to be even more earth-shaking!

The Economy & Aspects to the US Chart

The natal chart of the United States (I am using the Sibley chart dated 7/4/1776, 6:10 PM, Philadelphia PA) is beset by numerous challenges in 2009. In fact, the rulers of all four of the chart's angles (the "power points") are under significant stress!

Economically, things continue to look challenging. The US Venus, the natural ruler of money and ruler of the US midheaven (a "power point" related to business and economic matters) is receiving a powerful opposition from Pluto that will be in orb now through 2011. While Pluto can bring massive prosperity, its first job is to destroy that which has outlived its usefulness. And, since the entire global economic system is built on the suicidal premise of unsustainable, environmentally destructive growth, the global (and US) economies will require a major tear-down so that a revamped and truly viable economic structure can replace them.

(For an outstanding explanation of how the overwhelming power of global capitalism can be transformed into an environmentally supportive force -- and how you can help bring about that change -- I enthusiastically recommend James Gustave Speth's book, The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability. Speth is Dean of Environmental Studies at Yale, a founder of two major environmental groups [the Natural Resources Defense Council and the World Resources Institute], former chairman of the President's Council on Environmental Quality and a former head of the U.N. Development Program. The man knows his stuff, and has a gift for making this complex subject easy to understand.)

I'm not the only one who sees continuing economic hard times in the near term. There is nothing bullish in the headlines, and the stockbrokers I've talked to (including my father) speak only of continued decline. Ray Merriman, the expert financial and mundane astrology I referred to earlier, feels that the market will rise in 2009 -- but only briefly, before plummeting to new lows.

While there is more than enough challenge to the US chart, there are also reasons to rejoice. For example, the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction discussed earlier will be conjunct the US Moon, helping the public feel powerful new hope and optimism as the Obama administration gets down to business.

To be honest, there's so much going on the US chart that to discuss it any further here would make this article even longer than it already is! However, I will have much more to say about what's going on in the US chart in the February newsletter, and in my This Week in Astrology podcast.

In Conclusion

So we all have a lot to look forward to in 2009. Yes, there will be significant challenges, but they will give us the opportunity to be part of a truly historic undertaking: helping to avert global environmental catastrophe by modeling and working to bring about a truly sustainable way of life. And, by embracing this year's extraordinary opportunity for spiritual awakening, you can choose to be assisted in your worldly work by an entire pantheon of invisible allies!

Few of us are celebrating the recession or the stock market or the declining value of our homes. But we all chose to be here during this extraordinary time, and we all have our part to play in making this planet a welcoming home for the seventh generation to come. So let's get to work making something good happen!

In Closing

Thanks for taking the time to read this, . Your comments are always welcome. May the stars light your way!

Be well,

Benjamin Bernstein & Spiritsong
Holistic Astrologers

It's All Good Astrology
"Hope found here"

   828-658-9073 / 800-461-3569 (Benjamin) or 828-777-6688 (Spiritsong)
   www.ItsAllGoodAstrology.com
benjamin@ItsAllGoodAstrology.com; mary@SpiritsongOasis.com

Benjamin hosts This Week in Astrology, celebrating over a year as the #1 astrology podcast on iTunes! Discover how you can make the best use of the current planetary energies while deepening your knowledge of astrology!

"Your reading put me back in the game. You offered meaning and hope and practical reasons and steps to take...What a relief you are!"
   - Laura Frisbie, Asheville, NC

In This Issue

>2009 Full-Year Forecast

>January Birthday Discounts!

>Lower Tuition & Single-Session Attendance Available for December Mentoring Classes!

>Online Beginning Astrology Class Starts Jan. 5

>Benjamin's "Quantum Global Shift" Lecture Jan. 13

>Astrology Retreat in April!

>Celestial Forecast