As Valentine week begins, transitions of Mercury, planet of communications, occur on Wednesday entering its favorite placement, Aquarius, for a few weeks. On Thursday, romantic Venus enters its exalted position of Pisces — laying the groundwork for some tender moments for those few days. Venus in Pisces occurs once a year and it is one of the most ‘gentle’ of the Venus transits. It is an excellent time to go to the movies, see a favorite stage play, attend a gallery exhibition, or plan a very romantic evening. Enjoy it while it lasts — which is usually about four weeks.

On Friday, it really is back to business as Mercury trines Saturn (a building block day) promoting positive action to any sort of communication exercise — writing contracts, papers, perusing a negotiation and all of its ins and outs. It is a great energy to focus on studying for that test or certification or beginning a program in which you need to study for certification or licensing.

If you have a project sitting on the fence, the Mercury opposing Mars on Saturday pushes that plan forward. Watch tempers and back talk. Think before you raise your voice, particularly on Sunday as the Sun (often associated with fathers, brothers, and men in general) confronts Chiron. A good use of this energy is to attend some sort of learning event providing some insight into those confrontations. This is a great time to start therapy with someone who really knows what they are doing. If you need a suggestion for some excellent local therapists, please contact me at 925-689-7827.

During this time you are forced to remove obstacles standing between you and your life goals. Once that is done — and this is one of those weeks that test your mettle — you gain confidence in pursuing the areas important to you as Jupiter and Pluto as well as Mercury and Uranus negotiate sweet conversations on Saturday.

Jupiter brings opportunities for education, travel, contract negotiations as well as some writing or lecturing opportunities. Those windows of opportunity are transformative for you, the presenter, or, pitch-person, or for those receiving the message. In other words, they hear you. Sunday, however, presents challenges as Venus, planet of relationship, aligns with Chiron and then Neptune late Sunday. In order to shift, you may have to confront those close to you who always rain on your parade. Perhaps it is time for the “I feel judged when I share my dreams with you” conversation. Someone has to have the courage to speak up so that everyone can move forward without resentment and worry.

A very dear therapist/friend of mine once said to me, “Whenever you attempt to start something new that is life changing, there are always obstacles set in your path to see if you are really serious!” I found that over the years these words ring true each time and this is one of the weeks in which this sort of thing presents itself. Are you really serious about changing things? If so, then be prepared for possible obstacles, delays and challenges as Venus opposes Mars on Tuesday and then the Sun opposes Mars (God of Task and Challenge) on Friday. These combinations are feisty and present circumstances that are, if nothing else, frustrating. Stay calm and cool. Do not react. Think about ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ is overnight. The week concludes with the ‘big deal’ aspect of Saturn square Pluto on Sunday the 31st. This happens one more time in 2010 on August 21 lighting up the need to pare down financial obligations while streamlining ideas, resource, and schedules. This aspect is about making choices that involve high levels of risk — emotional, financial, and spiritual. These are choices that need to be made regardless of some of the emotional upheaval they sometimes leave in their wake. Do this and transform your circumstances. Try to save as much as possible and put away a few dollars for those on and off rainy days throughout the year.

This is a quiet and smooth week as Venus enters Aquarius on Monday along with the Sun entering Aquarius on Tuesday. This presents a nice energy for social gatherings, community activity, community or group activities, and technological insight, which includes such things as upgrades, changes with your software or hardware that you’ve researched for a while not. As Venus and Saturn are trine on Thursday, this brings the opportunity to ‘build something together”! Saturday and Sunday are the First Quarter Moon (often associated with building or adding a structure to things) and the Sun and Saturn are in great aspect together on Sunday. Saturn aspects can feel restrictive, but in reality, they are practical and allow one to put their focus on what needs to be finished or completely in order to move to the next level of evolution. Perhaps it is time to buy, prepare, or sell that house you’ve been thinking about.

Next week on the 28th of January (but we feel it this week), there is a nice aspect between Pluto and Vesta (an asteroid), whose name is embedded in the word, ‘investment’. Pluto represents the banks and monies and Vesta (the ‘goddess of the hearth’ representing devotion and tending) are in a good aspect to each other. This suggests news of money opportunities for those who save and invest.

This week ends with a mixed bag. First, Mercury, the planet of communications turns direct on Friday. It always takes a few days to get moving after direct motion and patience is important as this occurs. In addition, we have three other charged events this week. One of these is on Wednesday, the 13th, where Saturn finally retrogrades at 4 degrees Libra 39′. I usually love the Saturn retrograde, which continues through late May, because we always get a lot more done when it is retrograde rather than direct. However, it is true that the first two days of the week may seem very frustrating as Saturn does begin slowing down to put on the brakes as we attempt to plan our lives. Plus…we have an annular Solar Eclipse at 25 degrees Capricorn the following day.

The last time this eclipse hit here was January 15, 1991! If you reflect on those years, this brings another opportunity to enhance or complete what was then left unfinished.

The long awaited ingress of Jupiter into Pisces on Sunday brings extra joy to the day of rest since Pisces is the sign of gentle compassion. We are fortunate to have this cycle for a few months this year before it enters Aries in summer because it presents opportunities reconnecting our spirits with our dreams, visions and creative projects that often emerge with this cycle. Last time Jupiter was in Pisces was in 1998, 1986 and 1974.

This is the first official week of the New Year. In a few short days, we will have a Solar Eclipse at about 25 degrees of Capricorn. This is the time of the year, in the Northern Hemisphere, where things are cold and silent and may seem as though nothing is going on. However, there is a lot more than meets the eye.

This is the incubation period where we sit with ideas and thoughts and visions and turn them around in our minds to figure out the best way to birth them and bring them forth in the spring after Spring Equinox. The Solar Eclipse is associated with events outside of our lives — things happening in the public — and surrounding world leaders. The interesting thing is that the growing lack of resources, exacerbated by this eclipse and the fact that many planets are in Capricorn, particularly Mercury, which is still retrograde and beckons all of us to re-organize our budgets, spreadsheets and review what we need to release and what we keep.

In addition, Saturn, which rules Capricorn, is slowing down, getting ready to go retrograde as well very soon. That and Mars retrograde still in Leo suggest our entry into the New Year offers tremendous opportunities to delve deeper into what it is we really need versus what we really want. Minimalism in living and spiritual refocus are a very good plan over these next two weeks.

The Lunar Eclipse of December 31 exhausts our energies as a very special eclipse occurs at the 10th degree of Capricorn. Make sure you get plenty of rest during this time, because it also falls on the heels of the sobering aspect between Venus and Saturn on the 28th. The good news is that it happens AFTER that aspect rather than before. Lunar eclipses tend to be very emotional, particularly in water signs. The last one that occurred close to this zodiacal position was on December 30, 1990. It aligned then and now with the fixed star known as Facies, which represents ‘Two Faces’.

It is important to exercise caution during this time. Who around you has the face of loyalty and who around you does not? The ongoing Mars retrograde allows you time to include this factor in your decision making process that continues through February of next year. You will know more in about 90-days when the 90-day after the eclipse period begins, giving you further clarity and removing blind spots of behavior, which could include too much fixity and not enough flexibility.

At the end of last week, everything may have come to a halt — or so it seemed. With an added delay mechanism of Mercury retrograde on the 26th, things may seem to come to more of a standstill than usual. Jupiter’s alignment with Neptune (another rare configuration) screams for inspiration, which only comes from incubation, which is the one ‘gift’ offered by several planets that may be retrograde.

Jupiter with Neptune triggers a new 13-year cycle of imagination, music, the arts and with the Sun about to enter Capricorn on the 21st, bringing forth Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the celebration of the return of the light in ancient cultures, it promises quality inspiration a Venus also enters Capricorn on the 25th.

Quality is so much better than quantity and with this degree of planets in Capricorn and with planets retrograde it requires patience as you dive into deeper reservoirs of spiritual inspiration and release creative ideas. The windows open for creative thinkers in the New Year. Incubating in your cave brings forth a durst of energy at the end of January and February. If you don’t clear the decks, prune the trees in winter, you don’t have as wonderful a house or crop in spring.

Electricity and lightning are in the air this week as the Sun squares Uranus and beautifully aspects Jupiter on the 14th. Then Venus comes along on the 19th with another push to Uranus and sparks start flying! The New Moon of the 16th encourages relationships along with the rare Venus and Mars trine (triangles are great for balance) on the 17th. This along with the romantic combination of Venus and Jupiter (always brings expansive opportunities) is fortunate for those who are in the mood and ready.

Take advantage of the pink fog, because when Mars comes along on the 20th and begins its very long retrograde motion, well, it is time to re-think strategies, particularly those that began in the last couple of weeks. Mars in Leo and retrograde is NOT a happy retrograde Mars. Leo likes action and fun and is used to getting things done by sheer will, but when retrograde, may make impulsive decisions that only need re-doing when its direct motion begins sometime early in 2010.

It retrogrades once every two years and does suggest that the following eight to twelve weeks require further research and delayed decisions. In the end, though frustrating, it serves everyone, because energies are preserved than dissipated.