Ideally, we'd be looking in the rearview mirror at a receding 2020 saying, "Thank G*d that's over!" while driving off into the sunset toward what we nostalgically refer to as normal life. The trouble is: The old normal died in 2020, and the new normal has yet to be established. While much of 2020's trauma was rooted in trying to control the uncontrollable, 2021 confronts societal fluctuations between the need for stability and the necessity of revolution.
Mercury's conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn on January 4 brings powerfully influential communications: Practical considerations and enlightened self-interest forge unusual alliances. Mars square Saturn at the New Moon in Capricorn on January 13 pits stubborn ideologues against pragmatic realists; Jupiter's square to Uranus on January 17 opens a door to a fortuitous discovery with universal impact. Mars conjunct Uranus in Taurus on January 20 empowers revolutionaries and encourages enraged misanthropes. There will be two inaugurations on January 20: One in Washington, DC, and the other at the gates of hell, where denial becomes defiance and the defeated declare it better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.
The Sun in Aquarius conjunct Jupiter at the Full Moon in Leo on January 28 lifts spirits as avenues for pragmatic reconciliation open and Venus conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn, sweetening needed compromises so win/lose may look more like a win/win.
Mercury stations retrograde on January 30 to ensure no promise is left behind. Reform can occur without destroying security, but only when trust is earned between competing entities. 2021 is the start of a process of refining and defining, of finding new answers to the question: What kind of people are we, really, when push comes to shove? There will be no winners but plenty of losers if we cannot collectively answer that question in a way that engenders hope.
