Saturn, ruler of Capricorn and the 10th house, symbolizes goals, responsibilities, and limits, so now is the time to reflect on any sources of frustration in your life caused by these things (or a lack of). Now is not the time to start new projects but rather to finish up any Saturn-related business left unattended. Saturn in Libra provides us a time to realize goals by working with others, and perhaps this is what needs to be re-evaluated (again with the “re”).

Pay attention to what house in your chart Saturn stations retrograde in, as that is where you will be most impacted (depending on the house, the focus of your re-assessments could be money, relationships, career, etc.). Use this time to gain insight and grow, making plans for the changes you will make when Saturn goes direct on June 25.

The Leo Full Moon opposes the Sun in Aquarius; we are reminded to check ourselves in the progress we made towards our goals set during the Aquarius New Moon. Have we been doing things to benefit others? Have we infused a little extra light and love into our relationships? Watch out, however, as that fiery Leo energy may have us wanting a pat on the back for our efforts.

Mars is the planet of energy, power, and assertion, and now that it is in retrograde motion (beginning Monday, January 23, 2012, it will be retrograde until April 13, 2012) we will spend the next few months examining our personal energy, how we are spending it and whether we have too much or not enough. Because Mars is in Virgo during its retrograde motion, this time will also be spent paying rapt attention to detail, with the analytic Virgo energy adding an element of meticulousness to our reflection. Mars also goes retrograde the same day as the New Moon in Aquarius,

Retrograde periods don’t have to be scary (as I’ve often extolled about periods of Mercury retrograde); instead, while things have a tendency to get muddled with other retrograde planets (with Mercury, for example, the ruler of communication, things in that arena tend to go haywire), Mars retrograde is a time of heightened internal reflection. You may find yourself searching for personal innovation and rediscovering your inner child—even if that means being a little rebellious at times. Retrograde periods are time to break out the “re:” regeneration, renewal, reflection….you get the point. Add “re” to the beginning of a word, and you have a way of positively using a period of planetary retrograde motion.

This New Moon, along with the Sun (also in Aquarius) will highlight the airy Aquarian qualities of being progressive and unconventional, as well as eleventh house themes of friendships and relationships. This Aquarius New Moon period is the perfect time to highlight your relationships, making them stronger and brighter. Add a sense of optimism and light to yourself and those around you.

Aquarius, The Water Bearer
January 20 to February 18

Modality: Fixed
Element: Air
Ruler: Uranus

Keywords: Unconventional, original, progressive, intellectual, compassionate, stubborn, isolated

As an Aquarius you are an enigmatic puzzle, a mix of the old and the new and of friendly and aloof. You are noted for your independence and strong will, but you are also stubborn (being a fixed sign). Aquarius is the sign of the humanitarian, and you are generous with your time and money when helping others. You are also a communicator, being an air sign, though you do like your independence from others as well. You are intellectual, intuitive, and insightful.

The universal sign of friendship, Aquarians are often surrounded by several acquaintances, though few close friends; you are comfortable in large groups of people at clubs and gatherings, despite gender or background. In love, you might play the field, as you search for variety. Communication is key for you in your romantic relationships; you could do well with your opposite sign, Leo, or with the other air signs, Gemini and Libra. Taurus and Scorpio could provide a relationship clash with their possessiveness. Your family life is traditional, staying in close touch with relatives. Be careful of clutter in the home, as some Aquarians have trouble letting go of collectibles or knick-knacks.

When it comes to careers, Aquarians are both naive and practical (again with the duality). Learn to live within a realistic budget, as at times it may seem that it is feast or famine with money; doing so you can do well financially in the long-term. An Aquarius enjoys a calm working environment, and likely will spend their lifetime in one career.

You are generally a homebody, though you do enjoy a weekend getaway now and again.

For the year ahead:

Affirmation: My future sparkles with opportunity.

• Jupiter begins this year in Taurus (your fourth house), where it has been since last summer. You may find yourself redecorating your home, planting a new garden, or contemplating a move. Taurus moves into your fifth house, Gemini, on June 11, where it will remain for the rest of the year. Your interests will switch from the domesticity of home to socializing.
• Uranus continues its seven-transit of Aries, where it will remain until 2018.  Communication is highlighted, between friends, neighbors, and family. In general, this transit is good for community involvement.
• Saturn spends most of the year in Libra, in your ninth house. This makes for a good time to broaden your knowledge, whether by returning to school or taking a new class. Your efforts might be rewarded when Saturn moves into your tenth house (Scorpio) of career in early October.
• Pluto spends the entire year in Capricorn, where it will transit until 2024 (your twelfth house). Pluto will, in some way, transform your life in the coming years, heightening your intuition and helping you transform your life for the healthier and the better.

Image by Zoe Timms Photography

I realized I had something interesting to explore when the chapter I wrote on cusps was left over from my first book, The Astrological Elements. That was published in 2010, and is a general interest primer on the twelve signs, which divides them into their four elements: fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and water (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces).

As a Libra I am always looking for the quickest path, as well as for patterns. The Astrological Elements meant I had to think about four categories first—before the twelve signs. So when I started re-reading my unused chapter on cusps, I thought about them as pairs, rather than individual signs. That opened up a new world.

At first, I was struck by the paradoxes. Aries is about being a leader and having initiative. How does that work with Taurus, who needs to feel part of a group? Aries can switch gears quickly, but Taurus likes consistency in all things. I found out that people born on this cusp want to be versatile in their daily dealings, and they also have that Taurean trait of being “the person who’s relied upon.”

In Astrology on the Cusp, I divided the cusps into sections (before, during, and after) and also cover careers and vocation. Each cusp includes two sections with specific dates that are the most auspicious and most challenging times to take action.

And so, here’s a very quick summary of how the cusps interact. Believe me, there’s a lot more in Astrology on the Cusp!

• Taurus-Gemini cusps are steady, but open to influence from others. They can also have trouble completing a project as planned—there’s usually a “better way.”
• Gemini-Cancer is intuitive and intellectual. They’re not always in touch with their own feelings of vulnerability or needs, but they are very tuned into what others need.
• Cancer-Leo is powerful—here emotions and courage combine. This cusp comes with bravery above and beyond.
• Leo-Virgo is multi-talented and can learn nearly anything very quickly. These are the “instant experts” we rely upon.
• Virgo-Libra loves beauty, and has a firmer grasp on decision-making than many Libras.
• Libra-Scorpio is deep, but conceals their seriousness with an affect that’s either very jolly, or very secretive.
• Scorpio-Sagittarius is concerned about the wider world and taking care of groups of people. It’s an independent cusp (as is Sagittarius-Capricorn; these cusps don’t “need” another to be whole, but they do seek out challenges and difficult professions).
• Capricorn-Aquarius has an amazing ability to dream, but also likes routine and predictability.
• Aquarius-Pisces loves the performing arts but never wants to be rushed.
• Pisces-Aries likes partners and followers, and can be a maverick, and sometimes needs to learn the same lesson over and over.

Overall, I learned a lot about “fine-tuning” the attributes of adjacent signs. And, when you add up the number of cusps there are, particularly if you venture a few days before and after each cusp, you have something like twenty-two percent of all birthdays—a significant number!

Our thanks to Sally Cragin for her guest post! For more from Sally, read her articles, “Astrology on the Cusp” and “The Astrological Elements: How Compatible Are Your Sun Signs?”.

On the 80th anniversary of the first Astrological Calendar, I dug through our archives for a few olde-tyme samples to see how the calendar has evolved over the years. And boy was I ever fascinated! I couldn’t lay my hands on our earliest copies, which are from a time long before Llewellyn was purchased and moved to Minnesota. Below are images and summaries of the calendars from 1945, 1975, and 1995.

1945

Here are a few images of the 1945 calendar, the year World War II ended. The calendar was titled as the Star Book of the Year back then, and the grids were fairly simple, with just dates and Moon phases. No room to jot down your dentist appointment, though! The astrological element shone on the tops of the month spreads, which featured Sun sign profiles and yearly horoscopes, sparse Moon data, and an inspirational column. The cover features a simple illustration of the twelve astrological symbols in a circle—a theme that was repeated for many years and reborn in the early 2000s.

1975

By 1975, the Moon data had migrated into the grids, which were now easier to use, and the top pages added sign-by-sign monthly horoscopes—much more detailed than a short yearly summary for your sign. The top pages also included two horoscope charts for the date of the New and Full Moon. The cover featured a color photographic treatment of space, a fairly new and popular concept during that time.

1995

Moving into the 1990s, the cover now features an illustration of a night goddess ushering in the twelve astrological symbols. Here we see the influence of astrology over astronomy. The illustration theme carries over to the top pages, which feature depictions of each Sun sign, as well monthly horoscopes and a tiny ephemeris chart. The grids are beginning to look more familiar and informative, with major aspects printed alongside Moon phases and signs and planetary transits. It is in this example that we really see the two main aims of the Astrological Calendar come to the forefront: information and amusement for lay astrologers and rich data for serious astrologers.

Llewellyn’s 2012 Astrological Calendar features the art of computer-generated art of fantasy artist John J. Blumen. We are proud to offer different styles and depictions of astrological art every year and hope you enjoy this year’s product. Our grids are now easier to use, with more white space for jotting notes as well as important daily aspects and lunar information. The monthly horoscopes provide a quick snapshot of what the month will be like for you and any tips to help you navigate it. And don’t forget the extensive primer and ephemeris tables in the back of the calendar! Even seasoned astrologers find these pages to be a handy reference, always available and always accurate.

As we all turn our calendars over to yet another new year, I’m happy to wish our beloved data-heavy wall calendar a happy 80th birthday! First published in 1932, it’s hard to believe that Llewellyn’s Astrological Calendar isn’t even the oldest Llewellyn publication (that honor belongs to our 1905-born Moon Sign Book). I’ve been editing this calendar since I began at Llewellyn five years ago, and what once seemed like a daunting grid of mysterious symbols now tells me so much that I look at it every day. What’s in retrograde? Is there a New Moon or Full Moon this week? An eclipse? A bank holiday? I also regularly use the astrological primer contained in the back of the calendar for associations, quick references on house associations and planet rulerships, and the occasional ephemeris question. And you can’t forget the short horoscope for your sign each month—it’s the first thing I look at when I flip the page each month.

Each year’s calendar begins with the grid construction in late summer. Our astrological data comes from a custom program, designed for Llewellyn by Rique Pottenger and based on the earlier work of the great Neil F. Michelsen. Having custom outputs of data makes the calendar much easier to put together but, like many computer programs, the information needs to be formatted and translated for non-computer (read: human) understanding. This involves much highlighting, finding, replacing, clicking, dragging, and font designing. I usually designate two weeks in July to slog through this process; once you’re in calendar data mode, it’s best to keep going until you finish! The grids are then proofed for astrological accuracy, and the holidays and fishing/planting dates are added. It’s then time to insert the monthly horoscopes with challenging and rewarding dates and the yearly travel forecasts and proofread everything for grammar. Finally, I add the ephemeris monthly charts, trying to make the text as large as possible while still fitting four of them on each page. By this point, I’m thoroughly confused as to what year I am in. (I confess, I’ve been known to write “2011” on a check in the fall of 2009, though the power company didn’t seem to have trouble cashing it.)

And then there’s the artwork. This piece is always a challenge, but a rewarding one. We work extensively with our chosen artists each year to develop a cohesive theme and accurate astrological symbols for each sign. Our artists receive a thick packet of associations and characteristics, and there are many review stages between myself, our art director and art designer, and the artist. We try to go beyond the same old, same old and give each sign a unique and beautiful image—something you can look at for an entire month without getting bored. Art being a subjective format, we can’t suit all tastes in all years. After all, what’s beautiful to one person may be bland (or worse) to the next. But that’s part of the balance of this calendar, and I feel our team continues to do a fantastic job.

Once the artwork is placed, the calendar gets a few final reviews from people in our building and is then transmitted to our printer. Then comes the tedious wait for the copies to arrive! I can tell you, it’s a big day when the calendars and datebooks arrive in our building, and everyone clamors to get a look at next year’s lineup—and snag calendars for their own cubicles, of course.

Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I recount a few old editions of the calendar and how it’s evolved over the decades!

Many thanks to Nicole for her guest post!

I dislike the idea of New Year’s resolutions (they are rarely kept, and we are pressured by our society to make them; besides, any day we decide to make a change for the better is the perfect day to initiate that change!). That said, the December 24 Capricorn New Moon was a perfect time to create new to-do lists or plans to better yourself, your family, and the world at large—and to stick to them. Did you complete your tasks? Are you sticking to your lists? This Full Moon asks that we be decisive about our situations, both at home and away, and to take action to make them the best that they can be.

This New Moon, along with the Sun (also in Capricorn) will highlight the earthy Capricorn qualities of discipline and determination, as well as tenth house themes of career and ambition. This Capricorn New Moon period is the perfect time to create new to-do lists or plans to better yourself, your family, and the world at large—and to stick to them.