Sun enters Pisces

It's time to wrap up another astrological year when the Sun moves into Pisces on February 19th, the last sign of the zodiac. Pisces Sun creates a wonderful opportunity for introspection before the active growing cycle begins in Aries. It brings much needed renewal.

And what do you do when something ends, before you begin again? Rest! That's why the Sun in Pisces is considered a time to dream and heal and regain strength before starting the new cycle. Pisces connects you to the vast ocean of the imaginable realm. Here you can relax and float in an endless sea of possibilities. Your soul can find creative and spiritual nourishment here. It's normal to feel more spiritual while the Sun is in Pisces. It's easier to tap into your intuition and we're more inclined to follow our instincts and surrender to something greater than the individual self. But it can also be a lazy, daydream-filled period, so we must keep our escapism tendencies in check.

Now is the time to pay attention to the images that rise to the surface of awareness from the depths of the unconscious. You especially want to listen to your dreams during this window. Take notes on any dreams that come during sleep or those you find yourself touching on in the daytime. What dreams are coming forward that are ready to be brought into reality?

Here's how to make the most of life with the Sun in Pisces:

•  Spend time clearly imagining and feeling the life of your dreams.
•  Pay attention to your dreams.
•  Contemplate, pray, meditate, and visualize.
•  Allow time to connect to your creative muse this month and bring an artistic creation forth.
•  Ask yourself if you need to be more compassionate toward yourself or others. If so, how?
•  Tune into how the watery flow of Pisces is moving through your life.

Chinese Year of the Monkey

This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 8th and it is the Year of the Fire Monkey according to Chinese zodiac. The festival lasts for 15 days. Most employees will have seven days off work, while students take one month absence from school. Being one of the traditional festivals, it is the time for whole families to reunite together, which is similar with Christmas Day to the westerners.

The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality and destiny. The saying is: "This animal hides in your heart." Unlike Western astrology, it does not look the heavenly constellations or planets to predict one's destiny. Rather, Chinese astrology deals with divining sciences of the five elements (earth, fire, water, metal and wood), Yin and Yang, Chi, and the cycles of time.

Legend has it that inception of the Chinese zodiac signs began when the Buddha beckoned all the animals to bid him farewell before his departure from the Earth. Only twelve arrived at his summoning and so those were given a place of honor in a year being named after each.

The Monkey is ninth of the 12 animals in the recurring 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. Every 12 years there is a Monkey year. This particular year, 2016 is a Fire Monkey Year. In Chinese astrology, each year is associated with a Chinese zodiac animal sign and one the Five Elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth. Both the sign and element of your birth year are said to affect your personality and destiny. For example, Metal Monkey born in 1920 and 1980, having traits of being determined and ambitious individuals. Warm-hearted and very likeable, but desire a solitary lifestyle. Fire Monkey, of which I am one, born in 1956 and 2016, are full of strength and determination. Others enjoy being in their company even though these Monkeys always want the upper hand.

Here are some traditional ways in which people celebrate the holiday:

• Families gather together and spend the evening preparing Chinese dumplings. It is common to hide a coin in one of the dumplings. Whoever gets the dumpling with the coin will supposedly have good luck in the coming year.
• On New Year’s Day, children receive leisee - red packets decorated with gold symbols and filled with "lucky money".
• Throughout the season, certain foods are served because they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Besides preparing special dishes, tangerines and oranges are often passed out to children and guests, as they symbolize wealth and good luck.
• Prepare a Tray of Togetherness, a circular or octagon-shaped tray with eight compartments, each containing symbolic foods such as lotus seeds and lychee nuts that provides a sweet beginning to the New Year.

Here are some famous people born in a Monkey year: Julius Caesar, Daniel Craig, Bette Davis, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betsy Ross, Diana Ross, Will Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, Harry S. Truman, Leonardo da Vinci, Jacqueline Bisset,  Yul Brynner, Johnny Cash, David Copperfield, Joan Crawford,  Ian Fleming, Jerry Hall, Tom Hanks, Harry Houdini,  Debbie Reynolds, Diana Ross, Tom Selleck, Omar Sharif and Rod Stewart

Click here to find  your particular Chinese Zodiac animal.

Sun Enters Capricorn

Sun in Capricorn December 21, 2015 to January 21, 2016

Winter arrives in the northern hemisphere when the Sun moves into cool Capricorn on December 21st, marking the longest night of the year and a time to celebrate the return of the light. This is the time of year we look for new hope at a time of darkness, which sets a serious tone. Astrologically, the Winter Solstice marks the moment the Sun, the ruler of the zodiac, moves from adventurous Fire sign Sagittarius to the steady Earth sign of Capricorn. This is the dark night of the year, a day when the Sun appears to stand still. It's a time for light and laughter, but also deep reflection. The Sun's move into steady Capricorn urges us to take some time to look back on 2015 before we make our plans for the coming year. What did we do right? What do we wish we'd done differently? Don't fight the seriousness it brings to the festive holiday season; use it to start 2016 on the right foot.

Most of us will be working hard to move forward toward something better now, just as the Capricorn symbol of the Mountain Goat forever climbs upward toward the mountain top We are reminded that each of us have a purpose in life. There are goals we work toward. The Sun in Capricorn picks up where the Sun in Sagittarius left off. The Sun is a visionary in Sagittarius. In Capricorn, the Sun takes what's been envisioned and finds a way to make it happen, to make the commitment, devise the plan, do the work, etc. Capricorn energy brings the need for solid, stable plans and structures. During the next few weeks you create your foundation for the year ahead.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

•  Attend to your physical world and apply discipline and structure where needed.
•  Make sure your house is in order. For example, get your insurance, wills, etc. in place.
•  Create your yearly financial plan of both expenses and income.
•  Take care of business. Now is the time to act and get organized and plan for the future.

Sun enters Sagittarius

Sun in Sagittarius November 22nd to December 22^nd

When in Sagittarius, the Sun is in good spirits, adventurous, open-minded, and opportunistic with big, bold ideas. Life is in the living, experiencing and growing. It's the journey, not just the destination. While this is true, this sign can get out of control.  Saturn and Mercury are already in this fiery sign and the New Moon will follow in December.  We’ve seen last week the tragic effects of a Sagittarius Saturn, with the bombings in Beirut and Paris. Remember, Sagittarius is a crusader, a convince-and-convert archetype. It is also a mission driven and invasion archetype. As we have already seen, when combined with Saturn the consequences for ideological or religious disobedience can be harsh, even dire. Saturn at this level is a “accept the doctrine or be punished and perish” combination. With Mercury in Sagittarius, you are able to see the big picture, but it's harder to see the fine print.  Now nothing is hidden in open Sagittarius.  This energy is honest to the point of bluntness.  Be prepared that when you ask a question you may get more than you bargained for.  And tying it all up in a neat bow is Neptune now in direct motion once again encouraging us to live in denial.  You will be challenged to find a distinguishing line between reachable goals versus pipe dreams.

So what do we do?  How do we cope?

Sagittarius carries with it tremendous gifts and the need for responsible care that any fire brings. In the midst of great change, responsible care becomes even more important. Sagittarius fire expands. As a questing fire, it fuels expansion by searching and exploring new territory in variety of ways, internally and externally. Inwardly, it can help you seek the meaning of life or shine the light of consciousness on the truth within. To burn, fire needs air, appropriate containment, and safety. Learning to effectively work with fire means you must set your intention clearly, hold your focus carefully, create emotional safety, and choose suitable earthly containing parameters. If you focus on what you do not have, you will only experience more of what you feel is lacking. Instead, if you mindfully place your focus on all there is to be grateful for in your life, then the energy can shift toward what you are choosing to expand and create.

Sun enters Libra

Sun in Libra September 23rd to October 23rd

Fall arrives in the northern hemisphere as the Sun moved into Libra on September 23, and remains there until October 23rd. Libra is ruled by Venus, it’s symbol is the Scales so this will be a time of seeking balance in life. Justice, fairness and relationships will be highlighted. How are our light and dark aspects working?  Are we in harmony with ourselves or are we our own worst enemies?

The Libra Sun encourages harmony between the individual self and the shared self. Accommodation and compromise are its primary ways of creating harmonious duos.  But many people find intimacy difficult. It feels suffocating, confining and limiting to them, which is a high price to pay for sharing one's life with another person. Limits on personal freedom come with every relationship. There are general rules of behavior and individual preferences in play with every connection we have. Some people are very comfortable with compromise; others shrivel at the thought of giving up any authority to a partner. The balance of Self and Other is the crux of relationships – the dance between I and We.

While the Sun is in Libra, our challenge/opportunity is two-fold. Part one is to open our hearts to the romantic images of joyfully shared experience. It is a vision of liberating compromise that happens when what we give up of ourselves is multiplied in return by what we receive from another. Part two is recognizing that relationship is a process in which we move toward and away from each other, an ebb and flow of combining and separating that is completely natural. Accepting the variability of our emotions gives us the flexibility to find happiness within ourselves and when shared with others.