The New Year time spirit seeded at Winter Solstice comes to creative expression through the 12 days of Yule culminating with Epiphany Jan 6. The 12 Days of Christmas or Yuletide is the New Year in embryo, dreams of these 12 nights portend what will be in the 12 months of the coming year. The year spirit is fully formed Jan 6, the last spoke in the wheel of Yule. This is Three Kings Day, the day the three wise men came bearing gifts: manifestations of divinity. Jan 6 is the original gift giving day for good reason, it is when the spirit of the new cycle takes physical form.

Every 2160 years a new zodiacal age begins and everything changes as new symbols and new myths come to life. As the Sun transits Aquarius this year Jan 19 - Feb 18 mysteries of this New Age will be revealed. We enter the Age of Aquarius by way of the Libra decan which Venus rules. Venus guides us into this new time and now we come to know the part we are to play in this new time.

2013 is the Year of the Lovers Tarot Key 6. Venus, the goddess of the dawn, empowers us to transform shadow to light. A planet long shrouded in mystery, Venus will reveal her secrets to us this year. Morning Star Venus rises now blessing this New World. Rising before the Sun helps us awaken to the new magic for this new time. Blessings can be received directly by focusing on the light of Venus and breathing deeply. Venus rising invokes the transforming power of love. Love rules this new world.

Jan 1  (2 am 12/31-8am) Begin Anew New Year Gate of Inspiration A Muse Gate opens every 40 days, 9 each year. Polyhymnia is the muse of divine song, singing channels energy to create the world anew. Now is the time to dissolve body tensions that hold old year ways of thinking and feeling. Breathe deeply, sing and move freely (dance!) to shed the old and open to the light of the New Year.

Jan 4-7 (exact 11 pm Jan 4)  Realizing Dreams 3rd Quarter Moon This Moon cuts away all that distracts from putting dreams into action. Moon in Libra grand trine with Mars and Jupiter blesses new relationships and all creative endeavors. 3rd Quarter Moon integrates ideas into creative expression; it’s time to follow our bliss and do what feels good in concert with the whole.

Jan 5 – Time to Party! Epiphany Eve/12th Night/The Feast of Fools Yuletide festivities culminate with the 12th Night “Feast of Fools” on Jan 5. This is a great night to party and ideal time for exchanging gifts. 12th Night celebrations were banned during the late Middle Ages as these became occasions for lampooning the established order of church and state.

Jan 6 – Expect a Miracle Epiphany/The 12th Day of Christmas In Christian tradition Epiphany celebrates 3 special events related to water: the birth of Jesus, baptism in the river Jordan and changing water to wine. Epiphany also honors the 3 Kings who bring gifts for the new born child. The Egyptians celebrated the Festival of the Nile on this day when waters of the world are blessed with healing virtue. At this time, Kore (Persephone) gives birth to the Aeon, the child spirit or zeitgeist of the New Year. An old cycle ends, a New World begins, everyone is born again.

Jan 7-9, Make a Wish! Balsamic Moon This is the Wishing Moon, the best time to put wishes on the air and to bring to mind those who need healing. Feeling invokes healing, the deeper we feel, the deeper we heal. Shadows before New Moon can be cleared through deep breathing with attention to the light of the crown. See the wee crescent rising before the Sun with bright Venus, the goddess of Love. Make a wish!

Jan 10-12, Going Within Dark of the Moon/New Moon The day before New Moon until Sunset a day after is ideal for inner work to seed the new cycle; outer activity is favored after the new crescent appears (Saturday night). Old Moon shadows give way as we connect with the light, and breathe. The New Moon (2:45 pm 1/11) is a cosmic spring that flows freely as we slow down. Here we can know what is and how to help shape what’s to be. This Moon (1/11-2/9) brings many new discoveries apt to remake the world.

Jan 13-17 – A Time to Sow Crescent New Moon It’s time to bring forward what we wish to be realized. Farmers plant seeds when the crescent appears, seeds become fertile on every level, all new beginnings are favored now. Meditation opens doorways, wishes take wing, prayers bring blessings for this Moon and the New Year to be. Moon with Mars in Aquarius powers new discoveries and all innovative actions.

Jan 18-20 (exact 3:19 am 12/20)  Time to Choose 1st Quarter Moon This Moon is like a scythe cutting across the sky, it’s a time to cut free from the trappings of the past and affirm our purpose moving forward. Sacred to the Druids, this Moon is pivotal in the cycle of creation. Choices made are likely the right ones. Breathing deeply through the light of the crown frees energy flow up and down the spine to clear shadows and power our dreams.

Jan 24-28 – Transformation / Liberation Sun in Aquarius Full Moon This Full Moon brings good fortune and revelation of nature’s mysteries as the Sun trines benefic Jupiter and Uranus in a mystic triangle focused through the Moon in revelatory Leo. Light is shed on extraordinary new technological discoveries that will reshape the world to the benefit of all. The Full Moon is like a pitcher that pours out a magic elixir we raise our cups to receive. Cosmic energies flow for 3 days following Full Moon (exact 11:38 pm Jan 26). Revelations come in dreams, chance encounters and flashes of inspiration. Stay tuned! Steve Nelson is a professional astrologer who uses Tarot, name analysis, and traditional astrology to help clients understand personal myths and realize natural abilities. Contact: 704-375-3759 or [email protected]. GaiaAstrology.com.