Astrological Year 2014 Year of Action (But Look Before You Leap)

This article is the third in a three-part series. Part 1 was published December 31, 2013, and Part 2 was published January 7, 2014.

Part 1 of this series provided the major Sun, Moon, and Mercury dates you will need for 2014. It also included tables for the equinoxes and solstices and dates for U.S. daylight saving time. To see that article, visit the blog post Astrological Year 2014 Part 1: Sun, Moon, and Mercury.

Part 2 of this series provided information about the rest of the major planets during 2014: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. To see that article, visit the blog post Astrological Year 2014 Part 2: Venus through Pluto.

Part 3 of this series, “Astrological Year 2014 Year of Action,” provides information on the major energies and shifts affecting us in 2014:

• The Curtain Goes Up on 2014
• Uranus-Pluto Square Continues and Deepens
• More Action: Key Planets and Key Points in Cardinal Signs
• Relay Race of Retrogrades Slows Us Down
• Conditions and Opportunities Open Up in July
• Our Destiny Shifts from Transformation to Relationships, Peace

How to Use This Guide to the “Astrological Year 2014 Year of Action (But Look Before You Leap)”

Take a few moments to review the article Uranus Square Pluto Part Four: How Are You Feeling?, which reviews the major energies in playthroughout 2013. Think about the conditions described in the article and how they expressed themselves in your life and in the lives of your family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances as well as the world at large.

Consider how you handled the challenges and opportunities offered to you in 2013. Did you exhibit grace under pressure? Did you rise to the occasion when challenges came your way? Did you make the most of whatever opportunities came your way in 2013? Did you assist others when appropriate and to the best of your ability? If you found yourself in favorable circumstances, did you express gratitude in some way? Did you apply your good fortune to creating even greater good or to improving yourself in some way? If others prospered or found good fortune in 2013, did you express happiness for them?

Also think about how much you have experienced over the past year. How is your life different than it was 12 months ago? What has changed for the better? What circumstances have turned out to be more beneficial than you expected? What remains for you to overcome in this new year? What changes would you like to make in yourself, your living situation, your relationships, and your work life? Do you have a plan in place for ensuring you move forward with your goals on all planes?

Take time for meditation and prayer to consider all these questions and any others that arise in your mind and heart. Then see Part 1 and Part 2 of this series to find out what opportunities are available to you in the coming year. Then read the rest of this article to get a sense of what the coming 12 months will offer and consider how you would like to shape your life to be in harmony with 2014’s best opportunities and most powerful energies.

The Curtain Goes Up on 2014

For many, 2013 was the most challenging year they can remember, and for good reason. It was “The Year of Feeling” and forced us to feel deeply and cope with major changes. The article Uranus Square Pluto Part Four: How Are You Feeling? sums up how 2013 played out.

In 2014, we will experience the “Year of Action—But Look Before You Leap.” That’s because most of the planets will occupy the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), which are the signs that start each season. These signs focus on leadership, taking action, starting new things, and breaking away from the old so the new can be born.

With all this cardinal energy, we all will feel like we’re ready for action and will want to charge ahead, but a series of retrogrades will stop us in our tracks for the first half of the year. Although this situation may bring frustration, it is giving us a chance to “look before we leap” so that whatever we launch, whatever changes we make in 2014, will sit on a firm foundation and have a much better chance to succeed. So long term success will depend on being tuned in to planetary energies and becoming highly flexible yet strategic in your planning, timing, and decisions.

As we began this year on January 1, 2014, both Venus and Jupiter (two planets strongly associated with abundance and life’s pleasures) were retrograde and they remain so now. Planets in retrograde appear to be moving backwards, and their energies are less available on the outer, material plane. Rather than trying to press forward quickly with new projects, use these retrogrades as opportunities to become much more strategic and prepared for prospering later in the year.

Venus occupies sober, stern, and businesslike Capricorn until early March and is retrograde in that sign until the end of January. So January is a great time to re-think your earning potential, relationships, and values (Venus) in your career and business (Capricorn). Exactly opposite Venus sits Jupiter, which is in emotional, imaginative, sensitive Cancer until July and retrograde in that sign until early March. So January and February are a great time to re-think your investments (Jupiter) as well as your home life, what you need to feel secure and nurtured, and what plans and projects you want to give birth to in the coming year (Cancer). If you take the time to think and plan, you will be ready for 2014’s wild ride of change, innovation, and new opportunity.

In addition, January 1 brought us a new Moon in Capricorn, the sign of patient, steady progress toward lofty goals. This fact suggests our emotional needs (Moon) will be in sync with 2014’s demands to address Capricorn themes and wield cardinal energies creatively for beneficial long-term change.

Uranus-Pluto Square Continues and Deepens

The difficult alignment between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn is the defining astrology for our era. Look back in your calendar, diary, or journal to see what was happening in your life at the time of the last four Uranus-Pluto squares:

• June 24, 2012
• September 19, 2012
• May 20, 2013
• November 1, 2013

How has your life changed? How have you changed? What shifts have you noticed in others’ lives, in your community, and in the world? How do you feel about these changes? Have you taken time to face your emotions and use them to understand your personal imbalances and the areas in which you must make adjustments?

How well have you done at the Uranus-Pluto square’s mandate to liberate (Uranus) your identity (Aries) and pioneer (Aries) into the future (Uranus)? To eliminate (Pluto) any structures or ambitions (Capricorn) that have outworn their use? What possessions or routines must you release, and what beliefs or self-made prisons must you destroy in order to clear the way for your true self to flourish?

With freedom-demanding Uranus in fiery Aries, we have seen growing passion as well as shocking increases in anger around the world and in our personal lives. Pluto in Capricorn adds depth to our passion yet puts fear into the mix, and in its lower expression brings rage, secrets, and desire for vengeance. The combination of these two energies in a volatile square formation—called a “hard aspect” in astrology—has brought hard feelings along with relentless, uncontrollable change.

In June 2013, Jupiter joined the fray when it entered Cancer, where it remains until July 16. That shift put giant Jupiter opposite Pluto and square Uranus to form a t-square, an even more intense form of square energy whose clashing character brings even more pressure for change. In December 2013, Mars entered Libra, bringing the fourth cardinal sign into the mix and increasing feelings of wanting to take action and change conditions that have come to seem intolerable. Mars remains in Libra until July 25.

Taken together, Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars form a grand square or grand cross, a volatile formation that can feel like having to move constantly from one crisis to another. Because these planets occupy action-oriented cardinal signs, they are demanding that we make decisions, take action to resolve issues once and for all (or else end what has outlived its usefulness), and move forward toward new and better ways of operating in the world.

If we can remember to place ourselves consciously at the eye of this storm by holding a middle ground among these energies, we have unprecedented opportunities to resolve deep conflicts and create much better solutions on several fronts. With Mars in Libra, we have tremendous drive (Mars) to create balance and harmony (Libra), so we have a strong opportunity to resolve these many challenges with diplomacy, tact, and cooperation (all Libran virtues).

The Uranus-Pluto square continues through spring 2015, bringing continual pressure to change. This year, these planets align twice in an exact 90-degree angle, on these dates:

• April 21
• December 15

Take note of what occurs around these dates to see how these energies express themselves in your life and do your best to allow necessary changes to occur. As we let go of what no longer serves us, we prepare ourselves to embrace new and better opportunities.

Also, throughout all this year, remain alert to new opportunities that become available during this time of rapid change. Although the Uranus-Pluto square can feel deeply uncomfortable and make life seem out of control, it is a potent force for clearing away obstacles that may have plagued us for years. It also offers exceptional energies for innovation, freedom, and renewal. Keep your eye on creating just solutions that serve the highest good and on fostering healthy relationships that enable cooperative solutions.

NOTE: If you have a copy of your birth chart, check for Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn to see which houses these signs control and know what areas of your life offer the greatest possibilities for action and transformation. Otherwise, you can get a copy of your chart immediately using the instant calculator on our website.

For more on the Uranus-Pluto square, see our series of articles on this topic:

• Uranus and Pluto 2012: Mid-’60s come of age, demand ‘report card’
• Uranus and Pluto’s Transformation Timetable: Sept. 19 Square Forces Issues Around Virgo, Health
• Uranus Square Pluto Round Three: Fight Your Own Fight, KO What Needs to Go
• Uranus Square Pluto Part Four: How Are You Feeling?

More Action: Key Planets and Key Points in Cardinal Signs

As the previous section explained, Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars already occupy cardinal signs. In addition:

• Venus currently occupies Capricorn, where it remains retrograde until the end of this month. Because of this retrograde, Venus will spend four months in this cardinal sign, rather than the approximately three and a half weeks it usually spends in each sign, and will amplify the cardinal grand square (or grand cross) described in the previous section. Venus leaves Capricorn on March 5.
• Mars will go retrograde in Libra from March 1 through May 19 this year. Because of this retrograde, Mars will spend eight months in this cardinal sign, rather than the approximately two months it usually spends in each sign, and will amplify the cardinal grand square (or grand cross) described in the previous section. Mars leaves Libra on July 25.
• The North Node, an important point in space at which the Moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun), has occupied Scorpio since the end of August, 2012; the North Node forms an axis with the South Node, which has occupied Taurus since that time. The North Node indicates our collective destiny or way forward in order to evolve, while the South Node indicates our past and the strengths we may draw on to fulfill the destiny indicated by the North Node. With The Scorpio-Taurus emphasis, we have been required to draw on our skills in navigating the material world (Taurus) and to let go of outworn values and possessions we no longer need (Taurus) in order to develop our skills in navigating the soul’s mysteries (Scorpio) and surrendering our lives (Scorpio) to our higher purpose and ideals. On February 18, the nodal axis shifts, moving the North Node into Libra and the South Node into Aries for the next year and a half. Besides amping up the already considerable cardinal energies in play this year, this shift will ask us to draw on our skills at being decisive and individually strong (Aries) and to let go of selfish motives in order to develop our skills in navigating relationships (Libra) and to devote our lives to negotiation, justice, and peace.

With so many planets and points in cardinal signs all year, we will feel intense pressure to take action and make beneficial changes. Any time any planet or point connects with any of the bodies already in the cardinal signs, this overarching demand for change will feel even more intense and urgent:

• The Moon moves through all 12 signs over the course of a month, so every week it will pass through one of the cardinal signs. Pay attention to how you feel throughout this year, keep a journal or diary to record your emotional impressions, and do your best to stay emotionally centered. As you feel strong emotions, pay attention to their signals and make wise choices about changes you need to make in order to restore balance and harmony in your emotions and throughout your life.
• The Sun moves through all 12 signs over the course of a year, so at the start of every season it will pass through one of the cardinal signs. Pay attention to how the Sun “shines a light” on each cardinal area of your life and what insights become available to you at the start of each season:

1. In March, as the Sun enters Aries, use solar power and Uranus’s genius to free yourself from outworn identities and create innovations and inventions that help us leap into the future.
2. In June, as the Sun enters Cancer, use solar power and Jupiter’s generous optimism to expand your imagination and create new ideas, products, and services that nurture and comfort us all.
3. In September, as the Sun enters Libra, use solar power and the North Node’s call to our higher destiny to create balance and peace and show us how to bring people together in helpful, cooperative relationships.
4. In December, as the Sun enters Capricorn, use solar power and Pluto’s relentless drive to dig deeply and eliminate what no longer serves you and to create new structures that serve the highest good.

Relay Race of Retrogrades Slows Us Down

With most of the planets in cardinal signs for much of this year, our focus will move toward leadership, taking action, starting new things, and breaking away from the old so the new can be born. With all this cardinal energy, we’ll all feel like we’re ready for action and will want to charge ahead—now.

Yet a series of retrogrades will stop us in our tracks for the first half of the year and keep us from moving forward fully with our plans for the first half of 2014:

• Venus is retrograde in Capricorn through January 31, giving us an opportunity to review relationships, values, pleasures, beauty, and the arts. People or pleasures from the past may enter our lives. Also, with Venus in Capricorn, we have an excellent chance to review all our business relationships. Once the retrograde lifts, we can take action based on the information we have collected and move forward with stronger, more equitable relationships in all parts of our lives.
• Then Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces and Aquarius from February 6 through 28, giving us an opportunity to re-think commerce, contracts, and communication and to strengthen any weak links in our technology, gadgets, and thought processes. With Mercury moving through Pisces and Aquarius during this time, we can re-think spirituality, consciousness, and creation’s unity (Pisces) as well as genius, universal equality, and the new Age of Aquarius.
• Next, Mars goes retrograde in Libra March 1 through May 19. This period offers an excellent time to re-think your drive and ability to pioneer what’s new (Mars) and to review all your relationships, especially marriage and business partnerships (Libra).
• Then the retrograde baton passes to Mercury, which steps backwards through Cancer and Gemini from June 7 through July 1. This period offers us opportunities to take another look at communication, technology, and thought processes in the areas of food and nurturing (Cancer) as well as curiosity, learning, and messages from our higher selves (Gemini).

Although this relay race of retrogrades may bring frustration, it will give us a chance to “look before we leap.” By taking time to review areas indicated by each planet that goes retrograde, in the signs mentioned here, we will have much greater clarity and a much better foundation for moving ahead with new plans in the second half of 2014.

So use the first half of this year to operate strategically and get your plans in order so that you are ready for the big move forward that begins in July. If your Sun sign is Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn, keep in mind that this may be a tumultuous year but that huge opportunities come to those who keep their wits about them and their eyes on the prize.

Conditions and Opportunities Open Up in July

Once we reach July, this series of retrogrades will lift, and we all will feel powerful impulses for change. In addition:

• Jupiter leaves Cancer on July 16
• Mars leaves Libra on July 25

As a result, two of the planets occupying cardinal signs will move on to fixed signs: Jupiter will enter fiery Leo, while Mars will enter watery Scorpio. These shifts will take some of the pressure off the Uranus-Pluto square and end the intense grand square/grand cross energies in play through the first half of this year. With the move to fixed signs, we will have energies available to  stabilize some of the new projects and ideas we launch in the second half of this year.

Our Destiny Shifts from Transformation to Relationships, Peace

Throughout this Astrological Year 2014 Year of Action, it will be helpful to remember the North Node. For many months, this point has occupied Scorpio, forcing us to feel deeply and transform all aspects of ourselves. Because of its fixed and stubborn nature, Scorpio has held us firmly in place until we made the necessary changes, especially the ones we most needed but deeply resisted. Having surrendered and released so much, we are now ready for a new chapter.

In February, the North Node enters Libra, a cardinal air sign that reminds us of our mental powers (air) and how our thoughts can shape our destiny (North Node). As a cardinal sign, Libra ranks among the four leaders of the zodiac. Because of its focus on others, however, and its gifts for diplomacy, charm, and tact, Libra may appear indecisive, weak, or unwilling to take charge. Nevertheless, this sign hides a steel claw within its elegant, velvet glove and can be utterly tenacious and unrelenting in its drive toward fairness, love, and peace.

Given the tumult this year likely will bring, let us give thanks for Libra’s gracious strength. Let us also honor its ability to restore harmony where once there was war and to reconcile opposites where once there was fear or intolerance.

May we also give thanks that Mars, the ancient war god who rules Libra’s opposite sign, Aries, is traveling through Libra for much of this year. In Libra, Mars can finally lay down his shield and his sword, can strip off his tattered warrior’s garb, can wash himself in healing waters perfumed with Libra’s beloved roses, and renew his strength in the garden of peace, pleasure, and divine love.

When challenges test you this year, think of Libra and its ruling planet, Venus. And think of Mars, ennobled by entering Venus’s airy dwelling in Libra. Aspire to balance action (Mars) and attraction (Venus) in order to create harmony and peace in your relationships. Strive to embody Libra ideals: fairness, justice, right relationships, and the “marriage of true minds.” Hold feelings of peace within your heart, and move always toward graciousness, ensuring all beings have a place at our collective table.

Look with love upon all your sisters and brothers in the human family and across all life, in all forms, throughout creation. Let yourself hear the subtle harmony that pervades our universe. Now join in the chorus of beauty and love, as we move ever forward into our higher selves and our deeper destiny.

May Blessings and Abundance Be Yours

Throughout 2014’s stresses and dramatic shifts, may you always return to peace in your heart. And may blessings and abundance be yours, on all planes.

Wishing you a life ever lived in harmony,