Astrological Context, Week of January 31, 2022

(All times Eastern)
There are only a couple of major planetary events this week. On Friday, the Sun conjoins Saturn in Saturn’s own sign of Aquarius. Throughout the week, we’ll feel it coming on, but as with other planets, when they are within a few degrees of the Sun, as Saturn is now, the Sun obliterates their general effectiveness. This is considered a debility for the planet. So we may already feel the areas/houses of our charts with Aquarius and Capricorn on them not quite working the way we’d like them to. Though Saturn is at home, he spends much of this week and the next unable to be as effective as he’d like to be. The exception to this is when Saturn is ‘cazimi’, or exactly conjunct the Sun within 17 minutes of arc (about a quarter of a degree). This will occur from about 7 am through 9 pm on Friday. During this time, Saturn is likely to be back to his old self, regulating, planning, and helping us follow through on our commitments.
On Thursday, Mercury goes direct, just a few degrees away from Pluto in Capricorn. Generally, this is the beginning of an improvement in communications, studying, detailed planning, etc.; but this time there may be a strong focus on power structures, justice, authority, abuse, and other Pluto issues. The intellectual mood may lighten a bit when Mercury finally makes it back to Aquarius late on February 14. Until then, our thoughts and words may have a heaviness to them.
3 Feb 2022 23:12 Mer D 24°Cp22′
4 Feb 2022 08:37 Mar Sxt Jup 08°Cp02′ 08°Pi02′
4 Feb 2022 14:04 Sun Cnj Sat 15°Aq56′ 15°Aq56′
Photo credit: APOD: All of Mercury (2019 Apr 28)
Image Credit: NASA/JHU APL/Carnegie Institution
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190428.html