The B’nai Yissachar reminds us that as the bucket to serve water, so the Jewish people are to serve Torah.
Shevat is the month of the D’li, the Water Bucket. The B’nai Yissachar reminds us that as the bucket to serve water, so the Jewish people are to serve Torah. “The Torah has 70 faces”, and one of them is yours. Your personal uniqueness is highlighted this month; for you the whole world was created, and you are but dust and ashes. Between these two extremes is the spectrum of life; Chodesh Shevat comes to tip the sliding scale towards the positive.
Rosh Chodesh Shevat begins January 3 with the Moon and Jupiter / Tzedek in Aquarius, square the Lunar Nodes in Gemini/Sagittarius. This is the official send-off of the 19-month nodal transit which has either strengthened our integrity around communications and truth-telling, or so badly fractured it that now, nothing and no one can be trusted.
The Sun conjunct Pluto January 16 is ego vs. raw power and may have a bloody aftermath. The Full Cancerian Moon on Tu b’Shevat January 17 during a Shmita year demands personal accountability around care of Mother Earth. January 18 is a highly choreographed cosmic dance with many players: Venus/Noga conjuncts the Sun, the Lunar Nodes shift to Taurus/Scorpio (through mid-July 2023), Uranus/Oron station direct, and Mercury/Kochav retrograde sextile Chiron. The vitality of sudden change is palpable.
Venus, retrograde in Capricorn during most of Chodesh Shevat, stations direct January 29. This long transit has given us the luxury of being able to really know what we value and why. Attention turns to individual vs. collective responsibility. No one can now deny we’re all in this together. Surprising change is possible with the Sun square Uranus January 30, and if that change supports the revelation of your most authentic self, all the better. Serve up your own unique Torah to this thirsty world!
ARIES / TALEH
When confronted by the immense power of Yosef, unrecognizable as the Prime Minister of Egypt, Tribal leader Yehuda used spiritual tactics to save his family. Like Yehuda you can elevate fear and danger by perceiving the higher potentialities when Mars/Ma’adim in Sagittarius squares Neptune/Rahav in Pisces January 11. You’re seeing past the illusion to the heart of the matter. First Quarter Moon in Aries January 9 brings fresh courage and inner resolve. Practical matters require your devotion, and your energy is persistent and steady when Mars enters responsible, diligent Capricorn January 24. Hard work never scares you. Immerse yourself.
TAURUS / SHOR
With the square of Saturn/Shabbtai to your Sun and transiting Uranus/Oron in Taurus over the last year, life has been anything but restful. A staycation from pressure when Venus/Noga sextiles Neptune/Rahav January 5 is in order. The Lunar Nodal axis moves into Taurus/Scorpio January 18, where it will be through mid-July 2023. A sense of destiny begins to engulf you, but remember the wisdom of Tribal leader Issachar, whose spiritual gift was the discernment of times and seasons. Can you recognize the season of life you’re currently in? Venus stations direct in Capricorn January 29. Take practical steps forward.
GEMINI / T’OMIM
The Lunar Nodal Axis is leaving Gemini/Sagittarius, where it’s been transiting since early May 2020, on January 18. Your lesson has been about communicating with integrity and discernment. Mercury/Kochav enters Aquarius January 2, aiming for higher ideals. Mercury retrograde January 14 regresses back into Capricorn January 25, testing the viability of foundations and infrastructures you’ve laid. Security around your personal technology becomes important. Retrograde Mercury conjuncts Pluto January 28, an echo of the 1st direct conjunction December 30. It’s possible to resurrect something you thought was blown up or blown away at the last encounter. Use your power wisely.
CANCER / SARTAN
Rosh Chodesh Shevat’s Aquarius Moon January 3 broadens the definition of “brotherly love”. You are indeed your brother’s keeper. Be bold to protect the vulnerable at the First Quarter Moon in Aries January 9. The Full Moon in Cancer January 17 is your annual personal “Full Moon”; all your best qualities – compassion, sensitivity, humor, empathy, nurturing, protectiveness, family pride – are at their peak. Still waters run deep January 25 at the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio. As Tribal leader Reuven learned the hard way, a rational plan is preferable to a rash emotional response. Don’t hold a grudge.
LEO / ARYEH
Your shadow side seeks healing during Chodesh Shevat. The Sun conjuncts retrograde Venus/Noga January 8, a chance to repair a mis-aligned mind-body connection. Ego issues around power – yours or that of others – are intensely triggered January 16 at the Sun/Pluto conjunction. Sun enters Aquarius January 19 and conjuncts Mercury Retrograde January 23. Taking the high road is your best option, especially when others gall you with their boorish behavior. Insights into childhood wounds appear at the Sun’s sextile to Wounded Healer Chiron January 28. Diplomacy is always better than brute force when Sun squares Uranus/Oron January 30. Mediate peace.
VIRGO / BETULAH
Mercury/Kochav retrograde in Aquarius January 14 regresses back into Capricorn January 25. Your emotional health affects your physical health. Retrograde Mercury conjuncts Pluto January 28, echoing their direct conjunction December 30. Significant events concerning romantic love and creativity are resurrected. Mercury sextiles Wounded Healer Chiron direct January 9 and retrograde January 18. Your words are powerful to wound or heal; your praise builds up and critique delivered without lovingkindness can tear down. Be aware that the edges of other people’s vulnerabilities may not resemble your own. Summon Tribal leader Gad’s troops to guard against preconceived notions and unverified assumptions.
LIBRA / MOZNAYIM
Venus/Noga continues her journey retrograde through practical, pragmatic Capricorn during Chodesh Shevat. Issues of home and family remain paramount, including infrastructure improvements and remodeling. Seeking solutions for long-term sustainability and security for yourself and for those to whom you owe responsibility require much of your energy and focus. Ideas come with the future in mind at the sextile of Venus and Neptune/Rahav January 5. Full Moon in Cancer January 17 brings public recognition. Venus direct January 29 revs your engines; you really know what you want and you’re ready to reap what you’ve sown. Investments in devotion pay off.
SCORPIO / AKRAV
The past reappears in a different guise over the next 19 months as the Lunar Nodal Axis moves into Taurus/Scorpio, revisiting seeds you’ve already sown, searching for fruit. How have you grown? Mars/Ma’adim squares Neptune/Rahav January 11, putting that obscure object of desire just beyond reach. Power plays and ego trips are all the rage when Sun conjuncts Pluto January 16. Do you play to win at any cost? Mars enters Capricorn January 24, followed by the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio January 25. You loathe superficial banalities. Mercury retrograde conjuncts Pluto January 28; sheath your tongue’s deadly stinger!
SAGITTARIUS / KESHET
Jupiter/Tzedek in Pisces through mid-May enhances compassion for the vulnerable, giving both grace and bounty to share your energy and resources with those in need. Jupiter’s square to the Nodal Lunar Axis January 3 is the parting shot of the Gemini/Sagittarius transit of the last 19 months, leaving behind a remodeled relationship to your own personal sovereignty as well as how you conceptualize the thought of a true partner – and what that might look like in real life. You can have it all – just not all at the same time. Recognize what time it is in your life now.
CAPRICORN / GIDI
Mars/Ma’adim in Sagittarius during most of Chodesh Shevat focuses your energy inward, examining your personal freedom. To what extent do you feel constrained by commitments and responsibilities? Independence matters: when Mars enters Capricorn January 24, you’ll be ready to work even harder to achieve your goals. The Pluto/Sun conjunction in Capricorn January 16 followed by the Full Moon in Cancer January 17 may be the beginning of the end of a relationship where the power imbalance is untenable for healthy ego needs. Planetary ruler Saturn/Shabbtai in Aquarius through March 2023 keeps you focused on building a sustainable, secure future.
AQUARIUS / D’LI
Modern Planetary ruler Uranus/Oron stations direct in Taurus January 18; a good deal of lethargy will be gladly shaken off and you’ll begin to feel the sap beginning to flow as the Sun enters Aquarius January 19. Your personal Chodesh of Shevat is even more personalized as Classical Planetary ruler Saturn/Shabbtai in Aquarius through March 2023 continues his job of insisting that your unique inspiration result in material manifestation. Trust the process and don’t look for shortcuts. The fundamental tension between tradition and evolution gets intense when the Sun squares Uranus January 30. Seek peace and joyfully pursue it.
PISCES / DAGIM
Jupiter/Tzedek in Pisces through mid-May and a double Adar leap year makes this your stellar season! Jupiter squares the Lunar Nodes January 3, a Mutable sign mashup issuing one last call to the universe, crying: “All Things Must Pass”. Flexibility in the face of shifting circumstances is not the same thing as moral malleability. Venus/Noga trines Neptune/Rahav in an enchanted dance January 5; is it real or just your imagination? Sun sextiles Neptune January 10 and Mars/Ma’adim squares Neptune January 11. Identify impediments to manifesting your reality and plan to overcome them, one by one. Successful dreamers swim upstream.