Austin Coppock called the first decan of Aquarius Mark of Exile, and the Sun will enter the Mark at 3:00 pm EST on 19 January 2025. It will travel through this decan, degree by degree, until 29 January 2025 at 10:59 am EST, making nine days, nineteen hours and fifty-nine minutes. T. Susan Chang called this decan Winners and Losers, from its associations with the 5 of Swords in Tarot. The descending Chaldean order gives this decan to Venus, providing it with its aesthetic and perfectionist priorities, while the Hellenistic calendar that Cosmas of Jerusalem criticized assigned it to Dike (“dee-kay”), the goddess of justice.
Today, we tend to think of Justice as the blindfolded goddess with the scales and sword, who also appears in the Tarot card of the same name — the eleventh card of the major arcana, it depicts a person in purple robes on a throne before a purple curtain, wearing a crown and carrying the traditional emblems of justice. But in Hellenic conceptions, that’s the image of Praxidike, honored at Gemini III, who had authority in criminal matters and especially capital crimes. Dike was less the stern-faced image of Justice with the punitive sword, and more a different picture: a crowned woman with a laurel wreath, a tiara or a diadem, and only carrying the scales. She was regarded as the goddess of what we might today call commercial standards: standard weights and measures in the marketplace, standard terms for contracts, standard rules of procedure and evidence in courtrooms that handle commercial disputes, and enforcement of fines and equitable relief on the dirty, dirty cheats and scandalous miscreants of the mercantile and political worlds. If you sold shoddy goods or delivered poor services at premium prices, Dike would stand crying before the throne of Zeus… and both villainous merchants and the dishonest judges they bribed in the mortal realm would face her furious accusations and punishment in the afterlife (Sumerian copper merchant Ea-Nasir is surely in Dike’s jailhouse, even now).
It’s thus a good week to be thinking about standards — how do you engage with your friends and family? What are the spoken and unspoken contracts of your relationships? Who gets preferred treatment, and who gets other terms and conditions may apply? What is the proper weight you assign to the major parts of your life — are you a party girl or a workaholic salaryman, a tech bro focused on getting your macro calories and microdoses perfect, or a penny-pincher who feasts on mere crumbs of joy? Whatever role you play, it may be time to think about how your self-image and reputation determine how the marketplace weighs you, measures you, and sets the terms of your relationships with others.
In his commentary on the history and themes of Aquarius I, Austin Coppock notes a number of ways in which this decan’s significations have involved prophetic work — not in the sense of predicting the future, but in the sense of providing an intense and extensive critique of an existing system from inside that system. The Mark of Exile is often that of a person who chooses to go off and do their own thing, because the existing organizations and programs and projects are so grossly out of touch with either fairness or sustainability. Yet the exile is often able to continue to look back into those systemic issues, and see a “better way” lurking under the surface.
When I was a teenager, I had a chance to visit the monastic community that had founded my high school. During that visit, the abbot said to me, “Your school’s daily and weekly routines are ours; its corruptions and abuses are yours.” That’s exactly the aesthetic and spiritual position of Aquarius I — the prophet in exile can see the spiritual ideals still present in the society they criticize… but they are all too aware of the venality and rapacious corruption that is layered on top of it, and they don’t mind saying so. In this context, it’s also useful to mention my friend Matt — who, upon finding out that I wrote astrology columns, said, in a humorous way, “Oh, I’m an Aquarius — we [Aquariuses] don’t believe in astrology.” In both of these stories, there’s a recognition that the world we live in does not match the ideals we profess —that things could be better than they are, but of course they won’t be.
House Delineations
The First House of self and self-presentation is Cancer, ruled by the squaring Moon in Libra and hosting Mars retrograde in detriment. Both the bad haircut and the great new outfit for only $10 at the thrift shop are possible this week. There’s nothing wrong with taking yourself out shopping, but focus on making judicious purchases that benefit the whole household rather than just for yourself. Ask if it’s really the bargain that it seems to be, often; most things won’t be.
The Second House of wealth and resources is Leo, ruled by the opposing Sun in detriment. Every resource and source of funding is currently spoken for in some fashion, and it’s still likely that expenses will exceed income. You may be expecting resources to perform tricks for you that they’re not currently capable of doing, and risk-taking must precede reward. The only difficulty is, risk does not always yield reward: be cautious!
The Third House of siblings and neighbors is Virgo ruled by trining Mercury in Capricorn, and hosting the South Node. Troubles arise in the parts of your life where it’s important to know your place in the hierarchy, and where you must still keep things spinning and connected. Ordinary transactional analysis of situations is likely to fail where emotional tensions run high — important but challenging issues that require deep analysis (like town budgets) are likely to spiral into emotional arguments about class, privilege, and hierarchy.
The Fourth House of household, home and family is Libra, ruled by an inconjunct Venus and hosting the waning Moon in the Fifteenth Mansion and a decan she rules, The Blindfold and Sword, as she approaches Lunar Apogee; Jupiter retrograde in Gemini lends intellectual services to households with people who have side hustles, and sends useful consultants to those facing medical issues; Mercury invites couples to sit down for serious conversations about belt-tightening. Getting movement on household matters or getting family to budge on financial issues they’re already committed to, will be hard and slow. There are important travel commitments that you want to have but should maybe be reconsidered in light of new information.
The Fifth House of pleasures and children is Scorpio, ruled by trining Mars retrograde and in detriment; exalted Venus in Pisces lends generous support to those who are traveling or undertaking higher forms of education. Sexual tensions may run hot but along fixed pathways — it’s going to be hard to start up a new relationship this week, but existing relationships may find time for a little nookie here and there. Kids keep their extra-curricular learning from their parents, while parents try to hide their fears from their children.
The Sixth House of illness and employees and pets is Sagittarius, ruled by opposing Jupiter retrograde in Gemini; Saturn brings challenges to commuters and college students living off campus, while the Sun prepares labor unions for new contract negotiations. Gig workers and the self-employed need to figure out ways to hybridize their offerings and tell new stories about their why to their clients. Our four-footed friends do fine, but keep an eye on fish tanks and the well-being of barnyard beasts.
The Seventh House of relationships is Capricorn, ruled by sextile Saturn in Pisces and hosting Mercury; squaring Moon urges important conversations about inflation with spouses and significant others, while sextile Venus plans escapist fantasies for Valentine’s Day getaways, “even for just a day or two” in a nearby resort. In public all may seem like the party may never end, but the private conversations in the dark may be weighty with worry. You don’t have to stick only to the facts, but keep them close at hand; acknowledge the emotional concerns as well as the fiscal ones.
The Eighth House of obligations and chores is Aquarius, ruled by inconjunct Saturn and hosting the Sun and Pluto. Be cautious about shining too much light on your chores — you’re liable to receive criticism back. “What do I pay you for?” is likely to be a common refrain, and there will be commercial or financial value for others in attacking your work, whether well done or not. Comedians are urged to “punch up” in their work (critiquing those with more wealth, power, and privilege than themselves) because poking fun at the less fortunate is adding malice to misery. But this week, it’s going to be a lot easier for those above us to retaliate, even to honest and fair criticisms.
The Ninth House of learning and travel is Pisces, ruled by squaring Jupiter retrograde in detriment in Gemini, and hosting exalted Venus; trining Mars retrograde provides support for those in therapy to deal with grief or addiction issues through “yet more f*cking opportunities for growth” or YMFOG. Scheduling challenges require us to take the long and winding roads to our destinations, but creative delight is found along these paths of discovery — especially if we take these paths with friends. We find we’re hungry for new vistas and new ideas.
The Tenth House of career and reputation is Aries, ruled by squaring Mars retrograde in Cancer. The Sun and Jupiter retrograde (and in detriment), both sextile, provide opportunities to shine in both your side-hustle or self-employment and in your regular day job — but both sides of your professional life require you to dig deep into the archives of your knowledge and imagine new possibilities. A good stiff breeze of new thinking can clear the stale air of “but this is how it’s done” — but it can also snuff your spark and deny you a path forward in your workplace. Shield your light a little, even as you move quickly to raise your status.
The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and fans is Taurus, ruled by the exalted Venus from the sextile and hosting Uranus retrograde; sextile Mars, both retrograde and in detriment, provides a troubling argument with a friend, or challenging admissions from an associate about your standing with them. Spiritual conversations provide stunning and seemingly enlightening revelations, but you may still feel you’re on the treadmill or circular track, forever circling over the same ground without getting anywhere.
The Twelfth House of self-employment, serious illness, and legal entanglements is Gemini, ruled by the inconjunct Mercury in Capricorn, but hosting Jupiter retrograde and in detriment; squaring Saturn promises tedious delays, continuances and hold-overs, as well as promised reimbursements for submitted expenses. Adopt a generous and forgiving attitude toward others when expecting work to be completed or at least for progress reports to be delivered, but recognize that your own honor hangs on doing well — keep your word and uphold your end of the contract, even if it’s the short end of the stick.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Cancer: Be generous to yourself in private, and — for the sake of your personal growth and happiness — take a few trips to out-of-the-way places. It will be easy to hurt your own feelings this week, and an adventure or two in the sunshine would do you good. Difficult communication with a significant other may be necessary, but keep factual issues separate from emotional issues: deal with them at different times and in different rooms for best results. Issues of home and family may feel like they’re costing you more than you can personally pay for, either in dollars or in gut-punches — weigh out what you’re willing to pay in a journal or a letter, and make choices based on what your life can bear.
Leo: It may be worth comparing the difference between something that’s costly and something that’s expensive this week. Expensive things (products or services) are rarely well-made, but they’re not cheap, either. Costly things required deep knowledge and skill to make well, and there is both love and excellence in their finished form. Don’t let expensive things linger in your life right now, just because you spent a lot for them; where you find that your judgement is clouded around specific items or amenities in your life, phone a friend. You should also apply the same judgment to your own labors for others: are your products or services expensive, or costly? Here, again, a close friend, or that bratty younger sibling, may provide a gentle but conscious reminder of your worth and value. Strive to be costly in your your efforts to be useful to the world this week.
Virgo: Contentment is found in relating to people you find trustworthy and of similar mental habits to yourself; these people can be “like family to you.” At the same time, be alert to the ways in which you’re educating potential rivals, or training up possible foes. It’s also worth noting that the work you provide is likely to be sought out this week, but not necessarily esteemed at its proper worth. Are your own fees set too low? Do others criticize your pricing practices? Is there a wide difference between what your employer charges others for your efforts and what they pay you? It will be important to be sensitive to the ways in which your daily labors — creative, visionary and well structured as they are — provide advantage and leverage to everyone but you.
Libra: You don’t necessarily have to be mercenary this weekend, but it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more mercantile — and care about prices a little more than usual. Someone is likely to want you to work more for less money, or to work less for less money. They may even try to cut you off from your usual sources of funding professionally — and this may go on for a month or more still, sometimes working out in your favor and sometimes stirring your anxieties. Overhaul your relationships with work colleagues, with clients and vendors of your current employer, and otherwise shoring up a network of support, but do so without attachment to current configurations (although a few special folks might find their way into your personal address book). Pass through the coming days with a mix of equanimity and creativity, and you’ll find that you land where you want to It may also be time to shine some light on your shadow self too… or to examine your kids’ current efforts a little more carefully.
Scorpio: Pleasure, and its consequences, may be much on your mind this week — but a nuanced and careful weighing of costs and benefits may be required. You could get dolled up for that concert or nightclub party, but there’s traffic and gas-costs to consider, and winter weather. You could stay in and work — but in your current projects, there’s risks of injury or insult piling up by taking on too much. You could just stay in and read a book… but the love of loneliness may be wearing thin. The excitement of the sensuous threesome or orgy may appeal, too — but there’s a strong sense that, whether things go too far or not far enough, that you’re unprepared for the traps and snares that await you in those wild, wild places. Nonetheless, things that bring you happiness should be high on your to-do list this week… with a reminder of the epicurean motto, nothing in excess, including excess.
Sagittarius: It’s a week of heavy lifting and complex long-term thinking that you do on behalf of other people this week, with an uncertain timeline on results and some little earthquakes in your routines caused as much by your friends and allies as by your regular schedule. Leave space in your routines for these disruptions. Home is a place of deep love and structure, but you also have responsibilities to family beyond the home, even though they’ll criticize you for it. Shine on them regardless. Keep an eye on your ongoing expenses, costs and income, and communicate with your significant others about challenges. Do what you can to watch out for their health! You have to balance your professional commitments more effectively, but this requires breaking some of your standard policies.
Capricorn: Relationships with others will be critical to you this week, but you may find yourself preferring argument and challenge to diplomacy or truce. This may arise because you’re talking trash about someone else — or that someone else is talking trash about you. Either way, consider beginning with words as your weapons: the pen is often mightier than the sword? Just remember that pencils are the ones with the erasers — and a first draft may be in order, here. Financial matters may involve a good deal of self-criticism as you review past expenses or audit your own wallet. Are you traveling somewhere with friends or family sometime soon? Review those plans in some detail. If you’re in school, a careful examination of your beliefs about how various assignments interlock with one another is in order. Some of your entertainments may get canceled, but more likely for weather than for work…. speaking of work, be more tight-lipped about your home life in the workplace this week.
Aquarius: My mother was fond of saying “you are your projects,” and this week you may find yourself identifying quite strongly with what your’e working on… and finding that both projects and self come in for some heavy criticism. The composer John Cage was fond of saying that creating and critiquing work were two different processes, and should never be done at the same time; save the critique for private reflection at home or in your office with the door closed, and be exuberant and bold about cheering yourself on in public places or when out with friends. Your cash flow will be tricky this week, and you’ll have to be diplomatic about accepting some invitations and refusing others, or cutting back on daily emotional treats. Find joy in intellectual rather than physical pleasures, and balance a great desire for foreign adventures with a quick walk to the park, instead.
Pisces: A new hunger has probably woken up in your life in the last week or so, and it couples a strong vision with an awareness that you need to make some significant structural changes in your life to achieve them. It may be a good idea to write down a project plan for this intentional course of study and adventure, or else it may slip away. What resources do you need? What skills do you lack? How will you acquire both materiel and resourcefulness? A friend will be all too eager to disrupt your plan with spiritually inclined schemes of their own, but a spouse or housemate may be more inclined to help move your idea from concept to enterprise. Be cautious of injury in the course of pursuing pastimes, and help your significant other keep track of diminishing resources.
Aries: Professional concerns hold most of your attention this week, but oppressive communications from your employer may start fires at home. Your side hustle or gig work may suddenly become an essential part of your overall framework of income, and you may have to offer your services and assistance to friends in order to cover temporary shortfalls or unexpected expenses. You probably don’t need a GoFundMe, but offering a sibling or close friend some kind of special rate to cover your emergency needs may be useful. A significant other may also come through in a pinch, but be wary of help that comes with strings attached, and note that one-time assistance can’t be a permanent commitment.
Taurus: A long-running upheaval in your social circle seems to be nearing its end and reaching its explosive climax, but you may have a role in taking out the spiritual garbage before the end. Don’t expect to be rewarded for your speed-run to the edge of Mount Crumpet where you’ll dump the trash that’s been piling up for months. Instead, it may be the last generous act you have to perform for a while, gratis. Your friends will be grateful for the emotional and intellectual labor, but they’re not going to pass the hat for you. And there may be some sour grapes. A boss shines some light on your grumbling — or you spotlight theirs! — and there are important lessons for you both in how you communicate together. Being the solid and loyal but honest critic is likely to win you friends in high places… but have the data that proves it, don’t trust to the gut-feel of the problem alone.
Gemini: Your behind-the-scenes leadership and generosity is appreciated and understood only by a few. They don’t always understand your desire to be the shadowy master of ceremonies behind the scenes, but recognize that you’re a powerful and explosive force that gets shit done. Of late that role may be wearing on you or challenging — and the volunteer efforts are now eating into your own substance. It may also be causing headaches in your professional life, which now expects your expertise, vision, and creative diplomacy to have a hand in every project and pie. The result is that your own enjoyment is being diminished — and along this path lies burnout and world-weariness. Maybe not today, and probably not tomorrow, either. But it would be a good idea to talk to someone about these responsibilities, and see how to delegate critical functions to others.
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
