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By Simone Butler Sonabai Rajawar is considered one of India's top artists. Married at 15 to an older man, she was ostracized from her fellow villagers for ten years because she failed to produce a child. When she finally gave birth to a son, her jealous husband locked them in their stifling, windowless house, forbidding contact with the world. Sonabai eased her loneliness by digging clay from the edge of her well to make toys for her baby. Soon she had filled the house with whimsical figures, and began sculpting bamboo-and-clay lattices to cool down the interior courtyard. Lacking artistic training, she experimented with grinding spices, minerals and herbs for pigments, and painted the lattices white, interlacing them with brightly colored sculptures. Years later, when she was able to rejoin the community, her unique artistic style inspired other villagers to apprentice with her, and ultimately gained them recognition in the West (San Diego's Mingei Museum features their work thru Sept. 5). Like anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, who earned his law degree during his 27-year stretch in prison and went on to become president of South Africa, Sonabai did not surrender to despair. She thrived by accepting her saturnine restrictions, and like Mandela, became master of her destiny. Saturn is the traffic cop who nails us for speeding, the boss who cuts our hours--but also rewards us for a job well done. Saturn's influence is super-strong right now, as it slows to a crawl, turning retrograde on Jan. 13 (through the end of May), urging us to reassess or refine our goals. Communicator Mercury cools its own jets as it ends its three-week retrograde phase on Jan. 15 in a challenging aspect to Saturn and Pluto. Many of us, especially those with Gemini or Virgo Sun or rising, may feel like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the midst of this character-building scenario, a New Moon eclipse in Capricorn kicks things loose on Jan. 14. At a solar eclipse, the lunar, feminine principle takes precedence over the solar masculine. And, this New Moon eclipse is conjunct Venus, goddess of love, wearing the conservative garb of Saturn's sign. Our creativity and passion, curtailed by Capricorn's strictures, can become all the stronger for it. Now we get to be like Sonabai and let our feminine instincts guide us. The solar eclipse combined with Venus may bring some clever money-making ideas, but beware of rushing headlong into anything new under this restrained influence. The solar eclipse activates the U.S. Pluto (in our July 4, 1776 birthday chart) and sets off its opposition to Mercury. Watch for some intense verbal fireworks as frustrations reach a boiling point on the national scene. Because of Saturn's station, which extends its volatile square to Pluto from last November through February, the social, economic and political environment will continue to be especially touchy. This square (which concludes in August) brings Pluto's steamrollin' sojourn through business-oriented Capricorn to a head--demanding that whatever's not working be transformed or eliminated. Even after communicator Mercury hits its stride again toward the end of January, action-oriented Mars remains retrograde through early March, calling for continued patience and self-control (especially for those with Aries or Scorpio Sun or rising). Once the Sun enters the visionary sign of Aquarius on Jan. 19, tensions lighten up somewhat. Eclipses are unstable times; be gentle with yourself at this one. Resist cracking the whip. Take baby steps toward your goals, and try to accept your limitations. Most of all, do not withhold love and approval from yourself if you think you're not being productive enough (Capricorn's dark side). Even in times of doubt or frustration, you can still find joy in life. Remember your elders, Mandela and Sonabai, who lit the way for you. And let the Divine Feminine within flourish, despite any obstacles you may face.
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February
Theme: Gaining
Mastery