If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2014 World Forecast Highlights (41 8-1/2 x 11” illustrated pages), focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2014 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in (toll-free from anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761) and charged to any major credit card. PayPal orders may be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page. (Incidentally, if you think this is an unusually brief monthly forecast, you're right. The push to complete my 2014 World Forecast Highlights, and fulfill a crush of orders for same, has left little time for anything else lately. I'll be on a more normal schedule now, with any luck!)

We are time's subjects, and time bids be gone.
-- William Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 2
 

As I’ve been saying for over a month now in my weekly updates, the very first SuperMoon of 2014 starts the New Year with a bang. Falling at 10° 57’ Capricorn (conjunct Mercury and Pluto), it’s the first stealth SuperMoon since late 2012. (A stealth SuperMoon is simply the new moon variety, which is invisible to the eye – unlike the showy full moon variety.) This one opens its shock window as December draws to a close, setting up a heightened storm, tide and seismic risk period that extends into January 7: severe storms with high winds and heavy precipitation (leading in some cases to flooding); moderate to severe earthquakes (Magnitude 5 and up) and volcanic eruptions; and of course those extreme tidal surges along the coasts.

The Uranus-Pluto waxing quadrature, which was last exact on November 1, 2013, remains within a few degrees of partile ever since that time, and well into 2014. It looms extra large by partaking in a Grand Cross with the January 1 SuperMoon plus Mars (in its Max cycle) and Jupiter. So get ready: disturbances in the crust, seas and skies of Planet earth, as well as in the neural networks of individuals and the infrastructure of our civilization, are huge on the horizon this month. Not end of the world huge, mind you: my 2012 World Forecast Highlights well and truly gave the lie to that sort of nonsense. But get your safety nets ready nonetheless. Most of us won’t need them, but those who do will sorely regret not having them.

Incidentally, a little-noticed planetary alignment is sharpening its focus as the January 1 SuperMoon shock window closes. It’s the January 7 Mercury-Venus conjunction. Venus is in the stronger, inferior position (between earth and sun) for this one, while Mercury is superior (on the far side of the sun). Watch for heightened solar activity in the period from a few days before to a few days after this one: Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), coronal holes and solar flares tend to spike at such times, dumping Gigawatts of extra radiation onto our home planet. Typically, there’s a spike in geomagnetic energy, which can be seen in more auroral activity, as well as disturbances to electrical and electronic infrastructure (satellite networks, power grids etc.). Remember that computers and networks are vulnerable to a fit of fritz during these outbursts – and that includes the human brain and nervous system. Speaking of solar outbursts, this particular alignment – again, plus or minus several days – looks like a potential timer for a significant turning point in the sun’s magnetic polarity reversal. A solar polar flip doesn’t happen overnight, and this one has been in progress for months already . . . but the period around January 7 may end up being seen as the coup de grace.

Meanwhile, be advised that both Mars Max and Venus Max remain in effect all month. That’s generally a sign of tension and conflict in the case of Mars; especially from the 1st through the 13th (a complex of Mars alignments to the SuperMoon and the other components of the Grand Cross). The ongoing Venus Max (that started November 1), on the other hand, generally heralds better than usual financial and economic growth. A good time to be long generally – although those Mars days can turn into a riptide due to geopolitical conflict including terror strikes and military clashes. (Closer to home, steel yourself for more of the "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions" stuff that typifies Red Planet extremes like this: another rash of school and workplace shootings, domestic violence, murder-suicides, etc.) Moreover, the period through the 8th in particular looks like a time for going short on otherwise good equities.

This is always an "all else being equal" game, incidentally. The thing is, all else is never really equal, because you can’t step twice into the same river. Mars Max moments can tip the scales against you in a heartbeat, even in the midst of a lovely Venus Max cycle. A similar Mars reversal is likely from April into June, when the Mars-Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto Grand Cross re-forms due to retrograde. In particular, watch April, with the lunar eclipse and next exact Uranus-Pluto square forming, and Mercury once again joining in on the Grand Cross – and all of this happening after the Venus Max cycle ends on March 22.

But wait, there’s more! Yet another Max cycle starts on the 31st, as Mercury reaches its maximum elongation east of the sun. Sharpen your pencils, put your thinking cap on, get your mind clear and keep your eyes on the prize. This Mercury Max – which includes the notorious Mercury retrograde cycle – is the first of three this year, and runs until March 14. The diligent, aware and observant will eat everyone else’s lunch for sure!

2014 MERCURY MAX

Max-E	S-Rx	CNJ SU	S-D	Max-W
JAN 31	FEB 6	FEB 15	FEB 28	MAR 14
MAY 25	JUN 7	JUN 19	JUL 1	JUL 12
SEP 21	OCT 4	OCT 16	OCT 25	NOV 1

In closing, the January 30 SuperMoon ushers in that Mercury Max, and the last major geophysical risk window of the month; in effect from January 26 into February 3. You know the drill: be ready for an uptick and severe storms, strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and of course those extreme tidal surges. You’ll see it in the news – and hopefully, only in the news. But alas, for some of us it will strike closer to home. Be ready, just in case. (There’s also a shorter, more moderate risk window surrounding the January 16 full moon – not SuperMoon class, but well worth watching in the several days before and after the alignment.)

Acknowledgments

All astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8 Sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe app for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows. Storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone. Solar activity images are screen captures from the 3D SUN app for iPhone. And earthquake maps are screen captures from Quakes Pro Earthquake Alerts app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/fax 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com