As we begin this week, all eyes are on Washington, with three quarters of a million people expected to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. It’s a fitting start to a week that will end in the Full Moon in Leo, the sign of rulers.

Now, I’m sensitive to the fact that many of you aren’t in the United States – at last count, RealAstrologers had readers in 180 countries – and while I don’t believe the world turns on everything we do here, it’s hard not to be influenced by one’s culture. Still, I think it’s fair to say that this is one time when activities in Washington really are of global importance.

Over the past week, I’ve been looking at charts for another potential leader, one not even born yet. That would be the first child of Prince William and the former Kate Middleton, whose due date has been revised to July. Palace officials were forced to announce her pregnancy prematurely in early December, because she had to be hospitalized for a rare form of “morning sickness” (technically, it’s not, but that’s how it has been reported). At the time, they said she was 12 weeks pregnant. Of course, I did a quick look at the charts to see if that would put her due date around the time of the grand water trine in July. It didn’t, and so I forgot about it. But then it was announced last week that her due date in fact is in July. I just had to do a video, and fortunately, I was able to knock it out in a few days – I’m getting faster with experience.

Beyond that, I’m a big fan of Kate’s, not because I care about what she wears or how she cuts her hair, but because of the way she has stepped up to the plate to accept her destiny, with more grace and class than most of us would be able to muster. Sure, she gets the best of anything money can buy. But can you imagine being on a international diplomatic tour, with every twitch of your little finger under a microscope, while tabloids were splashing photos of your naked breasts all over the front page? Well, OK, I suppose there are people who get off on that sort of thing. I’d be mortified. On top of that, she’s been on baby watch since the wedding (if not before), as though she were a brood mare.

Anyway, those of you who like to analyze birth charts will have a lot of fun with this video, which shows some fascinating family patterns. Incidentally, these patterns often show up in families. My own is no exception. I’m an Aquarius with Moon in Pisces. My father was an Aquarius, and my mother was a Pisces with Moon and Venus in Aquarius. Both older siblings were Aquarius and Pisces.

Back to this week …

Mercury makes positive aspects to Uranus and Jupiter on Tuesday, stimulating creative thought and big, bold ideas. If you get a legitimate opportunity to turn them into reality, jump on it. The key word here is “legitimate,” and it may be hard for you to determine whether or not you’re onto something big. There’s a lot of impulsiveness in this combination. If you can buy time to sleep on any offers, do it. If you can’t, talk to a friend or someone you trust to give you a reality check.

These same two aspects are repeated by the Sun on Thursday and Friday, so it’s quite possible that if you decide to sleep on the deal of the century and lose out, you’ll get another chance. In fact, any opportunities should stay open right up to the Full Moon on Saturday.

The chart for this Full Moon looks a little scary, with the Sun and Moon forming a fixed T-square with Saturn (Mercury squares Saturn on Friday). Obstacles can seem insurmountable, and that can be depressing. However, I’m going to go with a more optimistic read on this Full Moon, thanks to the aforementioned positive aspects. Indeed, the square with Saturn could be just the sobering influence we need to bring pie-in-the-sky plans down to earth, where they actually could be turned into a profitable venture with some careful thought and hard work. Jupiter is stationed, about to turn direct on January 30, making it even more likely that we can get our big projects off the ground.

As you know, I take a cautious approach to asteroids in the chart, since I believe we’re still in an experimental stage regarding how these energies work. But I can’t help think that the close conjunction between Uranus and Pallas is significant. The most intriguing interpretation I’ve seen of Pallas to date comes from Christina of the Oxford Astrologer, who assigns to her an ability to recognize patterns. As she notes, this is particularly important in astrology. Astrology is all about recognizing patterns in order to use planetary energies to further our goals and fulfill our highest potential.

Be receptive to new ideas this week, but also start preparing for Jupiter’s return direct. Look at where he’s transiting your natal chart for an idea of where you’ll get the most help in advancing a cause. I started putting out feelers about a week ago, with some interesting results starting to come in.

Wishing you much love and courage,
Pat