For some reason, it feels as though we’ve had our New Year’s celebration and 2013 is already here … maybe because we survived the end of the world. Then, the Solstice is my winter holiday, and my annual celebration of this special day typically doesn’t involve champagne and noise-makers.

Of course, this also is my busiest time of year for astrological forecasts, so I’ve worked on New Year’s Day pretty steadily for the past 10 years. More about that later. First, I want to talk about an interesting item in the news this week, even though it’s kind of old news at this point (I guess it takes a while for things like this to make it into the mainstream).

According to astronomers, a new comet is heading our way that could be as bright as the Moon in 2013. We don’t know yet exactly how Comet ISON will behave; like the much-heralded Comet Elenin, it could break up, or it could get so close to the Sun that it has a meltdown. But if it lives up to early expectations, we could see a celestial phenomenon unparalleled in our lifetimes.

To make the event even more exciting, ISON will be conjunct Mars and Regulus in mid-October, right before the first eclipse in the new Libra-Aries series. In November, the comet will be at its closest point to the Sun, right around the time of a powerful Solar Eclipse in Scorpio and the second Uranus-Pluto square of 2013. Right now, ISON is moving very slowly through Cancer and isn’t visible to the naked eye. That won’t happen until September. Still, we have a visitor in our solar system, apparently a messenger from the Oort Cloud. I’ve been poring over charts all morning and afternoon but need more time to connect the dots. When I do, you’ll be the first to know.

Looking at this week, Mercury, our messenger-in-residence, finally leaves Sagittarius and moves on to Capricorn. Although he’s somewhat subdued in the somber sign of the Sea Goat, he’s more stable. More importantly, he’ll no longer be in mutual reception with retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. I thought the mutual reception might help us work through some details while keeping the big picture in mind – and perhaps it has – but I suspect it has been behind the lingering feeling that Mercury is still retrograde, even though he went direct more than a month ago. We’ll see what happens on Monday morning. Heck, maybe Congress will even come to its senses and pass measures to avoid going over the fiscal cliff.

Also on Monday, Mars sextiles Uranus. Occasionally, these two do play nice together, and they’re also in mutual reception, which is even better. As I wrote last week, this is a superb opportunity to manifest thoughts into reality through action. I normally don’t advise acting on impulse, but this is one time when spontaneity could turn out to be beneficial. That said, it couldn’t hurt to think for a split second before you act.

Mercury sextiles Neptune on Tuesday – good for translating dreams and imagination into practical ideas. On Thursday, Mercury squares Uranus, and it’s back to impulsiveness, this time the dread “foot-in-mouth” syndrome. My advice is to avoid wearing stilettos.

Moving right along, the Little Guy sextiles Chiron on Friday, quincunxes Jupiter on Saturday, and conjoins Pluto on Sunday. Neptune and Chiron were conjunct in 2009 and 2010, and while the conjunction has separated, we’re still feeling some of the healing effects of that influence, especially when the fast-moving inner planets aspect Neptune and Chiron within a day or two. We’ve all gone through an enormous of amount of healing in the past two years. Many of you have told me how you look at things differently, how things that used to bother you don’t faze you anymore, you’re much steadier and calmer, and overall feel wiser and more mature. But we still have our moments, don’t we? Some of the core wounds we dealt with were so deep that we know they will always be with us, even though we are more adept at working around them. The thing is, Pisces feels so deeply and intensely that it may prefer to hide emotions, and Capricorn is the long-suffering, work-through-every-crisis sign. If you feel like you have to cry on Friday, then find a quiet, private place and cry. It’s OK.

Mercury’s quincunx with Jupiter isn’t likely to be more than a blip, although sometimes all it takes is a blip to crash your computer. The biggest Mercury aspect of the week is the conjunction with Pluto. This is when we find out where the bodies are buried and who’s got skeletons in their closet. Within yourself, you may have to do an assessment of your self-discipline. Yeah, I know, I hate it, too. We’d all like to banish the negative voices in our heads, but sometimes they’re telling us something we need to know, and it’s a good idea to listen to them. If, after serious consideration, you think they’re a replay of the Mommy Dearest tapes, you can tell them to go back to hell.

Friday is our happiest day of the week, when Mars trines Jupiter. Gee, he’s behaving so nicely this week, but it’s not going to last long. Next Monday, he goes right back to being a bad boy when he squares Saturn. But that’s then and this is now. Mars and Jupiter in air signs put some additional punch behind our ability to manifest big, bold plans into reality. True, Jupiter is still in detriment in Gemini, and he’s retrograde. Scratch “big.” But you can still be bold, and if your ideas are quirky and offbeat, so much the better. Do write down any flashes of brilliance, because they could come and go so fast that they get lost in your information-overloaded brain.

Before I go, I’d just like to remind you again that if you’re thinking of ordering your StarGuide 2013 Forecast, do it as soon as possible. I’m running a backlog of several days, so order now if you want it near the beginning of the year. Also, if you haven’t joined RealAstrologers on Facebook, please take a moment to “like” my new page. For those who have, don’t be shy about posting. Lastly, I’d like to ask that you also please take a minute to “like” my 2013 video on YouTube. It’s my advertising, and, admittedly, it’s a hard sell when I don’t do psychic love readings, messages from angels, or Sun sign horoscopes – what the majority of people seem to be looking for at this time of year. I hope to have some influence on that state of affairs in 2013, but that’s another story for another time. In the meantime, I need to stay afloat, and I sure could use your help getting the word out. Please feel free to share the video on your own pages.

Thank you all for making 2012 a rewarding year. See you next year.

Wishing you a New Year filled with love, joy, and prosperity,
Pat