New Years Eve is usually a time for looking back- that whole auld lang syne thing.

It is about taking stock of what has been achieved over the year, what hasn’t been achieved, what you’ve done, what you’ve not done. Who has come into your life, who has gone out of your life, who has come back into your life. Then there are the opportunities-the ones you’ve taken, the ones you’ve passed on, the ones you’ve pretended not to notice and the ones that slipped right on under the radar.

I’d review the year, but I don’t really know where to start- the edited highlights are in this post.

I launched my personal blog and anyways, and the companion site to the book I’m working on are your planets keeping you fat? I also managed an article on the subject for Australia’s Good Health magazine and something in this years Wellbeing Astrology Guide on creativity by the stars.

Aside from that I completed the 1^st draft of 2 chick lit novels- with the 1^st of those about to go through another re-write in response to my editors suggestions, and the 2^nd tucked away for a few months before the re-writes begin.

I also completed the draft for my astro book. Re-writes for that will commence in February.

In October I went back to paid work- just a few days a week- in a Business Manager role for a new retail enterprise. I’m doing their social media, liaising with stylists, designers, merchandisers and marketers. I’m learning a lot.

2012 had its disappointments, and its sadness. I intend leaving those where they belongs- in 2012- and concentrate instead on remembering those who are no longer in my life with gratitude.

2012 also brought with it health issues. I intend leaving these also where they belong.

I don’t know what 2013 will bring, but as I’m writing this, the song in my head is Katy Perrys’ Firework. There’s a spark that is ready to be ignited. Maybe those doors are closed so the perfect one can be opened.

I’m not setting any resolutions, I’m not setting goals. I am, however, setting intentions.

• I intend to get a publishing deal (or two).
• I intend publishing my first e book.
• I intend getting my health back.
• I intend treating myself better.
• I intend living with more passion.
• I intend pushing my boundaries.
• I intend working with (rather than against) the more challenging aspects in my chart
• I intend listening to the promise of my chart
• I intend to still look for the sunshine through the shit
• I intend to still believe that dreams can come true
• I intend to finish painting the timber trims.

Sure New Years Eve is a time for setting resolutions, or goals. Most of us have made a declaration at midnight NYE along the lines of what we are giving up, what we are going to lose. What about this year looking forward? What about this year thinking about what there is to gain? What about this year being excited by our resolutions rather than resigned to them?

At midnight tomorrow in Sydney the Moon will be midway through Leo. Did someone say party? For me though, the big story is the conjunction between the Sun and Pluto. Perhaps in 2013, you really can move mountains.

In any case, no matter what declarations or resolutions come out of your mouth at midnight tonight, make sure they are forward focused, represent who you are, your creativity, your ambition and your integrity. Use what you have learned to turn your ideals into reality. No excuses, no regrets- they don’t work. No regrets, they only hurt. Come tomorrow they will seem so yesterday…OMG I am quoting both Robbie Williams and Hilary Duff in the same post…and it’s way too early for the first of those New Years Eves drinkies.

Baby, you’re a firework…

See you in 2013- thanks for helping make 2012 so memorable!

Mars has just moved into Sagittarius and, despite the momentary glitch of a square off against energy sapping Neptune, your desires might be looking beyond your existing boundaries.

So, when it comes to Mars, the question we should be asking is, what are we really hungry for? Check out my post here…. and here…

Jumping off things that work

Larger than Life

Just a quick note to let you know that Google have now closed off Feedburner- which was what I used to use to allow you guys to sign up and receive emails.

You should still be receiving daily emails (on days that I post here)…I hope.

I’ll scout around and find another email service that’s compatible with wordpress.

In the meantime, you can still sign up to receive posts from my other 2 blogs:

• and anyways: travel, training, tummy. Each week I post a WTF Wednesday, a Friday Five and My Week Through Instagram. There’s also been stuff added from my week in Melbourne with Miss 14.
• are your planets keeping you fat? This morning I posted a little something on my quest to let go of some of my Pluto/control issues- starting with my habit of back page peeking.

New stuff is going up over there most days, so wander over and have a look…better still, sign up for regular updates into your inbox.

The other day I wrote about cutting the crap, getting rid of the things that weight you down.

It was all part of the Pluto direct thing.

Today, as the Moon is in Capricorn and moving towards her monthly exchange of business cards with Pluto, I’ve decided that one of the things that’s weighing me down is goals.

There. I said it.

I’m letting go of them. I’m setting them free to go and sit on someone elses shoulder.

It’s all part of my quest to become more mindful and more focused.

But surely goals keep you focused?

In theory, yes, but I’m using them as a reason to beat myself up, and I no longer need that.

So, in true Uranus square mode, I’m doing something a little unexpected. I’m throwing goals out the window.

That’s not to say that I won’t let them back in at some point, just that for now I don’t think they are doing me any favours.

Having a goal tends to scatter my attention across all the things that I should be doing to achieve that goal.

It seems a little weird that I make this decision when the Moon is in Capricorn. Capricorn needs to have a goal. Emotionally, it makes her feel safe and secure when there is something to strive for. It’s a Saturn thing.

Instead of feeling secure, I’m feeling out of control- and all the Pluto in my chart doesn’t feel good with that.

There is other stuff I need to let go of. I know that. I have some pretty toxic crap buried deep that must be decomposing nicely by now. I’m also, for reasons you don’t need to know about, clinging to a version of myself that is past its use by date. Instead of being all that I can be though, I continue to hide behind a perceived failure of goals that aren’t met. I wrote a bit about that here.

So I’m cutting out the middle man.

Instead, I’ll focus mindfully on just one habit a week. Something realistic, something I can be fully aware of.

It seems to me to be the emotionally mature thing to do. To me, it’s getting real. And isn’t that what the Capricorn Moon is all about?

Some more on Pluto going direct- this time for Your Career & the Cosmos. The link is here.

Pluto is very much about truth, but Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men type of truth. The sort of truth that you may not be able to handle.

Elsewhere in the sky, the Moon is about to shake hands with Saturn in Libra for the last time this cycle. By next month Saturn will have moved into Scorpio.

On the Facebook page and twitter today we were talking a bit about the things that we’ve learned about ourselves and our relating patterns over the last couple of years. The words stability and maturity were used a lot. For those of us with Pisces Rising, we’re a little slow on the whole uptake when it comes to relationship patterns, and particularly maturity within relationships, so the move into Scorpio ends a 5 year cycle for us- 2 1/2 years with Saturn in Virgo in our 7th followed by a repetition of the message while Saturn has been in Libra.

Saturn in Libra has also raised a few questions around sugar in the diet. Sugar is a Venus ruled substance- in fact the whole business of sugar storage in the body is taken care of by Venus and Jupiter. To be technical about it, Jupiter represents glycogen- the end product.

Saturn represents restrictions, limitations and, in the body, ageing.

The burning and destruction of energy is a Mars-Saturn function. Yep, the benefics build it up and the malefics break it down. Naturally too much of either is not good- too much Venus and Jupiter can cause health problems and too much Mars and Saturn can result in ageing. The balance is somewhere in the middle- in Libra, a sign where Venus rules and Saturn is exalted…As Robert Jansky wrote in his book Astrology, Nutrition and Health, this indicates that a balanced diet is the best defence against Saturns ageing process.

Anyways, I’ve had a little bit to say about the whole sugar and Saturn in Libra thing over on Are Your Planets Keeping You Fat. I’ll be posting occasionally over there, but mostly on astro stuff related to nutrition, training and mindset. Yep, this is me building a social profile to better convince a publisher that they really should be picking up my manuscript! I’m keeping it really quite simple and real lifey, so don’t expect anything ground breaking or genius in nature! Come over and have a look if you are interested. Better yet, sign up to follow the posts.