I´m on the eleventh floor, looking out the window at the red tile roofs of Caracas. Surrounded by greenery, they glitter in the sun. Above me is an impossibly blue, clear sky. Tonight is New Year´s Eve, and that sky will be full of fireworks, blossoming in all directions.

Last night was the new moon, and it’s auspicious that the western calendar year and the lunar cycle are coinciding so closely. Both speak of new beginnings. The calendar year lays out external rhythms for us, while the lunar cycle is all about our inner rhythms. And so we are encouraged to take our instincts and intuition with us, as we set out in a new conscious direction.

And of course, since Hanukkah is a lunar holiday, Hanukkah and Christmas are also coinciding this year. This is also auspicious, prophesizing a year in which at least some religious suspicion may be laid to rest.

Yesterday, on the last day of the old moon, my lover and I were standing in the beach apartment in Caraballeda, where we used to live. We were figuring out what would be kept, what sold, what given away. We made lists that started, "Boxes, masking tape, scissors, black magic marker, garbage bags..." This is the kind of list you make when something is ending.

Clearing away the old makes room for the new. What will 2006 bring?

Pluto will stay in Sagittarius, the sign of passion and inspiration and religious dogmatism, all year. And so we can expect there to be more bickering about what is truth and what is heresy. Why does it matter whether Jesus was the Messiah, or just a guy who apparently said some really good things? Who cares which caliphs were the legitimate successors of Mohammed? Most religions agree that we all partake of the divine, so why do we get into a lather about these things? Rational thinking aside, I see more flaming swords raised in 2006.

But Neptune will also stay in Aquarius throughout 2006. And so while Pluto in Sagittarius encourages arguments between angry old men decked out in conical hats and turbans, Neptune in Aquarius stands for science and enlightenment. Neptune in Aquarius has elected half-a-dozen leftist leaders in S. America, some good and some not so good. There is a mood of social experimentation, although it has to battle constantly against the passions of the old guard.

Aquarius is the sign of technology, however, and so there is a danger of Neptune in Aquarius going too far. Gadgets could be the addiction of the new generation. It takes a lot of time to get really good at clicking a button at exactly the right moment to destroy a beautifully-drawn fantasy monster. That's time that a young person is not looking around, not thinking or questioning. But maybe I'm just being an old fud, since every generation has its escape routes.

In 2006, Uranus will also continue in Pisces. Where Sagittarius is about established religion, Pisces is about spirituality – and so I do believe that we are living through an era of increased spiritual consciousness. People don't always know what to do with this new awareness, and sometimes they flock to huge churches where religion is packaged for the multitudes. Sometimes they fall in love with television preachers, and send them their life-savings.

Pisces is holistic. It's about opening up your heart and letting the universe flow into you. During the last year, there’s been a multitude of natural disasters, starting with last New Year’s tsunami – and many folks have tapped into the pain and suffering of their fellow humans. Governments haven’t really followed suit, but governments always move ponderously, far behind the will of the people. The global peace movement, too, is Piscean sensitivity combined with Aquarian idealism.

In 2006, Saturn will also stay in Leo, where it's been since mid-July 2005. Saturn's sojourn in Leo has coincided with George W.’s government getting shakier and shaker, and we can only hope this trend continues. Leo is the sign of royalty, and so Saturn in Leo both makes and breaks kings and queens. It doesn’t do away with the system of royalty itself, but it does make its abuses more visible.

During 2006, Saturn interacts with all three of the outer planets. First, in January, comes the Saturn/Uranus inconjunct, and it showcases the dissonance between regal Leo and gentle Pisces. It may be that some arrogant person will be swiped off his throne in January.

We’ve seen some amazing examples of hubris since Saturn entered Leo – from Barbara Bush congratulating the Astrodome refugees on finally getting a Texan square meal, to Pat Robertson suggesting that the United States whack Hugo Chávez. This sort of thing could happen again, with more dire consequences. Pisces is gentle but sensitive to nastiness, and so there could be a vast flood of public outrage.

In the December 30 new moon chart for Washington DC, Uranus is placed in the 6th house, which corresponds to labor. We’ve already seen a lot of stress in the labor force in December. And so this could be an area in which people rise up, demanding an end to years of powerlessness and exploitation. If the response is only the entrenched arrogance of privilege (Saturn in Leo), there might be a clash in January. And this could recur again and again in 2006, especially in the summer.

Also in the summer, Saturn will oppose Neptune in Aquarius, and this will be an epic battle between the forces of privilege and the forces of change. I wouldn’t be surprised by a sharp economic downturn between the late summer and the fall, and so we might see a lot of rats leaping off the sides of sinking ships. This could mean a power vacuum, like a sudden clearing in a forest which allows for the growth of new shoots.

Of course, since Leo rules gold, I expect that the rats will carry off a lot of gold in their belts. But gold is only valuable to other people who want gold. There’s a whole other level of commerce that’s been going on for a long time, and all it really needs is to get rid of the dead weight of the people at the top.

Saturn’s last aspect in 2006 will be the trine to Pluto, and this anchors the process of change, at least for a little while. It could mean an alliance between kings and high priests, and this would add to world stability, but it would also support the current hierarchy.

On the other hand, perhaps the fiery Saturn/Pluto trine will bring out the leadership qualities in many unknown people. Perhaps there’s a woman who is currently knitting booties for a grandchild, or working in a rice paddy, or organizing a little village industry – and perhaps she will hear a call from a long way off, and begin to take herself more seriously than she ever has before. Perhaps the people will respond to the strength in her spine and the compassion in her voice. And perhaps she will be the one who tames the dragon of religious fervor, who helps everyone see the beauty and the divinity in everyone else.

We need to welcome her. We need to see leaders everywhere, especially in ourselves.

And so, my friends, it’s time to say goodbye to the old order. Tonight I’ll be lighting fuses, jumping back, and watching little rockets zoom into the air. The air will explode with sound, and the demons will all be frightened away. With them goes the old year and the old moon. Happy New Year, and may all the many gods smile on all of us.

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