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Serene Solstice/Merry Christmas!
Column for 19th - 25th December
Column for 19th ? 25th December 2005
Serene Solstice/Merry Christmas!
? Sunday, 18th December ? Moon in Leo ? 2.18pm
? Monday, 19th December ? Venus conjunct Chiron
? Monday, 19th December ? Mercury square Uranus
? Wednesday, 21st December ? Moon in Virgo ? 2.39am
? Wednesday, 21st December ? Mercury trine Saturn
? Wednesday, 21st December ? Winter Solstice in Northern Hemisphere/Summer Solstice in Southern Hemisphere as
? Sun enters Capricorn ? 6.35pm
? Friday, 23d December ? Moon in Libra ? 3.26pm
? Saturday, 24th December ? Venus ?turns? retrograde
? Sunday, 25th December ? Mercury sextiles Neptune
? All times are GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
The fast-moving celestial bodies have all come out to play this week, to engage in various dances, partnering different planets, especially flighty Mercury, wing-footed Hermes, who dances with no less than four (see above, and the Moon). Some hold each other fondly; others tread on the others? toes.
While the dance is taking place, the music changes, from exuberant Sagittarius, to the more sedate Capricorn, (a tango to a waltz maybe) as the Solstice occurs on Wednesday, 21st December. This is one of the major turning points of the year, when you can almost hear the energy shifting. At sacred sites, and even in your own back garden or yard, there is often a momentary quiet stillness, followed by a slow motion, as if someone has pulled a lever deep underground, and things start moving again, but in another gear, engaging a different cog in the machine we call the cosmos, linking the earth with the heavens. The Sun moves from fiery Sagittarius to earthy Capricorn, from expansiveness to contraction.
It?s interesting that in the weeks leading up to Christmas, there is an air of jollity, madness, over-spending, over-doing, (while the Sun is in Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter), and then as the holidays begin, customs kick in, and many find themselves seeing people because it?s expected of them, eating certain foods, exchanging presents, all in the name of tradition. Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn, loves tradition, long-standing organisations and routines; with an upcoming sextile next week, to Uranus, planet of change and the unconventional, may I suggest you note which rituals have real meaning for you, and be bold enough to change those that don?t feel authentic. Or maybe invent new ones!
One of the best Christmases I remember was spent, with my partner of the time, in bed in the morning, followed by a leisurely walk to the local pub, followed by beans on toast back at home. We couldn?t be bothered to cook Christmas dinner, and those beans on toast tasted really good.
Christmas can be a strange time, and a very difficult one for many. Anyone who is alone, poor, or in other sad circumstances, feels more so at this time of year, so spare a kind thought for these people, and send them some love and a wish for better times in the future.
Looking at the rest of the week leading up to Christmas Day on the 25th, Mercury squares Uranus on Monday, 19th December. This is a little like Mercury retrograde, and you may have felt for the last week that it has been. Communications can feel erratic, edgy, and obtuse. By Wednesday, 21st, when Mercury trines Saturn, the energy will have calmed down, and be flowing in a much more straightforward and sensible way. It will have also reached 10 degrees Sagittarius, which is the degree it was at when it last turned retrograde. Many astrologers generally feel that even when a planet starts moving forwards again, until it has retraced all its steps, back to the turning point degree, there is still an element of the ?retrograde? lurking.
On Monday, 19th,Venus conjuncts Chiron, Aphrodite partners the Centaur, Love waltzes with the Wounded Healer. However you want to see these two, it?s a meeting between what we love (Venus), what has the potential to cause pain, and yet at the same time heal (Chiron). Love is rarely without difficulty at some point, and yet, who would be without it? This aspect is about exploring your deepest feelings and longings, and possibly sharing your hopes and fears with another.
Monday, 19th could also feel fraught because there are no less than five planets making major aspects to the Moon (too numerous to put at the top of the column). This is because we are still enjoying (?) the presence of a grand cross (four planets ? Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune all in square to one another) in fixed signs. Each time the Moon passes through Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius (the four fixed signs), it aspects each of the above planets in turn, and emotionally this can be very trying. Change is needed, but obstacles, and/or others can appear to get in the way.
I speak with some confidence about this, as my Sun has been, and is being touched (hammered may be a better word) by this formation. So far, maybe because Jupiter is sitting on my Sun as I write this, I am still smiling, and feel more determined than ever to keep going, despite others? attempts to ?stamp on my dreams? (an email quote from the doc which summed up how I was feeling), and have been found muttering, after each setback, ?this too will pass?, or ?right, I?ve sorted this, what?s next??
Consciously deciding to mentally detach from any blockage, or problem, (something learned at ?School for Warriors?), looking at life from beyond the place where the ?monkey mind? operates, observing it, rather than being immersed in it, has helped enormously.
Some of you with personal planets in the first third of the fixed signs may have felt frustrated, blocked, that it?s a testing time for your ideals, and even your identity, may identify with some of the above; all I can add is the most testing times often give you reserves of strength and perseverance that you didn?t know you had, and enable you to sort out who and what is meaningful in your life now. So thank the ?fixed cross? for providing the energy to become a warrior.
Venus turns retrograde on Christmas Eve, 24th December, and both relationships, and financial issues, could be subject to scrutiny over the next six weeks or so (at least until February 3rd, when it begins to move forwards). This isn?t a good time to begin a relationship, or to expect finances to flow freely, although you may find some one from your past turns up again, and that it?s a good time to re-value your possessions. You may find something you thought was junk is worth something (I can see you raiding the attic now). Absorbing creative projects can also work well, if you can focus inwards.
There is a lovely link from Mercury to Neptune on Christmas Day, when the real spirit of Christmas (no, I didn?t mean the whisky) can shine through. The Moon is in sociable Libra, making a harmonious link to Pluto, so a good time can be had by all. I wish you all a wonderful time!
Much love to you all, Astral xx
www.suewalker.co.uk email: astralwalker@tiscali.co.uk - feedback always welcome
Copyright: Sue Walker. December 2005.
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