The Astrology Blog 23 December 2019
All times in GMT
“ No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.“
― Albert Einstein
Starting with Mercury, planet of the mind and communication in all its guises, you may remember that his last major aspect while travelling through Sagittarius was a square to Neptune, exact in the early hours of last Friday. As I wrote last week, “this combination is a classic for misunderstandings”, and I definitely got caught out with the crossed wires theme. I also wrote that the fog would clear by the weekend, which it did. Whatever confusion of your own you may have been dealing with should similarly be resolving itself, and that chapter is closing.
Mercury will be heading into Capricorn at the very end of this week but on his way it’s worth noting two minor aspects left to come, indicating residual or minor issues to deal with, and most likely in keeping with the nature of Mars – Pluto, ie annoying, niggly or tiring, tucking in loose ends, dealing with the last minute Christmas things, including the stuff that you’d forgotten.
Tuesday 24 December
- Mercury 22 Sagittarius semi-sextile Pluto 22 Capricorn 03.07
Christmas Day Wednesday 25 December
- Mercury 24 Sagittarius semi-sextile Mars 24 Scorpio 05.54
Sunday 29 December
- Mercury ingress Capricorn 04.56
In other words, Mercury is playing into the Mars – Pluto alliance that is just separating (as it was exact yesterday Sunday 22nd) and this was also in turn Mars’ final aspect on his journey through Scorpio. So this has the ring of quite tough, serious or final decisions, insights or conversations.
For me it was a phone call first thing this morning from the vet moving my dog’s eye surgery appointment to this Saturday, instead of 10 Jan. I immediately said yes as both Mars and Pluto are 8th House rulers (where we locate surgery) and although I may have to give up some of my festive plans in terms of caring for her in her convalescence that’s no big deal and it will be worth it. I had already had serious misgivings about the 10 Jan date as that’s the date of the next Eclipse, just two days ahead of that rather heavy and worrisome Saturn – Pluto conjunction, so I would’ve cancelled it anyway, but happily that decision has now been made and resolved for me.
At a general level you might find yourself dwelling on a possibly wrong decision, or on the details of matters now beyond your control or on something you’d wished had turned out differently, or on arrangements that feel like hard work but which you now can’t get out of. You might be feeling powerless, especially if you currently have no choice re the things you want to change, you might be angry with someone. Whatever is weighing on your mind you may find it helpful to read Elisabeth Brooke’s comments on the symbolism of mistletoe at the time of the Winter Solstice, with just over a week to go before the arrival of 2020 –
Pagans renew the mistletoe on this day. We tie it with red ribbon and hang it inside our door for protection and to bring only good things into our homes for the next year. We toss the old bunch into a body of moving water, like a river or stream and walk away without looking back to let go of the good and bad things of this past year and welcome the new light of this new decade.
So the message as we approach the New Year is don’t look back. If you’ve been through testing times then this is quite hard to do. Reflecting on our experiences is how we learn but there has to be a cut off point, a time when we realize that we need to draw and cross a firm line. There’s something in the human makeup that automatically goes into “it’s not fair!” mode, that dwells on mishaps, even though we know cognitively that life isn’t fair. Or is it? Every single one of us has their share of the good and the bad. If your bad bits seem tougher than average it can be even harder to believe and accept that all our life events are actually part of the “for my own higher good” plan, and there are some things that we can never hope to make sense of.
I think the real point is that when we move into acceptance we move away from bitterness – possibly the most toxic feeling for mind, body and spirit. If you know bitter people in your life you’ll immediately know the truth of that statement. When we look forwards we become receptive to new possibilities and find our path again. Remember the inspirational Wayne Dyer, “In an infinite universe, all things are possible.”
A Jupiterian Christmas
Optimism and looking to the future is a definite theme for the heart of the Christmas holiday as jolly Jupiter is back in the picture. Again, a recent aspect is still making itself felt as slow moving Jupiter and Uranus were in exact trine (harmonious) to each other at the end of last week. Remember the story about my niece’s cat Lucy, who stowed away in the neighbor’s horsebox and inadvertently got moved with them and all their belongings? She went from the Isle of Wight (southern coast of England if you’re not English!) to the Isle of Lismore (the inner Hebrides, off the coast of Scotland about 600 miles/nearly 1000 kms away). Now bear in mind that –
- Jupiter rules luck, travel, anything long distance, opportunity, generosity, abundance, publishing
- Uranus rules the unexpected, shocks, surprises, things happening quickly, sometimes out of the blue, organizations and the collective
Put them together and what’ve you got? Lucy’s story in the newspaper and a free ticket from Glasgow to Southampton airports. In Sara’s words –
Lucy travelled via ferry from the Isle of Lismore, in a borrowed cat box with my old neighbour. She was then transported by pet courier in a brand new cat carrier which was approved by the airline. Most of this was paid for directly from the funds we received via the crowdfunding campaign. Flybe then flew her all the way back for free with the help of The Observer newspaper. Wightlink granted us a free ferry so we could drive over to collect her from Southampton airport. We are extremely lucky and very grateful and Lucy has had the adventure of a lifetime… she was away for two whole months! Lucy was quite the celebrity all day, being photographed, adored and treated to a huge hamper of cat treats.
I heard other stories last weekend as that aspect was forming, but staying with my own family my other niece who’s a single parent heard that she’s being given permanent housing after being in temporary accommodation for eight years. Her life changed with a phone call. A lovely part of the tale is that the new house is small – but it’s theirs for life – so they’re downsizing like crazy, and her 8 year old daughter heroically packed up 5 bin bags full of toys and belongings that she donated to children who had nothing for Christmas as their mother had only just come out of prison. If this isn’t Jupiter – Uranus coming to life then I don’t know what is!
Venus the love, money and pleasure planet is now playing into that major Jupiter – Uranus link, squaring Uranus yesterday (Sunday 22nd) and then making a minor aspect to Jupiter in the early hours of Christmas Eve. In turn the Sun is now doing the same thing, making a trine to Uranus on Christmas Eve and joining Jupiter on Friday. In the middle of that sequence we have the New Moon which is also a Solar Eclipse –
Tuesday 24 December
- Venus 5 Aquarius semi-sextile Jupiter 5 Capricorn 05.52
- Sun 3 Capricorn trine Uranus 3 Taurus 21.45
Thursday 26 December
- New Moon/Solar Eclipse 4 Capricorn 05.14
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 5 Capricorn 07.30
Friday 27 December
- Sun conjunct Jupiter 6 Capricorn 18.26
So all of this is happening while Jupiter travels from 5 to 6 degrees of Capricorn, and the New Moon (when the Sun and Moon are at exactly the same degree of the same sign) falls smack in the middle at 4 degrees. This also means that the first Moon – Jupiter conjunction (a monthly event) in Capricorn (Jupiter moved into this sign 2 December) is also at the heart of this picture and the Eclipse.
Starting with Jupiter, this all adds up to good news for festivity. Jolly Jupiter’s main principle is expansion – anything that makes our world bigger and better – and this includes other “ex” words like exuberance, excess, exaggeration, extrovert – and so on. It may be toned down somewhat by being in Capricorn (Saturn’s sign) but Jupiter in any sign is still the Greater Benefic and his cheerfulness is welcome at any time of year but especially now in the season of good will and generosity.
Romance is well starred with Venus being in on the act, from quality time with your partner to meeting someone new that you’ll be seeing a lot more of. Jupiter is opportunity and Uranus always carries the message of potential, and reminds us how quickly life can change, from one minute to the next. The best way to help things along is to be sociable. Say yes to invites or put out your own, but get involved. Uranus loves friendships, groups and the collective.
And back to the quote at the beginning of the blog from Einstein, let us not forget that Jupiter is also the king of the gods and the planet of education and the higher mind. Combined with Uranus who carries the seeds of brilliance or even genius, this holiday period is just about perfect for looking at your life and your concerns from a brand new perspective. Be open to learning and doing things differently. Einstein’s words mean that we can’t carry on thinking or acting in the same way and expect to get different results. In other words, what isn’t working in your life? What assumptions are constantly proving themselves to wide of the mark? Have you slid into passivity, expecting something to resolve itself or expecting someone to change? Or is someone else waiting for you to change?
The ideas and psychology wrapped up in Einstein’s words are thought provoking on a huge scale. He also said, Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. So look at what is stuck, get it moving, dynamite it if you have to. I know that Elisabeth Brooke uses this idea in her healing and herbal work, adding the dimension that something that was created at a physical level can be transformed through a spiritual approach.
The Solar Eclipse
Eclipse symbolism is part of this picture of change. Traditional astrology also says that when you get a series of lunations (New or Full Moons) falling conjunct (same place) natal planets or angles then they become even more potent. You can allow up to 5 degrees orb, but the closer the contact the more important the event.
The last lunation was the Full Moon at 20 Gemini. This aligned very closely with Donald Trump’s chart as he was born on a Full Moon with the Sun at 23 Gemini and the Moon therefore in the opposite sign, at 21 Sagittarius. This next lunation, the Eclipse, falls at 4 Capricorn. This is opposite his Mercury at 9 Cancer and square his Neptune at 6 Libra. In other words, it’s triggering his natal Mercury square Neptune. Your lies will catch you out?
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Donald_Trump
Events connected to “being eclipsed” can have a long time line. So it’s also worth looking back to the last Eclipses, which were in July – Solar Eclipse at 10 Cancer (conjunct his Mercury) and the Lunar Eclipse at 24 Capricorn (opposite his Saturn and Venus at 24 and 26 Cancer). Eclipses often signal power shifts, someone being overshadowed and being replaced. Trump himself won’t feel that this is positive and beneficial change but a great part of the rest of the world probably will. Whatever your politics, the time is right for a man in a position of enormous power to account for himself.
Eclipses work in pairs so we’ll have the Lunar Eclipse in two weeks time on the Full Moon (10 January at 20 Cancer). As well as symbolizing tipping points of change that often involve power issues they’re also crux points for triangular situations (symbolized by the intricate relationship between the three bodies of the Sun, Moon and Earth) such as affairs, promotions or any competitive situation. Who is going to overshadow whom? There is often a flavour of death/rebirth symbolism – the light disappearing and coming back on again. In this respect, Eclipses can fall into the category of omens, unbidden phenomena that signal fated change in the life of an individual or a nation.
The whole of December hasn’t been easy astrology, so many things have either been stuck or repetitive, but this week’s picture definitely suggests that change will happen because the time is right, that we can find ways to break the deadlock, get off treadmills and to remember that life in spite of its trials is a gift, and supposed to be a wonderful and magical experience! Time out and changes of routine in themselves may well be the catalyst for clearer and creative thinking but most of all tune in to those who have something to teach you,
Wishing you the best Christmas,
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna