Your Astrological Do’s and Don’ts for the Christmas Week 2018
The Year Ahead
I’ve received some lovely feedback on a year ahead report
It is obvious that your year ahead report was such a lot of work! It is brilliant, and I am so grateful to have it. Your work is extraordinary, and you more than go the extra mile. There are moments in life when we just need some insight/guidance to help us on our way. I have been feeling nervous as I know there is a tough year ahead. But with your profound insight, guidance and compassion, I have had an inner shift, I have hope and know I will be ok. Can’t thank you enough. Alexandra
You can order your personal 12 months ahead report at any time, click here for details
If you want to see the sign and degree of the planets in your own or any other natal chart, so you can check these against the signs and degrees important this week, as outlined below, here’s the link to Astrotheme. Enter your data into the boxes provided:
https://www.astrotheme.com/horoscope_chart_sign_ascendant.php
The Astrology Blog 24 December 2018
All times given are stated in GMT
For some, Christmas is a special and exciting time, for others it’s a time of sadness or isolation. I’m struck by how much the current astrology reflects this stark contrast. So let’s start with the difficult stuff, firstly an aspect that will be gathering strength throughout Christmas Eve:
Tuesday 25 December
-
Mercury 14 Sagittarius square Neptune 14 Pisces 00.34
In itself, the talking planet in fun loving Sag is great for parties and get-togethers of all kinds.
The square (friction, obstacles) to Neptune (god of the sea, ruling everything that is boundless or overflowing) is however something of a wet blanket.
If you’re out and about, think Cinderella and get yourself home before midnight before everyone starts getting really drunk or overly emotional, or both!
Mercury in difficult aspect to an outer planet is a bit like having a retrograde Mercury, so bear in mind the textbook “problems with transport and communication” tag, with the top golden rule of no drink driving.
Don’t leave anything to chance re homeward journeys, make clear arrangements, double check everything or book your Uber in advance.
Mercury square Neptune
As well as travel red flags, including long distance trips, this Mercury in Sag (all things foreign, truth, optimism, freedom) in conflict with Neptune is also the stuff of disappointment, deception, truth bending, illusion, confusion, brain fog, fudging the issue, sadness, tears, nostalgia or lack of sleep.
It’s not the best picture for welcoming in Christmas Day but it’s not the worst either.
Best coping strategies are to be philosophical and to take a huge step back from unnecessary dramas. And stop worrying.
We all waste too much energy fretting over things that either can’t be controlled or which will soon cease to matter anyway!
Feelings can escalate all too easily in the Neptunian world, especially under the influence of too much booze or as a result of sleep deprivation. So if something in particular is troubling you, try not to let it grow arms and legs.
Is a fear real or imaginary? Or is it rejection or perceived rejection? Is someone twisting the truth and, even if they are, how much does it really matter?
This square is partly about a climate of uncertainty, a lack of clarity, so don’t rush to judgment or decisions, even when someone is insisting that black is white. Sleep on it, sit on it and sit it out until the New Year.
The other difficult feature of the week involves the other two planets currently in Pisces and invokes a lot of the same symbolism:
Friday 28 December
-
Mars conjunct Chiron 28 Pisces 19.41
-
Venus 20 Scorpio sextile Pluto 20 Capricorn 21.29
Mars conjunct Chiron
Purposeful Mars, who likes to do things in straight lines, is not at his best when sloshing around in the sign of mutable water. This is a bit like being lost at sea. Then put him together with Chiron the wounded healer and things start to get even more disorientated or sensitive.
Note that this is also Mars’ last aspect before he changes sign (moving into his own sign of Aries on New Year’s Day which I’ll be talking about next time). And last aspects often reflect the final version or outcome of a situation, relationship etc.
Or it can be about something that simply can’t be fixed but has to be endured and accepted for now, such as the flu, touchy relatives, relationships in meltdown (January is historically the busiest month for divorce lawyers) or, obviously, bereavement.
Christmas is tough when it seems only to highlight the absence of a loved one, or for those living alone or in a frail state of health. So keep an eye out for friends, neighbours or relatives who are vulnerable.
Venus sextile Pluto
The Mars – Chiron conjunction is swiftly followed by the sextile between Venus and Pluto. This is a harmonious aspect, formed when two planets align exactly two signs apart. But this particular combination of planets can work in two ways.
Again, this is a final aspect, as Venus won’t make any other contacts before changing sign (going into Sag on 7 January). It’s also the home stretch of her long tortuous journey through the complex water sign of Scorpio.
To put this in perspective, Venus at full speed takes three to four weeks to travel through a whole sign. But when she goes through a retrograde period (once every 19 months) everything slows down dramatically. Her time in Scorpio started way back on 9 September. This is one of Venus’ signs of detriment, and which in turn is also Pluto’s own sign.
In a nutshell, Venus is love, Pluto is either endings of the irrevocable kind or total change of the death/rebirth variety. In other words, it’s either all over or it’s just beginning, or both!
One of Pluto’s symbols is the Phoenix – “a mythological bird that recycles its own life. When it perceives its impending death, the phoenix ignites itself into a magnificent fire. In time, it reemerges from its own ashes – reborn, renewed, and very much alive.” (whats-your-sign.com)
Grand finale flavour
So this is all a bit loaded and has a “grand finale” flavour to it. Be careful about what or who you write off at this time as opportunities are unlikely to come back.
Don’t give ultimatums unless you mean them.
Venus – Pluto aspects can ask the question, is this love or is it control? New romance may also start in secret or with obsessiveness, but with transformative potential.
One or both may have to make enormous changes. Whatever the scenario, look out for the “all or nothing” theme, especially if you have planets or angles within two degrees of 20 Scorpio/20 Capricorn.
So What’s the Good News?
The New Year is going to start in a flurry of activity so in some ways this week is a resting point, a time for the luxury of introspection and reflection. Of course many people work through the festive period but for most of us it’s all about a break from routine and not setting alarm clocks.
Astrologically the backdrop of jolly and larger than life Jupiter in his own sign of Sagittarius is extremely promising for good times.
Seek out the friends who know how to have fun. Give or accept generosity with no strings. Talk about the coming year and what you want to achieve. Jupiter in his own sign of the Archer is all about adding strings to your bow and firing your arrows, because who knows where they will land and where they will lead you? Plans have a way of materialising when we put them into words.
Jupiter and big dreams
Jupiter is Mr Big of the universe so whatever makes your world a bigger and better place is his job. Dream big dreams and paint on a broad canvas, wear purple, create space, dejunk your house and bin or give away all the stuff you don’t need, it’s just clutter.
Liberate yourself from toxic relationships because you don’t need them and actually they don’t need you either. They will simply move on and find someone else to fill that role.
I once assured a friend that if she left her husband that yes she would feel guilty and yes he probably would fall apart, but six months down the road he’d be with someone else.
I was wrong, it was four months. In the process there was guilt and trauma to deal with, but the end result was liberation on both sides and the chance of a healthier life.
May your Christmas be filled with Jupiter blessings,
Until next week,
With love from Greece
Joanna