Astrologically Speaking Dec 19 — Dec 26
Friends, as 2021 draws to a close the last 12 days bring opportunities and challenges that end the relative astrological quiet of the last few weeks. This week we will experience the last of three exact Saturn square Uranus aspects. These big planets move slowly and the most intense effect may not be felt when the aspect is exact. However, we should be able to identify in our live swhere we are experiencing most acutely the pressures of necessary changes. As the past wears down the future gains strength and the present can thereby be made stressful, but also exciting. If we battle for what no longer has a place in the world Uranus may shock us so that we can embrace the future unencumbered by habits, beliefs and even relationships that no longer belong in our orbit. If we rush forward convinced of our invincibility Saturn may provide a lesson in limitations.
Today Dec 19 Venus is stationary retrograde at 2:35 AM (all times Pacific). Usually this might indicate a time when activities associated with Venus such as art, romance, fashion, and natural beauty seem to have a special delight. But this Venus retrograde is conjunct Pluto. This is a transformative and unusually long Venus Pluto conjunction. For those ruled by Venus, that is sun sign Taureans and Librans, and for those with Taurus or Libra ascendants, this is a time of endings and beginnings. Loss, obsession, criminal activity, breakdowns — from plumbing to human biology, the pandemic, and politics have created an environment where it’s difficult for Venus to be Venusian. Catharsis by sexuality or creativity is one way to transform this intense energy. Yoga and meditation can help. If you are disconnected from your libido and your physicality, if you are not eating well, and getting some sort of simple exercise, do not fool yourself into thinking that you are just fine and there are no more shadowy depths for you to experience. Especially with Chiron stationary and square Mercury today. Be careful out there. Simple Venus experiences like socializing, shopping for something nice, a romantic date, live music or film, a visit to a gallery or museum, or a simple dinner with friends, with Pluto conjunct Venus could have drastic repercussions.
Also today Chiron stationary direct is square Mercury. This unfortunately suggests a crisis related to travel, and most likely indicates the continuing explosiveness of the Omicron surge. While many are embracing life as nearly normal as possible the Omicron variant is a game changer. Not the Spanish flu scenario, but further mutations remain possible. I know a person who fully vaccinated with all boosters and practicing protocols of distancing and mask-wearing diligently, even wearing an N95 mask when indoors with others, got sick with the variant. If you have friends in the UK ask them. We could possibly be facing lock downs despite vaccinations in the wake of record numbers participating in holiday travel and large events. As individuals this square can help us understand what our bodies need, and don’t need. Pay attention to areas of discomfort. Watch how diet and activities influence wellness day to day. Make necessary adjustments.
Also today sun sextile Jupiter is exact, with tomorrow’s Mercury trine Uranus, a couple of aspects that encourage over-optimism and risk taking. However, they can also indicate opportunities for success, or at least for some liberating fun. Again, the danger is that Pluto’s potential for harm and the shocks of Uranus cause unnecessary suffering due to carelessness or unnecessary risk taking.
Monday Dec 20 Mercury trine Uranus is exact, for many an aspect that causes abrupt action as we feel we don’t want to be left out. This feeling is quite common at the end of any year but is grossly amplified by the time many feel they have lost to the pandemic. But there are ways to experience the liberation and realizations this aspect also promises. Explore new tech. Use technology to achieve greater freedom. Who could you converse with this week that might give you a fresh perspective?
Tue Dec 21 sun enters Capricorn just before 8 AM bringing the shortest day of the year and the return of winter. Let’s talk abut Saturn for a moment, since Saturn rules Capricorn and Saturn square Uranus is almost exact. Saturn is about restrictions, limitations, the way things wear out and break down, the march of time, and the losses it leaves in its wake. But Saturn can also bring rewards, mastery, recognition, and deep wisdom. Healing by simplification, or applying discipline to harmful habits, and restoring well-being by practicing the virtues of patience, study and practice. Most of us will want to embrace the Uranus side of this square, to be free now, as we are about to begin our third year of the pandemic. Certainly there is the heroic courage of facing the risk that has always been a human virtue, albeit occasionally to our detriment as in the Spanish flu. But the Saturn side of the square also has value: the time alone, the opportunity for focusing intently on study or work that might otherwise never see the light of day; the opportunity to learn patience, to set aside our ego-driven needs and our familiar diversions. What can we learn by letting Saturn keep us safe and sound? The wisdom to be found within ourselves in solitude. Most human beings are with Aristotle when he wrote, “Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild animal or a god.” But Hermann Hesse wrote, “Solitude is independence.” And the author of the popular Overself series of esoteric books Paul Brunton wrote: “Solitude is strength; to depend on the presence of the crowd is weakness. The man who needs a mob to nerve him is much more alone than he imagines.”
Thu Dec 23 Saturn square Uranus is exact. Do not ignore what is wearing out. Making small adjustments now might prevent bigger problems later. Have you found a balance between past and future, conservative and progressive But note that those terms have never been more confusing. With Saturn in Aquarius some of the old characteristics of progressives are now conservative qualities, and with Uranus in Taurus the progressives are surprisingly conservative in their own bull in the china shop way. This aspect will be almost exact next year and will continue to be a factor for 2020, though not as dominant as 2021.
The dynamic of this square works like so: if you stick to Saturn and refuse to change a shock of one kind or another forces you to anyway. If you let your freak flag fly with Uranus, Saturn may have an unexpected crash of some kind for you that brings you back down to earth. This is the Icarus aspect. But by learning to navigate it with an artful and mindful attention to giving both sides of the square their due we can make big changes in our lives that we will be happy we made. If you are all about post pandemic world consider these words of the late and very great Bell Hooks: “To live fixated on the future is to engage in psychological denial.”
Sat Dec 25 Mars trine Chiron is exact which suggests that men stepping up to take the extra precautions could have a good impact on the obvious surge that will result from Christmas celebrations. Christmas may have a giddy quality of health celebrated amid pestilence. Don’t take risks, especially in areas where the new variant is spreading.
Also Sat Venus retrograde conjunct Pluto is exact and this is a worrisome aspect for Christmas 2021. There may likely be stories of fatalities and serious illness resulting from gatherings, not only in the news, but in the neighborhood. Pluto teaches harsh lessons, and the lessons are being taught to Venus, that which we are all seeking by celebrating with our families. We can take solace in hoping that those who fall ill despite precautions will continue to be a relatively small percentage, until we know someone in the statistic. Venus conjunct Pluto at best could give Christmas a deep sense of love amid mortality, a renewed bond. This could be a kinky Christmas for some. If you are creative make some time to create. But whatever you do take risks wisely.
Next Sunday Dec 26 Mercury sextile Neptune adds further inspiration to creativity and may bring informative dreams but unfortunately it may also indicate the further spread of the virus through travel. Some people find they are more psychic with this aspect.
Just before 6:30 PM the dark of the moon bringing seven days better for rest and review than anything new. Most of us have grown up in a world where patience is, as Ambrose Bierce long ago defined it, “A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.” And in a world that was rebelling against the stultifying autocracies of the past perhaps patience was not as much a virtue as it is today during a pandemic. Buddha said, “At the end of the way is freedom. Until then, patience.”
Three worrisome aspects finish out the year. Mars inconjunct Uranus on Dec 28 suggests bad news about the pandemic, most likely related to the alarming speed of the spread of Omicron. Sun square Chiron on the 29th also indicates a crisis in health. And Mercury conjunct Pluto is exact on the 30th, reinforcing the potentially drastic consequences of Venus conjunct Pluto. Don’t let end of the year anxiety deplete your energy and stress you out. Pluto can bring healing and tranquility if we are willing to find the beauty and the wisdom in necessity. We can be ennobled by the times we survive.
