Astrologically Speaking Dec 5-Dec 13
Friends, we have before us a relatively quiet week, followed by an even quieter week, astrologically speaking. However ,we are nearing the third of three exact Saturn Uranus squares. Saturn square Uranus has been the dominant aspect of 2021, and will continue to be a strong influence in 2022. Richard Tarnas wrote of this aspect: the exacerbation of tensions between authority and rebellion, order and freedom, structure and change. Often the two archetypal principles combined and interpenetrated in contradictory ways: repressive revolution, erratically unpredictable authority, and so forth, as evident during the Terror in revolutionary France and the Cultural Revolution in communist China.
A common problem with this aspect is increased anxiety about the future. It represents a pivot point between one dominant paradigm and another, personally and collectively. Consider the difference between someone who grew up on television and landlines versus someone who has been immersed in digital networks since the beginning of their learning. Humanity doesn’t change much, we have many of the same emotions and thoughts as humans of all centuries, but changes in technology create new worlds and the generations that grow up in those worlds are naturally equipped to navigate them.
If we mourn the familiar landmarks we have lost, if we fear change and the inconveniences it causes, our burden becomes greater, because the past will not return. If we view the future with excitement. If we eagerly explore the possibilities that present themselves from within ourselves, and with equal eagerness explore what the world has conjured since the last time we checked, we may find a world of opportunities instead of a world of regrets.
This cycle of Saturn and Uranus aspects began in 1988 when GW Bush was president and he led the US into a war in Iraq on 24hr television. The computer age was all promise then, a rollicking frontier of seemingly unlimited potential that was supposed to liberate us from the stranglehold of corporate media. Instead it became a means for them to tighten their grip. But the story is not over and here we are at a turning point on the way to a new Saturn Uranus cycle in 2032. Think about how radically our world has changed since 1988 and imagine how different it will be eleven years from now. Meanwhile we must personally and collectively encounter the shadow and we must face the hard challenge of preventing further harm. Try to encounter the world without collections of preconceptions. Conduct an experiment in collaboration with what Manly Hall calld “the rational soul of the world.”
Mon Dec 6 Mars sextile Pluto is exact about fifteen minutes before midnight (all times Pacific). With moon conjunct Pluto a few minutes before 8 PM this could be an intense evening. With Mars sextile Pluto and the moon our old friends ambition, anger and libido are emphasized again, but in a potentially harmonious way. Let your emotions, and the women in your life, guide you in healing these areas of concern.
Tue Dec 7 Mercury square Neptune is exact, adding more than a pinch of confusion to the week. People are liable to be spaced out or simply stoned when commuting so be careful. Ask questions if you are unsure about a situation. This can be an inspiring time for writers, but better for capturing visions than precise editing.
Also Tue Dec 7 Mars square Jupiter is exact, an aspect that can cause arrogance, aggression, conflict, especially around issues of ego. False optimism can lead to regrettable actions. But there is the opportunity for success if the forcefulness of Mars can be moderated by Jupiter’s generosity and joviality. If you are repressing anger, libido or ambition there could be some dust kicked up. Unfortunately with this aspect Mars can quickly amplify disagreement into argument and even violence. As Charlotte Bronte wrote: Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.
Saturday Dec 11 Venus conjunct Pluto is exact, an intense aspect on the negative side of the spectrum it can lead to obsessiveness and even criminality, especially where sex, money or the arts are involved. But for those who can bring the energy Pluto describes to more refined purposes this can be a time of great healing, cathartic breakthroughs, and transformative experiences in romance and the arts. Contemplate the power of unconditional love, not as an emotional gymnastic, a denial of our shadows, but in the sense of the Secret of the Golden Flower.
In the Secret of the Golden Flower we are told the part of the soul that is immersed in the experiences and functions of the body fears the dissolution of the body but also longs for death as an escape from the claustrophobic rigors of embodiment. But the higher part of the soul that still “contemplates eternity” as Plotinus put it, that part of us loves life, all life, the good and the bad, as a miraculous creative collaboration of sequential experiences that to an eternal consciousness exploring the limitations of time is a never ending initiation into the highest mysteries. That kind of love can work miracles of healing and liberation. As Martin Luther King said with great wisdom: I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Also Saturday sun square Neptune is exact adding another dose of confusion to the end of the week, the weekend, and the beginning of next week. Intoxication and escapism, daydreaming, exhaustion, illnesses that seem to appear and disappear, but also the opportunity for charitable actions and for showing leadership by demonstrating the empathy and forgiveness of Neptune. But watch out for deception, by others and self.
Monday Dec 13 Mars enters Sagittarius at 1:53 AM. Mars in chilly Scorpio takes on the hue of Pluto, and for Scorpios in particular these have been days of conflict. Mars in Sagittarius is more optimistic. Be ready for a fresh start. Try a different approach. Encourage the good where you find it. Don’t try to force anything. Let nature guide you to places you belong.
Also Monday Mercury enters Capricorn at 9:52 AM a big shift from fun, outgoing and chatty Mercury in Sagittarius, but very helpful for organizing, studying, practicing, simplifying, cleaning, meditating, and getting extra rest. But remember that saying about all work and no play. Also, be careful not to be more domineering and critical than you intend. Avoid dwelling on dismal and morbid thoughts unless you enjoy that kind of thing. And don’t forget Capricorn humor and sexuality are second to none. Take it from someone whose father walked under the infamous sign: work is not freedom.
Regarding the pandemic, we continue to see both potentials ripen as the new and not yet understood Omicron variant makes its way around the world and big pharma attempts to react quickly while minimizing damage, although they are exempt from legal consequences. As there is a mixture of good and bad aspects every week into the new year the most likely possibility seems to be that we will muddle through with alternating good and bad news, never quite precipitating a terrible catastrophe but also never quite achieving the feeling of freedom that we knew not so long ago. Practice precautions. Avoid unnecessary risk of contagion. Find your line of comfort and stick to it. Anxious pessimism is of as little use as false optimism during trying times like these. Consider the words of Haruki Murakami: And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.
Friends, Tamra Lucid, whose photographs grace these astrological weather reports has written a book about our experiences with Manly Palmer Hall, the man who began my study of astrology when I was his assistant. It’s a lovely, funny, but also tragic story, beautifully written. Click here for Tamra’s Simon and Schuster page where you can find excerpts and links to major retailers. It will also be in book shops like Barnes and Noble. Amazon Prime will deliver the first paperback copies on Dec. 14. eBook currently available. Audiobook early next month.
