Star Weather Astrology Report 12/22–1/4/2025
©2024 Ronnie Pontiac
All times Pacific.
Friends, here we are at the last astrology report for 2024 to which is added the first for 2025. This year ends with both Mars retrograde opposition Pluto and Jupiter square Saturn exact this week. The opposition indicates anger, repression, envy, hatred, lashing out against authority and oppressive people and situations. Mars drives (ambition, aggression, lust, impulsiveness, and anger), exasperated by this unusually long opposition, will be volatile more or less through May. The opposition will be exact again near the end of April. Avoid hostile people, dangerous areas, drive carefully, don’t waste your time on unnecessary conflict. Trolls will be out in force. Various kinds of bullies emboldened by the spectacle of the oligarchs will be celebrating. Women may have to deal with more nonsense than usual. Patience and focus can help us use this opposition to refine our skills and goals. Pluto can be tranquil when we are working peacefully on something of significance to self and others.
The square, as mentioned in earlier reports, is the next step in the unfolding Great Conjunction of 2020 when Jupiter was conjunct Saturn in Aquarius. These Great Conjunctions are said to indicate the zeitgeist of twenty year chunks of time. We can see how Jupiter is represented by the optimism of the oligarchs who think they know what’s best and that they know how to achieve it. Saturn will have something to say about that, and also represents pessimism and resignation among those who fear that America has been hijacked. This square lasts until June 2025. After that, Jupiter trine Saturn will be up next, exact in June 2027. The struggles of the square will help develop a more harmonious approach to balancing rich and poor, future and past, the progressive and the conservative, optimism and pessimism. Current conditions will be in a state of constant flux through 2025. Big changes are ahead with Saturn and Neptune dipping their toes into Aries, and Uranus into Gemini.
Sun 12/22 the dark of the moon arrives at 2:18 PM. We’ll have a little less energy for the holidays. Allow time for extra rest. Finish up what you can. Spend time pondering your own progress. What could be improved in your life? What do you value most these days? What area of life requires more careful attention? Thich Nhat Hanh said: “It's very important that we re-learn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus, and find creative solutions to problems.”
Mon 12/23 Venus sextile Chiron is exact in the late afternoon. We can hope for a little goods news about health. Affection, romance, beauty, creativity can improve well being. With so much conflict in the air paying attention to the harmony Venus indicates makes sense. How can we cultivate more love in our lives? How can we express love in more meaningful ways?
Tue 12/24 Christmas Eve Jupiter square Saturn is exact in the afternoon. Attempts to legislate at the dinner table, or to gloat about current and future political and social prospects could turn a holiday spat into a long term family conflict. In our own lives we may be filling insecure about our progress. But this is a good time for learning, for practicing, and for finding mentorship. We can make adjustments that help us to gain a realistic sense of what steps to take to reach our goals. Above all we must be patient, and resist that feeling of resignation that tomorrow will be the same or worse than today. With sun inconjunct Mars exact at 9 PM conflict can easily lead to indigestion and other health issues associated with stress. Ego can trigger that Mars opposition dynamic, so stay humble over the holidays.
Wed 12/25 Christmas day has only lunar aspects but starts with challenging early morning squares of the moon in Scorpio to Pluto and Mars. Consider sleeping in. Do not get up early only to stumble into the next chapter of a conflict that may have originated the night before. Here’s a quote for Christmas 2024 from Martin Luther King: “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
Thu 12/26 Mercury opposition Jupiter is exact in the afternoon, followed by Mercury square Saturn in the late evening. We could easily swing from over-optimism to self critical regret with this pair of aspects. On the other hand they indicate a rare opportunity for attaining a deeper understanding of how the Jupiter Pluto square is playing out in our lives. Writers and other creative communicators be sure to take any opportunity for creativity and learning as serious breakthroughs are possible that might influence your trajectory over the next decade and a half.
Fri 12/27 Venus square Uranus is exact about quarter to midnight. This can indicate surprises and unexpected experiences in romance, creativity, the arts, and social pleasures, for good or bad. Allow freedom. Expect strange attractions. Try something different. Delays or interruptions may lead to better outcomes if we can avoid the nervous apprehension Uranus can indicate and the drive to have it our way of Mars opposition Pluto.
Sat 12/28 only lunar aspects are exact. As Patti Smith wrote: “In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.”
Sun 12/29 Chiron is stationary direct early afternoon. A good time to focus on improving health, with Mercury trine Chiron tomorrow we may find some good news this week about public health. Mars opposition Pluto is concerning however, as is next year’s Saturn conjunct Neptune. It’s not good news that the first case of serious bird flu infection in humans has occurred. Take care out there.
Mon 12/30 the new moon arrives at 9 Capricorn at 2:27 PM, followed by Mercury trine Chiron exact about a quarter to midnight. A new moon in Capricorn tends to be a bit less exuberant, being ruled by Saturn, although Capricorns may feel a refreshing energy. The trine may indicate good news about public health issues, but also a time when we can research and communicate with others in ways that can help us find the healing we need. We may be able to find or provide assistance in unexpected ways.
Tue 12/31 New Year’s Eve only lunar aspects are exact, but with retrograde Mars opposition Pluto exact tomorrow this is a potentially problematic New Year’s Eve. People may try to force their way. Reactions can quickly turn angry and even violent. Be careful out there. Not a good New Year’s Eve for taking risks but, as Maimonides wrote: “The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the fear of indecision.”
Wed 1/1/2025 only lunar aspects are exact. Rilke wrote: “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” Let go of any disillusionment or resentment you carry from the past. Why burden the future with visualizations based on astrological weather that’s all about endings, and that will be end relatively soon?
Thu 1/2 sun inconjunct Jupiter is exact in the early evening. If we over do it on New Year’s we may find that discomfort lingers through tonight. Not a good week for pushing agendas, although some may feel driven to do just that with ambitious Mars retrograde exactly opposing Pluto. Take it easy. Venus enters Pisces in the early evening. This can be a nostalgic placement, accentuating emotional responses. Some may feel that they are not ready for the new year to begin, though it already has. Focus on friends and family.
Also Thursday, Mars opposition Pluto is exact about a half an hour before midnight. Many human beings, when alarmed or traumatized, try to think their way back to feeling some kind of stability. Whether the subject is mysterious drones or political spectacle they will gather up facts, stay up late to sort out all the details, follow every rabbit hole to its dead end, and will engage in arguments on social media, writing long posts and reactions in which they give detailed outlines of why what they think is exactly right and anyone who disagrees is deluded. Is this a good use of time? Is this the right way to return to calm? How many hours, days, months, years have been wasted in mental activity that does no one any good, providing a frail illusion of certainty? Just imagine if we all put all that mental effort into doing worthwhile things. It’s always good to keep an eye on what’s going on, but it’s also good to know that our understanding does not change the situation that has put us on edge. We must still endure the suspense of actually seeing how it all turns out.
With this argumentative Mars Pluto opposition with us for the first half more or less of 2025, and a Saturn Neptune conjunction at the final degree of Pisces and the first degree of Aries ahead, there will be plenty of opportunities for us to learn not to overreact. Will we be swept away in the collective turmoil or will we accomplish goals that help ourselves and others? It’s up to each of us to decide for ourselves. As Rumi wrote: “The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.”
Fri 1/3 Mercury inconjunct Uranus is exact in the late morning and Venus inconjunct Mars mid-afternoon. Watch out for health issues caused by anxiety, disturbing news or conversations, or anger against someone more fortunate in love, for example. This duo of inconjunctions can be accident prone. Avoid sudden moves or distractions. This is the classic guy gets in a car accident because he ogling a woman configuration, but consider that a metaphor for all the ways we allow distraction to cause unnecessary problems.
Sat 1/4 sun sextile Saturn is exact mid-afternoon. Get chores done. Drudgery can be seen in a different light when we consider it a ritual to prevent harm. Practice something that makes you feel better about yourself, or get a little extra rest.
Wishing all of my readers a meaningful solstice, merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and empowering Kwanzaa, and a new year that brings a greater understanding of love. If that sounds ironic keep in mind that in the second half of 2025 we’ll be seeing a constellation of sextiles and trines among the greater planets that may indicate a cultural flowering. Maybe the word renaissance is too strong? But what if instead of collecting justifications for pessimism we entertain the idea that a renaissance may be just around the corner? As Marsilio Ficino wrote: “The whole power of magic consists in love.”
