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by Anita
It's the Winter Solstice! We can all breathe a sign of relief that -- finally -- the days will be getting longer again (at least, in the Northern Hemisphere). We can celebrate that we've survived the time of darkness, and we can look forward to the forces of light reasserting themselves.
To find plenty of links to articles on how to celebrate Yule and its significance, visit www.witchvox.com/holidays/xyule.html. Here are the major astrological happenings between now and Imbolc.
December 19: Mercury goes direct at 10:29 p.m. PST. Yay! We can communicate again. When the planet Mercury, which is associated with communication, is retrograde, it appears to be moving backward as seen from the earth. When Mercury is backward, communication is backward, so breathe a sigh of relief -- it's over for a while!
Winter Solstice (Yule): The Sun enters Capricorn on December 21 at 4:42 a.m. PST. Capricorn is the sign of mastery, and it is an earth sign. While the Sun is in Capricorn, it's a good time to discover what your areas of mastery are. It's also a good time to work on grounding yourself and to practice practicality. The tarot card Eight of Pentacles shows an apprentice practicing and practicing to get his craft right. Eight is the number for Capricorn, and pentacles is the suit representing earth. Mastery is achieved through small efforts like this. As you set your goals for the coming year, the month when the Sun is in Capricorn is a good time to start developing habits that you want to be automatic.
The Sun in Capricorn is also a good time to appreciate yourself; your strong points. Capricorns are generally humble and don't realize how strong and capable they actually are. Because they are reserved, they tend not to ask for help and, as a consequence, learn how to be independent (a good preparation for Aquarius, the next sign the Sun will enter). Study yourself, determine where in your life you work alone, without help, and ask your guardian angel to help you discover the resources available to you.
Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25: What a collection of planetary angles (called aspects) today! First of all, the Moon opposes Pluto at 5:30 a.m. Energetically, this is somewhat like a giant Full Moon (which, incidentally, happens tomorrow). Emotions can tend to run high and to fluctuate from one extreme to another. Think back to November 27, which is the last time this aspect happened. Another thing to watch out for under this aspect is that others may try to control or dominate you, or you might be particularly domineering yourself if you're not careful. Try to avoid power struggles.
The Moon is void-of-course at 5:30 a.m. today, and doesn't enter Cancer until 8:38 p.m., so don't expect to start any new projects today until later in the evening. When the Moon is void-of-course, it's likely that you'll have to redo, and redo again, any project you start. Under this influence, it's best to just sit back, relax, and let things happen, which is good for a Christmas Day anyway.
The Moon enters Cancer, its home sign, at 8:38 p.m. Cancer is a sensitive sign and stimulates rapport between people. If you've had a troubling day today, it's likely to settle down after the Moon returns home.
Sunday, December 26: Full Moon at 7:06 a.m. PST (Moon in Cancer, Sun in Capricorn). This is a good time to work on issues relating to the way your emotions and childhood memories influence and possibly work counter to your social, business, and professional goals. This is also a good time to work on parent issues, since Cancer represents the mother, and Capricorn the father. If you have conflicts with one or both of your parents, this is a particularly good time to work for harmony and balance.
Monday, December 27:
Today Venus, the relationship planet, is sextile, or in a friendly 60-degree
angle to dreamy
January 1, 2005: The New Year begins with a waning Moon in pragmatic Virgo, which flavors the upcoming year. This year is a good time to focus on practical issues and on trying to ground -- or bring to earth -- your goals and ideals. The influence of Virgo requires us to deal with details and correct them (Virgo being a natural editor). Virgo also relates to health and healing, especially herbal healing or alternative medicine.
January 3: Lovely Venus conjuncts sexy Pluto at 3:33 p.m. PST. This can bring a great deal of passion and emotional intensity to your personal relationships. It's a good time to work on transforming (Pluto) personal relationships (Venus).
January 7: The Sun squares benevolent, philosophical Jupiter at 6:12 p.m. PST. Don't promise more than you can deliver. Jupiter tends to be generous -- so generous that it can't say no. Don't let this happen to you. The Moon is in Sagittarius, Jupiter's home sign, so it's possible to absorb all Jupiter's wonderful expansive philosophy easily. This is a good time to do a ritual asking your guides where and how you give too much.
January 9: Venus enters Capricorn at 8:56 a.m. PST, and Mercury enters Capricorn at 8:09 p.m. PST. The planets of personal relationships and personal communication are entering the sign of seriousness and practicality. Make use of this energy to address crucial matters in your relationship.
January 10: The New Moon falls at 4:03 a.m. PST. The Moon is in Capricorn (are you sensing a theme here?), so this is another good time to do work on grounding yourself and working on mastery, self-control, and self-sufficiency.
January 19: The Sun enters Aquarius at 3:22 p.m. PST. Aquarius is the sign of group cooperation. The Aquarian view is that every human being is equal to every other human being; the CEO of a company abides by the same rules as the mailroom clerk; the murder of a homeless vagabond or a prostitute is as beastly as the murder of a police officer or firefighter. Sun in Aquarius is a good time to turn your thoughts toward celestial rules and to examine karma and how it operates.
I used to be a rower, and still try the sport every once in a while. Rowing is the only sport I know that typifies the Aquarian energy. The crew works together as a unit. All of the people in a boat, whether it's two, four or eight, need to do exactly the same thing. No single individual shines, although each person has a function. The stroke maintains the pace; the bow helps maintain stability, and the rowers in the center of the boat provide the brute strength. Oh, and did I mention -- they're all going backward. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, the planet of reversals.
January 25: The Full Moon rises in Leo at 2:32 a.m. PST. This Sun-Moon aspect (at the Full Moon the Sun and the Moon are opposite each other) focuses on balancing your unique individuality with your ability to cooperate with others in a group. The Leo Moon could enhance your sense of drama. Be cautious about leanings toward egotism; however, this is a good time to work on self-esteem and on finding what your unique talents are. It's a good time to make presentations to others and to do anything that puts you in the spotlight.
January 28: The warrior planet Mars is conjunct intense Pluto today at 9:47 a.m. PST. The energy being magnified today is that of overpowering force and explosive anger. Be extremely cautious today. A good use of this energy is to work toward protecting or defending the underprivileged.
February 3: The Sun reaches 15 degrees Aquarius, the traditional calculation for Imbolc.
I am always interested in feedback. If you have questions or comments about this article or series of columns, please contact me at sylviafan@juno.com. I'd especially love to hear from any of you who have experience with astrology for the Southern Hemisphere.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author