Month of Capricorn 22 Dec - Jan 20
Twice a year the Sun reaches its maximum declination north and south of the equator. Known as the solstices, these two turning points define summer and winter and the longest and shortest days in their respective hemispheres. We define them as 0° Capricorn and 0° Cancer. For millennia these were symbolically and historically significant times worshiped by almost all cultures. In the northern hemisphere the light (of the sun) reaches its lowest point on 22 December each year and thereafter begins to ‘rise’. In many cultures winter solstice rituals commemorated this re-birthing principle and these practices were almost certainly the forerunner of Christmas and the Christian worship of the birth of the light of the world.
Christmas day this year features a new Moon - the Sun and Moon together in the early degrees of Capricorn. This is traditionally considered a new beginning and adds greatly to the aura and symbolic significance of Christmas. Even more uniquely the new Moon will be conjunct Pluto! The pristine quality of the new moon in combination with the profound, dynamic and transformational Pluto indicates a generally calm and peaceful energy/day atop a deep current of feelings; particularly supportive for those in a reflective/contemplative mood or frame of mind.
New Year’s Eve also has a strong lunar signature. At midnight (Sydney time) the Moon will have transited into the early degrees of Aries and therefore into conjunction with Uranus. The Sun meanwhile remains in close proximity to its conjunction with Pluto (in Capricorn). This combining of personal and transpersonal archetypes (Sun/Pluto and Moon/Uranus) in a close and dynamic square opens a Pandora’s Box of possibilities for the beginning of that most eagerly (and for some nervously) awaited of years – 2012.
The current Uranus (in Aries) / Pluto (in Capricorn) square is THE major planetary pattern of this period. Beginning in 2008, it will continue to dominate the astrological landscape for much of the rest of this decade, with its epicentre being 2012-2015. I have recently previewed this pattern in the preceding blog, titled “Volatility, the new norm” (see below)
The unpredictable, impulsive and freedom seeking Uranus, in dynamic aspect with the intense, compulsive and transformational Pluto, is very much a 'sign' of the times. Revolution and power are core themes. Protest, struggle, uprising, experimentation, confrontation - all expressions of a restless 'spirit', are playing out on many levels, in many fields.
Coincidently the first quarter Moon (when the Moon is square the Sun) is seen by some astrologers to convey similar layers of symbolism. This combination has been referred to, somewhat eerily, as “crises in action”, a time in which the challenge is to manage the energy which is released by crisis and then to restructure it into its new form!
An interpretation from the highly regarded Kepler program states in part that…”people born during this phase are able to rise to the occasion of any emergency. They are able to make split second decisions and act on them. They have the ability to tear down old structures and to recreate new ones. They are the pioneers, the trail blazers, the hero and the heroine. It is likely they will create conflict in the lives of those entrenched in the status quo”
If midnight on 31 December 2011 is seen as a “birth” then the keywords for this Sun/Moon combination - clearing, action, building - reinforce the global (for that is what relationships between the outer planets seem to suggest) urge toward Uranian change powered by Plutonic force, demonstrating so potently in the world at this time.
To add spice to the symbolic mix Mars will be rising (that is close to the ascendant) at midnight Sydney time. The presence of the ruler of fireworks, accidents and other volatile activities, including anti- social behaviours, does add to the unpredictable energy, though hopefully he will be suitably refined and inhibited in the sign of Virgo?
The Sun/Pluto, Moon/Uranus and Mars rising combo does portend of a dynamic beginning to the year and the likelihood of more (perhaps much more!) uncertainty and change.
In the next instalment(s) I’ll look to broaden the picture including a consideration of Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune and how they interact with the prevailing energies.
Cheers
Bob
Christmas day this year features a new Moon - the Sun and Moon together in the early degrees of Capricorn. This is traditionally considered a new beginning and adds greatly to the aura and symbolic significance of Christmas. Even more uniquely the new Moon will be conjunct Pluto! The pristine quality of the new moon in combination with the profound, dynamic and transformational Pluto indicates a generally calm and peaceful energy/day atop a deep current of feelings; particularly supportive for those in a reflective/contemplative mood or frame of mind.
New Year’s Eve also has a strong lunar signature. At midnight (Sydney time) the Moon will have transited into the early degrees of Aries and therefore into conjunction with Uranus. The Sun meanwhile remains in close proximity to its conjunction with Pluto (in Capricorn). This combining of personal and transpersonal archetypes (Sun/Pluto and Moon/Uranus) in a close and dynamic square opens a Pandora’s Box of possibilities for the beginning of that most eagerly (and for some nervously) awaited of years – 2012.
The current Uranus (in Aries) / Pluto (in Capricorn) square is THE major planetary pattern of this period. Beginning in 2008, it will continue to dominate the astrological landscape for much of the rest of this decade, with its epicentre being 2012-2015. I have recently previewed this pattern in the preceding blog, titled “Volatility, the new norm” (see below)
The unpredictable, impulsive and freedom seeking Uranus, in dynamic aspect with the intense, compulsive and transformational Pluto, is very much a 'sign' of the times. Revolution and power are core themes. Protest, struggle, uprising, experimentation, confrontation - all expressions of a restless 'spirit', are playing out on many levels, in many fields.
Coincidently the first quarter Moon (when the Moon is square the Sun) is seen by some astrologers to convey similar layers of symbolism. This combination has been referred to, somewhat eerily, as “crises in action”, a time in which the challenge is to manage the energy which is released by crisis and then to restructure it into its new form!
An interpretation from the highly regarded Kepler program states in part that…”people born during this phase are able to rise to the occasion of any emergency. They are able to make split second decisions and act on them. They have the ability to tear down old structures and to recreate new ones. They are the pioneers, the trail blazers, the hero and the heroine. It is likely they will create conflict in the lives of those entrenched in the status quo”
If midnight on 31 December 2011 is seen as a “birth” then the keywords for this Sun/Moon combination - clearing, action, building - reinforce the global (for that is what relationships between the outer planets seem to suggest) urge toward Uranian change powered by Plutonic force, demonstrating so potently in the world at this time.
To add spice to the symbolic mix Mars will be rising (that is close to the ascendant) at midnight Sydney time. The presence of the ruler of fireworks, accidents and other volatile activities, including anti- social behaviours, does add to the unpredictable energy, though hopefully he will be suitably refined and inhibited in the sign of Virgo?
The Sun/Pluto, Moon/Uranus and Mars rising combo does portend of a dynamic beginning to the year and the likelihood of more (perhaps much more!) uncertainty and change.
In the next instalment(s) I’ll look to broaden the picture including a consideration of Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune and how they interact with the prevailing energies.
Cheers
Bob
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