Full Moon in Leo: Explosion of Fullness

On Saturday, January 23, at 8:47 P.M. EST/5:47 P.M. PST, the Moon rises to her fullness at 3/29 degrees of Leo. This months’ Full Moon in Leo occurs in the earliest degrees of the first decan of this fixed sign. This  Full Moon in Leo  forms a challenging  t-square with Mercury conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. Retrograde Mercury moves into an exact conjunction with Pluto on Friday, January 22. This week itself has been heavy with challenges that have brought us into the light of the Full Moon with some heavy issues, responsibilities, and obstacles yet to face. While Leo Full Moons often are cause for celebration, this Full Moon is more likely to be about receiving and decoding some pretty interesting information, messages, or other forms of communication that have been revealed throughout this week. 

Building up to the Full Moon in Leo, we want to look at the active role Mercury’s retrograde transit in Capricorn has had on us. As Mercury, the Messenger has been moving into a tighter conjunction with Pluto, the Great Transformer, we have become ever more aware of where we are being called to handle unfinished business and/or of learning how to best communicate our thoughts, feelings, and plans effectively and compassionately. Communication that has opened up this week, has the capacity to help heal old wounds, soothe hurts, and bring us some sense of resolve or acceptance. 

Mercury’s square to Uranus is an dynamic and metaphysical kind of aspect that may have opened up channels of communication with ancestral energies and may have resulted in sudden hits of insight, intuitive flashes, or powerful and enlightening dreams and visions. It’s a good time to be very present and mindful about both the inner messages arising from the inner sense of your being and to the information, insight, and intuitive knowledge coming from your connections with the Divine. What is meant for you to understand now appears in some form before you and rises up from within you. We are always in the process of filtering and gathering information, impressions, and sensations—this will pick up a great deal the closer we move into the fullness of the Moon. 

This is the time to notice what is right before and within you. Trust your intuitive hunches, and notice what is showing up to attract your attention or call you to remember who you are.  Since this is happening on some level to everyone, it’s not the best time to expect others to understand what we are trying to communicate. We are all receiving a powerful awakening and it may not be time to try to make yourself understood. Give yourself some time to synthesize some of what is coming to you and wait for the energy within and around you to settle down some before pushing your own agenda or trying to settle some conflict or dispute.  Notice what your body, mind, emotions, psychological, and spiritual drives are calling to your attention. How does your health reflect something that needs healing in the other areas of your life. How does your emotional well being affect your health or thought processes? Look for the connections between the different aspects of yourself and your well being. Expect the unexpected, and make necessary adjustments to create great balance in your life.

As Mercury moves into the conjunction with Pluto and forms a t-square, we can expect to feel even more of an upsurge in mental activity. In areas that may have been unclear or plans that may have moved too slowly or been blocked in some way, you may find sudden and rapid movement. Ideas, inspiration, and opportunities now open that you have been waiting for, and what is essential it that you figure out how to harness the energy and prioritize your own life to make the best use of what is opening up for you. While you may feel like rushing headlong into some long-awaited project, take your time now to move forward in a mindful and careful manner. 

It’s a time to be careful what you wish for, for when you are offered the options you have been thinking would be ideal, you need to decide upon how relevant or appropriate resources, offers, and other peoples’ plans fit into your own. Move with an greater awareness of what is feeding and nourishing you and what may be more of a drain or imposition in some way. Not all that glitters is gold. In order for something to be of value to us, it has to hold real meaning. And we now need to be very aware of how losing something or not being given what we thought we needed might just be the very thing we need for something better to open up for us. Avoid getting caught up in negative programming or overly suspicious mind games that take your focus away from what really matters. Avoid political and personal disputes or petty jealousies. Don’t feed the monster. Avoid confrontations that my have far-reaching and long-lasting effects.

Now is the time to remember what you have learned in the past couple of years about how to handle rough spots and hard times. This should come as no surprise. Take what you’ve learned and use it to manage the rapids. 

The Mercury-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn is said to be associated with the deep need to get to unravel mysteries, to get to the heart of the matter, and to seek, no matter the cost, the truth.  This can be a just a little bit of an obsessive aspect, and it last from January 22 until January 30, so we are entering a period her in the next week or so when we want to exercise caution in any area where we may be pressing for more information or seeking to discover the root causes behind something we are obsessing over.  

Use discretion and understand your motivation. If you  are in the healing professions, be careful about how you exercise your power and make certain you are acting within the strictest guidelines of good, ethically, sound support. Power to support is not the same as power over someone or taking someone’s power to act and learn on their own, away from them. As much as I might think I know what’s best for someone else, it’s not my place to push them or take the responsibility for their own learning and choices. 

With your own interests, be patient and practice listening, waiting, and being willing to receive and process new ideas, new perspectives, or different interpretations to something you may think you know all about. It’s a learning, growing time, and we grow from the inside out.  Whatever is opening up for us at this point in our lives, is crucial for our development and for the journey we are choosing at this time. With Chiron the Wounded Healer in Pisces forming a semi-square aspect to the Sun in Aquarius, we may feel an urgency to learn or discover what needs to be uncovered. We may be hampered by fears—fears that arise when we are in unfamiliar territory and self doubt about whether we are up for the journey or not. Give yourself some time, and remember how courageous you are.

 Courage sometimes means we know when not to do something as much as it means being willing to move forward when the time is right. And the risk factor is often determined by the ratio between our level of fear and our sense of hope and trust in the Divine Goodness and spiritual guidance. Be aware of where your true strength lies; we are all part of the Divine Creator’s plan, and we each have a role to play. Remember who you are, and do what you feel is best. Trust that you are free to move or not, free to change or stay where you are for now, free to wait or go. Discernment is the process by which we weigh all sides  in light of our divine essence, and then decide and act. Trust that you are moving in the Truth. 

Another beautiful piece leading us right into the Full Moon in Leo is the entry of Venus in Capricorn. In Capricorn, Venus grounds our sense of beauty making us feel we need to improve on any area of our life that is less than a reflection of beauty and harmony. Leaving Sagittarius' fiery energy and activity, we now get down to bringing love into our daily walk. We create beauty in all kinds of ways, and we manifest our love in very practical and down-to-earth ways. Taking walks with loved ones, gathering a bouquet of wild flowers for a sweetheart or friend, and showing others how we love and honor them are all some of the ways we might see Venus manifest. We bring our ideas about love and beauty into the foundational essence of our lives. And this also will lead to a lovely meeting between Pluto and Mercury, adding something of peace, love, and balance to areas that we have been undergoing deep transformation. And if our ideas about how we are to love or who we are meant to love is askew in any way, this transit may also result in some deepening and life-changing alterations in our thinking as well as in our behavior. 

The beautiful Full Moon in Leo rising up in the night sky tonight will awaken us all to the areas in our lives where we are seeking the light, hoping for answers, and striving to come into a deeper sense of what we are here to do and be. Use the energy of Leo's dramatic flair and need for approval and acceptance, and Aquarius' ability to look beyond their own personal interests to widen our perspective and grow in compassion for others. We can bring the best of both aspects into harmony in ourselves and our lives, when we consciously look to see where there is any disharmony. Identify where you are out of balance and then take steps to grow wider, expect better of yourself and others, and mend whatever needs to be healed or fixed in yourself as you grow in the areas that make you the special person you are. Celebrate the gifts you have and befriend what is still growing to wholeness. Happy Full Moon. 

Going Deeper: Capricorn Sun, Pluto, and Mercury

January is the month of reflection this year as both Mercury and Jupiter have entered their retrograde phases. Still under the influence of the New Moon in Capricorn, the   Sun  is at 25-26 degrees of Capricorn , and both Mercury and Pluto are also in this fixed, earthy sign. Time to reflect, grow deeper, and allow ourselves time to recover, rest, and reconfigure some of our plans and ways of perceiving and behaving. We look now to see what we’ve learned over the past year or so, and how that informs the way we are making plans and envisioning the future. 

Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn, the Great Teacher, helps us learn the value of patience. With Mercury transiting Capricorn, we are in the process of reviewing and reflecting on how our communication affects all areas of our lives, but particularly those areas ruled by and directly in alignment with those parts of our life/chart ruled by Capricorn. Part of this reflective process has to do with determining the our own power, resources,  and strength. We may also find out how resilient we are, and notice where in our lives we are being challenged to notice aspects of our development that need greater attention. 

On Saturday, January 16 the   Moon is in 20-21 degrees of Aries . The Moon in Aries forms the first quarter square, finding us noticing where we are meeting with obstacles, or where we are required to make adjustments to that which we initiated on the New Moon. Often New Moons signal a burst of energy and new movement in our lives. The Capricorn New Moon of January 9 however, reminded us to dig deeper, take better care of ourselves, and notice how we have changed. Our needs and desires need to be in alignment with the growth and learning that has taken place most recently. 

We need to discern how we are being called or challenged to incorporate this awareness into what we are creating, in how we are meeting challenges, and in what we are finally releasing in terms of old identity patterns and habits. Do you feel caught in limbo? Does it feel like you are spinning your wheels? Are you caught up in unfulfilled expectations or vague and unclear ideas about how to fulfill your dreams? Have you not been paying attention to all the signs pointing towards areas that must be addressed? This is the time to notice and to do that clearing our or cleaning up that might not have happened earlier. 

One practice that may help you understand better about how planetary transits, aspects and shifts affect you is by following the movement of the Moon. Notice what happens around the times when the Moon aspects your natal planets. For example, if you have a planet in the 12th house, and each month when the Moon opposes that planet, you might notice some patterns related to how you respond or react emotionally. This is a relatively simple transit to follow, and it’s one that seems to have such a powerful effect on us. Our emotional responses are so immediate and almost visceral, that we can use our observation of the moon cycles to signal some recurring patterns in our behavior and life cycles. 

Today, Saturday for instance, the Moon is in the late degrees of Aries. Soon the Moon will shift into Taurus, an earth sign. Notice how you feel over the next couple of days, and keep track of any changes, fluctuations, or differences. It might even help to keep a moon journal for a month, simply noting how each moon transit affects you. And be sure to also notice what happens when the Moon opposes or trines one of your planets or luminaries. 

With   Mercury  at 2 degrees of Capricorn in retrograde motion , the emphasis is on going back over what we started to bring into form a month or so ago. You may receive reminders of what was left undone, or of what the consequences for past choices and relationships are having on you now. It’s time to look within to determine what role you have played in the story you’re telling yourself about what has or has not worked out.  It’s crucial that you listen to the voice of your inner truth. This is not the time to spend justifying or rationalizing your feelings. If you do it with no one else, be scrupulously honest with yourself about what is true for you about the important relationships and choices in your life. 

Those who fail to learn from the past, are doomed to repeat it…So what do you still need to understand about how the life you are living is revealing the truth about what you have set up for yourself? If you have been consciously attempting to grow and learn, this should be in some ways, a surprising and rewarding time. If you have been blaming others or looking for excuses for why you have taken no steps on your own behalf, that will come home to roost for you now. Thoughts and words are energy. Pay attention to what you are sending out with those thoughts, especially the ones that you try to hide or ignore. Time to listen.  

And when you listen, make an effort to learn so you don’t keep making the same mistakes or wrong choices. It’s a time to allow yourself to mature spiritually. If you are still trying to deny the need or power of Spirit to guide and guard you through the choices you are making, this time should reveal where you need to spend less time trying to control things, and more time surrendering to that which is coming to help you grow in love, wisdom, and true connection. Listen for that which comes to show you direction toward living a purposeful life. Where are you needed? Where are you being called to  share your talents and gifts? How are you being urged to grow and deepen your skills, knowledge, and amply equip yourself for something beyond your own self interests. 

One piece of wisdom for maintaining optimum health and well being is “do your best and enjoy the rest”.  And by rest I mean taking time to slow down, recuperate, heal, and recharge. With   Venus  at 21 degrees of Sagittarius , you may have been pushing hard and feeling the powerful rush to get out and get going. You may have been  working overtime to create and actively bring into manifestation everything you want to do, now. This ramped up energy of Sagittarius needs to be harnessed and balanced out with an equal amount of time and energy focused on taking good care of yourself. Which habits are woking for you, which ones are draining your, causing you injury, or working against your optimum health? Make adjustments, and be willing to admit the areas where you have problems. Ignoring issues won’t make them go away. Overdoing is a key culprit of a misuse of energy during this transit.

As   Mars  is plunging deeper into  Scorpio  , now at 7 degrees, your passion for action is now moving underground, beneath the surface. In the depths of Scorpio where it is headed, Mars is seeking deeper meaning and purpose for any actions or strong push toward meeting goals. Deal with any issues related to health, finances, or any other area where suffering or lack is present. Reexamine attitudes and the strength of what it is you value. Take care of the basics that underpin your ability to function in a healthy and productive way. Again, rest is indicated. A slowing down is required in order to pay attention to the underlying sources of what motivates, fuels, and feeds you. 

Earlier this month,   Jupiter began its retrograde cycle, and is now at 23 degrees of Virgo  . This puts plans and opportunities on hold for a while, giving us time to consider what the gifts of new choices might be as well as what the costs might be. We use this time to weigh not only outcomes but also what will be required of our time, energy, resources. We also want to be well-prepared. We cannot have some things unless we are doing what it takes to prepare ourselves. Notice areas of resistance you may have now to getting more involved, or becoming better educated or trained? What have you got to lose, and why do you resist doing what is needed for you to follow a passionate desire? If you want to heal and serve others, what are you doing to equip yourself with all the tools you can get? Why are you selling yourself short, or remaining in a self-imposed holding pattern, waiting for something to happen? Jobs don’t drop from the sky, but opportunities come when you are putting energy in the direction fueled by desire. If you are out of touch with that passion or desire, spend some of this time feeding your soul, taking care of your health, enriching your mind, and building up the reserves you need to find a deeper, stronger place to live out your dreams.

The Great Teacher,   Saturn  is also in Sagittarius    at 12-13 degrees. The wisdom is now coming from within and all around. Pay attention to the wise ones who show up in your life now. Notice how the goats, the ones who use the available strength and resources to fuel their productivity, make the most of whatever is available to provide what is needed. Think of the tenacity and stick-to-it-iveness of those who work relentlessly and produce some of the healthiest and tastiest products. Goats are the archetypal, hardworking, tough, symbols of being adaptable and resilient. Pay attention to what fills you with the energy and spirit to move forward with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Take some time and then take some chances. Step out into a new life after you have given yourself some time to reawaken and reignite the light within you.

The long-term   Uranus transit goes on with the planet at 16 -17 degrees of Aries . Notice what house your Natal Uranus is, and notice areas of your life that have been affected most by the surprises and shocking revelations and learnings that Uranus brings. With Uranus in the lightening and naive sign of Aries, the unrestrained and unfocused energy that comes through may be disconcerting and upsetting, but is also providing a test of patience, resilience, and adaptability.  In trine with Saturn in Sagittarius, something that we now learn or are challenged to face or cope with, may come as a gift from Uranus. Expecting the unexpected when there’s a trine or sextile, may mean receiving an unexpected gift or opportunity. In any area of life/chart that Uranus squares or opposes,, there may be a changes that are more apt to catch you off guard or challenge you to learn new ways of protecting yourself or responding to unsteady and unpredictable influences. 

The planet  Neptune  continues its long cycle through Pisces , now at 708 degrees. Neptune in Pisces is the  archetypal energy that heightens imagination, deepens subconscious, and unconscious responses,  clouds judgment,  and creates  both illusions and intuitive flashes. Notice when Neptune opposes the planets in Virgo or squares other aspects, as these are times when we meet with challenging and confusing. Neptune can also unlock deeper understanding, providing we don’t distort that understanding through the abuse of substances or patterns of thought that prevent us from dealing with the discomfort that sometimes comes along with greater awareness, growth, and development. Neptune’s growing edge is  greater awareness and a growing reliance on healthy and creative outlets for subconscious turmoil and rumblings. Neptune can be a muse, if we don’t use its gifts to undermine or discount our talents and resources, and our personal strength. Failing to see where we are out of line or downright wrong, is not a gift; it’s a hindrance to growth. Be willing to see how you are blocking your own good.

The Great Transformer  Pluto  is at 15-16 degrees of Capricorn  , halfway through another long cycle by this outer planet. Pluto is bulldozing its way through the area life it now transits, and by now we are aware of how that is affecting us. We are also aware of how we are either fighting against the tides of transformation, or moving with the uneven and sometimes disruptive flow of change. Change is at the heart of life, and with Capricorn’s transit in your life, you surely know that the change takes place at the most basic level of your identity and being. While the Sun and Mercury have been making aspects to P

luto, we have seen both our emotional lives and our full expression of self in the world evolving and bringing out that which is at the very heart of who we are. Some see us, recognize, and know us as we are; others see us, and are threatened or put off by some element of our basic nature. What matters most though, is that it is a time for us to recognize and remember who we are.

The gateway to the future, the   North Node is at  23 -24 degrees of   now. This is point in your life that reveals where change is most likely taking place. And in Virgo, it is at the point where you are working hardest to make change visible, and to bring ideas into the full expression of their depth and meaning. Where are you preparing to make major changes or turn into a new direction? What have you moved beyond, and what are you moving towards? How are you preparing and maintaining your optimum health and inner directedness? Where you you still carry baggage from the past, and how is is serving or slowing you down?  What are you learning to assist you with your new path? It’s a pretty exciting time, for often what we have dreamed of for years, is now coming into fruition or manifesting. It’s a bit of a magical time because we are quite literally seeing the fruits of our efforts, and are being called to a renew an older interest or gift, and to begin anew with the gifts from our recent changes and transformations. 

The Wounded Healer,   Chiron is at 18 degrees of Pisces  . As it has formed a series of oppositions to Capricorn this month, we have been reminded of how we are called to healing through our own intention to heal from old wounds. What has happened in the past, is the material for bringing about growth, reconciliation, new connections, and improved ways of perceiving and doing what we do to serve others. 

January is indeed a month of reconciliation, renewal, and rebirth. It is also a time when we can rest awhile longer, in preparation for a more dynamic year than we might have had in quite some time. Don’t get caught up feeling you’re not doing enough or don’t have enough or are getting enough done. Use the time to regroup, nourish yourself, and discern what the signs and messages of your dreams and interactions are pointing you towards. Happy New Year, and find some time to be at peace within. Determine now how you want to use your time, energy, resources, and talents, and avoid overextending or creating distractions to what you need to focus on if you are going to move forward with the goals you’ve set for yourself. 

Getting Grounded in the New Year with the New Moon in Capricorn

New Moon in Capricorn

On Saturday, January 9 at 5:30 P.M. PST/8:30 EST the New Moon in Capricorn leads us into a new lunar month and into the new year ahead. The earthy, cardinal sign of Capricorn infuses both the Sun and the Moon with the practical, resourceful, and tenacious energy of the Goat (Capricorn’s mythic archetype). In whatever area of your life Capricorn rules, you will now find more energy, focus, and direction to put your ideas to work and to bring the theoretical into practice. This also happens to be the house/area of your life where Pluto has been bulldozing things so that you have had no choice but to restructure and redefine whatever area of your life Capricorn rules. This should be a powerful start to the new year.

One of the most potent influences on this New Moon is the impact of both Pluto (which has been making itself felt this whole week) and Mercury. Mercury is at the anaretic degree of Mercury, 29 degrees/4 minutes. This means that we still have a lot of letting go, completing, finishing up, or getting over to do. Next week when the Moon moves into a conjunction with that anaretic degree of Mercury, you may receive some news or information or have some kind of communication that results in finalizing whatever might be holding things up or back. 

For many the new year has been off to a rather slow start. We may have found ourselves having to complete some old business or put the final touches on plans and decisions. While desiring a fresh start, the turning of the year found us making a more gradual start with new projects or plans. During this first week of the new year,  we have been passing through the dark of the moon, and the first few days of Mercury’s retrograde cycle. This has slowed us down a bit, and put us in a more reflective mood and mode than we might have wished for. However, it’s been a great time to get things and yourself ready for the movement ahead. For me, I have new tires, have gotten my business in order, and have taken time to get healthier. Rather than pushing too hard or getting caught up in a lot of expectations, it’s been a time to give some thought to plans and how we wish to use our time, energy, and resources. All the good ideas in the world, require that we be fit and able to carry them out. This is the last day of the dark of the moon so it’s probably a good day to allow the week to end on a more relaxing note. And it’s also a good time to consider what it is that you want to set into motion on the new moon. What you choose now carries you into the rest of the year.

The Capricorn New Moon calls us, no demands that we put order and discipline to work in our lives now. The riding-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mode will not do. Energy, time, focus, and intention all need to align through a more disciplined approach to bringing our dreams into manifestation. As one of my friends said to her young adult son, “If you don’t know what you want yet, pick something and move forward on it. At least you will be using your energy constructively. You’ll maybe find something that you didn’t know would be interesting or a good resource. Or you may at the very least discover what you don’t want and why. Set something in motion, and take a risk to follow even a whisper of inspiration to see where it might lead you. And be practical. Don’t give yourself away; get moving on taking care of business so you open the doors for yourself and then you can help others do the same. If we live with a limited sense of our own power and energy, and simply try to live in the hopes that the magic fairy will show up and wave her magic wand over us, we forget that we are here to find our way and to find meaning. The magic happens, but it happens best when we allow ourselves to get clear about what we want and need. Remember the Universal Laws of Attraction are based on making our needs known, and then being open receiving what we need and desire. 

Use this first lunar cycle of the year to gain a greater understanding of how being clear about what we want to bring to life is enhanced when we set our lives in order, establish some boundaries and limits, and align ourselves in the ways we need to (body, mind, spirit, emotions) to gain the freedom we need to fly. We now combine the pragmatic application of a concrete and clear framework with the metaphysical freedom to lift off through the channels that open up for us. When you are clear about what you want and need, then you are free to receive opportunities, solutions, new pathways, and answers. Falling into the trap of waiting for something to come along or drop out of the blue without you first having put some energy into a search for something, is the misuse of your power and freedom. Make some plans, even if you are unsure. Be ready to take some risks and put yourself out there in a way that may be more rich and rewarding than you could ever have imagined. And don’t sell yourself short right now. Trust that you are worthy of goodness. Open and receive what is good and uplifting for you now.

For those who have plans and are clear about what you want and where you’re going, be sure to avoid blocking your good by overdoing, creating unrealistic expectations, or demanding that things be done in a certain way. Get out of the way of blocking the flow of what is meant to help you on your path now. Trust and be ready.

The New Moon in Capricorn occurs at 19 degrees/13 minutes of Capricorn. Right smack dab in the second decan… a very Capricorn New Moon. Anyone born with planets or aspects within 5 degrees one way or the other of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will feel the effects of this new moon most strongly. The Sun in Capricorn until January 20th brings us even more deeply in tune with a growing sense of responsibility, tenacity, and an overwhelming urge to bring projects and plans into fruition. One friend of mine talks about making daily small tangible resolutions to build more structure and order into her life as an artist. By building in tasks to help create a clearer, freer, more efficient approach to all areas of life, she frees herself to have more time, more order, more clarity about what she wants to achieve. 

What’s also crucial to determine at this new moon is what is feasible and what is not. Not to put a damper on dreams, for that is not the case, but to be clear about how to use time, energy, resources, and ideas to make the most productive use of time. Saying ‘no thank you’ to something that drains time or energy, or setting time aside to take care of yourself as you organize your new plans, projects, or start new jobs or training. Think of this time as a time to prepare for the journey ahead, making sure you have the provisions you need so that the journey is most likely to succeed. 

Mercury is in the final day of its transit through Aquarius, so all the dreams that have been bubbling around in your mind, will be open for reconsideration, reevaluation, or review as Mercury’s retrograde cycle takes it back into the realm of Capricorn. We will be reminded of whatever it is we still need to settle, release, or get through as this cycle begins tomorrow, January 9…in conjunction with the New Moon. Until February 13, Mercury will be going over the details, the practicality, and the structures that are in place to make certain that everything is understood, worked through, and in line for movement forward. If not, it will fall away.

Venus remains in Sagittarius  where it has been since December. In mid-February it changes signs, but throughout the next month and a half, ideas, inspiration, idyllic dreams, and visions tend to color all areas ruled by Venus. Sagittarius’ energy is less focused in the Venus transit, so our romantic idealizations and plethora of imaginative schemes and dreams tend not to be in line with the more sober and grounded energy of Capricorn. This may find us in some conflict with that which we desire and that which is possible. For example, if my dreamy vision for world peace and universal unity of all through love isn’t exactly feasible by the end of the week, I ought not be too disappointed. 

The visions and hopes that rise up with Venus’ transit in happy-go-lucky Sagittarius do add fuel to projects and plans. The positive, hopeful, affirming energy is needed, however the way things unfold has to be grounded within a framework that fits the daily life and grind that must be in place for things to work. In other words, we still need to eat, sleep, earn a living, pay our bills, take care of business and each other. When I imagine that my writing work is so important that I don’t need to stop to eat or drink a glass of water, I know the Venus in Sagittarius energy has clouded my connection with the reality of who I am. Allow the influence of Capricorn to provide you with the order, discipline, planning, framework, and vision to see what is needed to make those wonderful dreams come into reality. Don’t discard dreams; make your life in order so that dreams may be born into the time and space you have created. Make sure you build in time for yourself-rest, nourishment, exercise, fun, play, reflection, and simply time to rest in your own company. 

Mars, which had been in Libra until January 3, is now in Scorpio. Mars’ drive to achieve and get what it wants the way it wants it, becomes more challenging from now until March 5 because now what we want is that deep emotional fulfillment we so desire. Talk about wishing for the moon. That which grows up from the depths during this next two months, reminds us of what we so long to resolve, receive, fulfill, and experience. And of course the realms of the unconscious and the psyche are not so easily discovered or understood. However Mars’ is determined to go deeper and discover and uncover whatever it can find. Be prepared for some pretty powerful awakenings during this time. I know I had a pretty profound experience on the day this transit changed, and something I thought was long in the past, came alive in my life reminding me that what we think we have finished or moved beyond, may not be finished or beyond us.  In this case, I’m not necessarily talking about relationships; it’s more about those areas of your soul development that may have been in a state of rest or hibernation or healing. Look to the house/s where Scorpio is, and be mindful of what may have been recently reawakened in you in that area of your life or as it might affect that area of life. For me it’s in the First House, so it affects how I’m perceived, and how I project myself outward. Something about how I am expressing myself, living out my calling or purpose, is affected. 

Take what you know about the particular area of your life/house and see how this might ring true for you. What are the gifts that can come out of the transit? How can you change the way you use this energy? No doubt you will be reminded of how things were in the past. You now have the opportunity to take the same energy and gifts and use it differently. How can you use the gifts knowing what you know and understanding all you have learned? It’s a pretty interesting and powerful transit, and I’d love to hear how you find this affecting you in your life.

Late last night (Thursday, January 7) Jupiter stationed to move into its retrograde cycle in Virgo. With all the planets that have either just changed signs or are now in retrograde motion (Mercury, Jupiter), and with Jupiter transiting back and forth around the North Node, there is a lot of movement and slow dancing going on around gateways and changes taking place in our lives. It’s almost as if, just when you think you’re ready to go, you remember you have to go back and repack or pick up something you forgot. The movement isn’t ‘wagons ho” but more like the Cha Cha: a little bit forward, a little bit back. 

Today, Friday January 8 the day starts out with a middle of the night aspect of Mars to the Wounded Healer Chiron. Dreams may have indicated areas where we feel vulnerable right now, or where we are more aware than usual of areas that are yet healed and settled. A bit later the Sun forms sextile to Chiron, smoothing things out a bit, and making us more optimistic and hopeful, and bit more resigned to taking the slow and easy does it approach to resolving hurtful or harmful conditions and woundedness. We find ways now to find greater purpose and meaning to what might have seemed like a personal and private issue. We find we can bring our healing into other areas of our lives, and learn that we have found a new sense of grounding and strength that can serve us well and help us reach others.

Mercury enters Capricorn (it might be happening as I write) today, and so the news and communication begins to change its tone. We get more practical assistance and advice, and begin taking more practical steps to bring our dreams into our daily living reality. The pie in the sky ideals and pipe dreams are shaken off, and some hearty, fertile, creative ideas begin being put into place. 

Tonight (8:11 PM PST/11:11 EST) Venus conjuncts Saturn. Where we might have felt lost in the realms of “romanticizing some pain” as Joni’s lyrics say, we now feel more grounded in our sense of love and affections. We settle into a more comfortable and developed sense of how our relationships need to support, nurture, and be at peace with us, wherever we are. We stop pushing for others to be who and what we need, and come more and more to see how what we are is who we are and what we give and receive is good enough. And in fact, is better than good enough. Our relationships are the gifts we have chosen to enter into as a way of sharing and growing in love and compassion. Rather than trying to live in some Fantasyland version of what the ideal relationship is supposed to be, we recognize what it is. We recognize what is really working and what is not. We are less afraid to face the truth of how relationships need to change or be released, and we finally are open to waking up and getting the help we need, taking the sound advice that has been offered, and paying attention to doing that which leads to better, healthier, and more realistic choices. 

If we have been trying to justify broken relationships or dysfunction as ‘normal’ then we now will have to face the truth. If we are wise and are willing to listen to the intuitive messages our body, mind, spirit, and sage advisors have been pointing us towards, we may finally take the steps we need to break away from whatever is holding us in a place where we have been trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

This aspect tends to bring the truth right home to us and it sits in our lap, leans against our chest, and reminds us, we do know the truth and we are strong enough to do what is right to accept that what we desire is possible, what is broken may or may not be repairable, and dead relationships seldom can be resuscitated. In relationships that are building and growing, this aspect brings you to a new level of moving beyond the initial qualms and excitement to settle into some sound and loving commitments to share some of yourself in ways that only happen in relationship. For those who are in between or not choosing close partnerships, the wisdom of Saturn awakens whatever needs have been untended or denied. Notice what is rising up to be befriended and nourished, and find time and energy to enjoy and appreciate what feeds your soul.

And on Saturday, January 9, the Moon in Capricorn makes aspects all day long with different planets. Around noon (PST) the Moon forms a square to Uranus. This might bring about an unexpected call or message of some type. Something shocking or surprising may occur or come to light. Or our intuition or hunches may prepare us for some shocking or revelatory messages. The New Moon in Capricorn early Saturday evening can be a perfect time to take some time to consider what you want to focus your intentions, time, energy, resources, and life work on. Whatever you begin now as well as how you continue on with projects and plans already underway, is sure to receive a potent dose of energy and grounding during this New Moon time and the upcoming lunar month. Enjoy yourself and the riches of life that you have in family, friends, blessings of all kinds, and the gifts that your life enable you to share with others.

Transitions of a New Year: Basic influences that lead us over the threshold to 2016

As we approach the end of 2015 and the start of 2016, we do so in the light of Venus’ entry into firey Sagittarius. Looking out my window in the middle of the night, I saw Venus bright in the Eastern sky. Now at 0/11 degrees of Sagittarius, Venus heats up our love life considerably. New Year’s Eve is less than two days away now. We approach a major annual transition time. And the year begins with some major activity behind us as well as some significant changes ahead. 

 As I write the    Sun  is at 8/24'56" degrees of Capricorn , in the first decan of Capricorn.  That highlights aspects of the Sagittarius energy and sociality, as it introduces a more sober and serious side to all Sun-related activities and to the earth sign areas of our lives/charts. 

The Moon  is at 8/14’27” Virgo, also an earth sign. Earth energy is growing stronger in the areas ruled by the Sun (how we live out our purpose) and Moon (our emotional energy and equilibrium). From what I can tell of what many people are reporting, the urge to purge is great now as we prepare for leaving the past behind and get down to building a new life and moving into more earth-based areas of development. 

Bringing ourselves into greater awareness of our body-mind-spirit connections is a theme that has many laying out plans for creating, building, growing, and establishing stronger connections between personal goals and the collective consciousness. The result will show in how we bring into form those ideas and ideals that we say matter most to us and that contribute to becoming better stewards of the elements and the planetary health and well being. Look to where the Moon in Virgo is in your chart, and note how that area/house and the following, Libra, are sources of light and guidance for you over the next few days and into the New Year. These two areas of your life are ripe for new energy and the sorting out of what your priorities are. How you make the transition from the old year to the new is an indicator of where your focus and energy is being directed now.

Communications is the realm of   Mercury. Mercury is currently in the last few degrees of Capricorn, 28   1’34”. The New Year will begin with Mercury in the anaretic degree of 29 degrees (the last degree of the sign). This is a crucial degree that signals the completion of some major areas of our lives. On January 3, 2016, Mercury will enter Aquarius. Mercury’s completion of its transit through Capricorn may extend into those first two days of the year, the sense of needing to complete old business and rid yourself of anything that is trapping your energy or spirit. You may find that you speak or write out final agreements, sign papers ending old connections, or continue clearing out whatever remains a block to forward movement and new growth. All forms of communication will be involved, and your desire to deal with practical matters will reach a culminating point. When Mercury enters Aquarius, you will feel a greater sense of freedom as well as a sense of having taken care of a lot of unfinished business.

Today’s news is   Venus’ entry into Sagittarius at  0   11’35”. Venus shifts from the energy of its transit through deeply emotional and intense Scorpio to that of the more pleasure-driven and light-hearted Sagittarius. Heating up Venus’ quest for pleasure, the transit through Sagittarius  is now less focused and more apt to be in search of adventure, caprice, and seeking that which appeals to our highest ideals or basic needs and desires. Having spent time searching into the depths of our being with the transit through Scorpio, we now feel relieved of the pressure or need to understand our motivation instead we seek whatever we find meets our needs. Focus is now on seeking experiences. You want to feel free to seek whatever your heart desires in the way of love, romance, beauty, and pleasure. You may find yourself planning trips or seeking to move to a different culture. Moving out of any ruts or regular patterns now seems much more likely than not. Don’t be surprised if you wake up with the urge to travel, explore, or discover something completely far afield of what you typically have been involved in. 

Another change is approaching, and that is that of Mars which is currently transiting through the final degrees of Libra. We find   Mars is currently at 27/42' 1”degrees. By January 3, Mars too will change signs. In Libra we have used our charm to get what we want, and have been rather unsure about any changes we have sought to make. The ambiguity we may have been feeling is rooted in the fact that instead of looking at what we really want to do, we are still trying to figure out how to please everyone with our choices and decisions. The gift or growing edge of Mars’ transit through Libra has been to become clearer about who we are and what we need and want. Acting on that understanding is now going to become more important than it may have been for some time. In part because of some of the other influences which have been holding us back or forcing us to discover the flaws in our plans. Delays have enabled us to work out what it has been that has held us back or led us to act as we have in the past. We now prepare to take a more measured, thoughtful  approach to any dealings or actions (when Mars enters Scorpio on January 3, 2016). 

The planet  Jupiter which entered  Virgo in mid-August of this year, will remain in this earthy position until September 9, 2016. Currently, Jupiter is at 23 degrees of Virgo  . Jupiter will form  a pleasant conjunction, both being in the same sign, as we approach New Years. This lends itself t a pleasurable week, and of some unexpected gifts and bonuses to end the year on. Jupiter brings with it optimism, abundance, good fortune, generosity, joy, and encouraging experiences. And much of what Jupiter honors us with at this time can be found manifest right before us. Results and rewards are practical and down-to-earth. This is a time when body, mind, and spirit are working in tandem to bring into being what we seek through the clarity of our vision. 

The Great Teacher Saturn is at 10 degrees of Sagittarius  at this time. About mid-cycle its transit through Sagittarius (2014-2017) Saturn is challenging us to make progress in areas where we seek to achieve. It also asks that we wisen up and move onto the next stage in our development. Any delays or blocks can be seen as Saturn’s way to teach us enduring patience. During times in-between, we have the chance to better understand our motivation and ways we have helped or sabotaged our own growth and movement. 

These in-between times allow us to test out our theories, grow deeper or grow up, identify our priorities, determine how our priorities align with our values, and reestablish whatever skills, habits, focus or adjustments we need to make in order to move ahead. If we are still trying to live out some fantasy ideal or continue to identify with only one driving aspect of our nature, we get way laid and sidetracked. We want to be careful not to keep running around the same track expecting new avenues and adventures to ope to us if we have done nothing, made no preparations, or have not prepared ourselves for what is going to give us the skills, education., training, or focus we need to thrive. 

One of the most important changes that has taken place is the culmination of the Uranus -Pluto   first quarter square. Uranus in Aries has been making 7 exact squares to Pluto in Capricorn since June of 2012. On March 16 of 2016, the final square to Pluto occurs. Earlier that this most recent cycle was the cycle that began in 2007-2012. It was during this period of time that the ‘game board’ was set up for the series of Uranus-Pluto squares that began in 2012. The period when things were brewing or bubbling beneath the surface. In 2012 and over the past four years, we have seen the impact in the growing problems around war and territorialism that seem to have no solution nor end in sight. The growing number of people who find themselves refugees is another indication that the way Uranus-Pluto reveals how manipulation, violence and events and developments that continue to disrupt civilizations worldwide. All this is not only calling our attention to corruption and systems (financial, social, religious, information/communication) that are falling apart as part of the transformative and disruptive nature of this profound energy. What is falling apart, may not be put back together. What is learned and discerned now, can lead to new ways of handling the problems that must be addressed to mend the woundedness that has torn us apart. 

 This series of squares has not happened in over 500 years. The last time this happened was during the time of the French Revolution. We have our own world revolution going on, and in our individual lives, we are being purged of whatever has been holding us back from setting out on the healing journey that we need.  And these squares  between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn have had a significant impact on everyone and in everyone’s lives-individually and collectively. In fact according to astrologer, Bill Herbst of Mountain Astrologer Magazine, this Uranus-Pluto cycle will have a civilizational impact on history and all societies. Whenever the out planets make one of the ten astrological cycles (different from the 35 year cycles of the inner planets).  Herbst  refers to the outer planet cycles  as messengers providing us with archetypal symbols that point the way toward how we use our power, energy, and intentions

As the year ends Uranus  is at 16 degrees of Aries . By now you probably are well aware of where Uranus and Pluto are in your chart/life. You might want to review how the changes, especially that which has come like a bolt out of the blue, have had an impact on the what you have done and how you have done it. And how your life is in the process of coping with the major changes that have taken place in your life over this period of great transformation.  By March you may have more to deal with. Since we measure astrological events and influences in long phases rather than by exact dates or times, we will be dealing with the impact an aftermath of these cycles for hundreds of years to come. What we do and change now, will have a long-term impact on the future of the world.One pebble in the ocean sends out a ripple, and alone it is not that powerful. Combined with all the other ripples, it becomes a massive power source. Use your energy and power wisely. Take stock of how you are having an impact on life now, and adjust your sails for the journey ahead. 

Another long transit is that of Neptune   in Pisces. Ruler of the imagination, intuition, creativity, dreams, visions, and illusions/delusions, Neptune’s transit through the watery depths of Pisces call for us to surrender to the Divine Sacred, and to at the very least, pay attention to our intuition. There is more to life than what meets the eye, and when we overemphasize one way of perceiving or processing what we are taking in, we limit our vision and understanding. All great scientists, philosophers, authors, and inventors have emphasized the role of trusting what is beneath the veneer on the surface of life. Hunches, intuition, imagination, sensory input, gut instinct, dreams, and all forms of extra-sensory perception, are tools to be honored and utilized. Tools are useless if you don’t use them, so Neptune in Pisces awakens us to what gifts we have to help us discern and trust what is.  As the year transitions, Neptune is at 7 degrees of Pisces . Take some time to listen to what is beneath the surface of your awareness and consciousness.

The other half of the dynamic duo, Pluto  is at 14/59 degrees of Capricorn , just reaching its halfway point in its long transit through this earthy terrain. Pluto, the Great Transformer, has been digging deep into our lives, shaking things up.Also part of the Uranus-Pluto square cycle, Pluto is not only shaking up the area of  your life that it is transiting, but is also shaking up our general way of approaching just about every aspect of our lives.  How are you using your power, and how are you called on to use it from now on? Again the call to ‘grow up’ and move into the roles you have been prepared and called to is strong. Ambition, political action, responsibility, and obligations are all within the realm of Pluto in Capricorn. What are you called to contribute or create? How are you preparing and honoring your gifts, skills, and talents? When we fail to live up to our potential, we fail not only ourselves but all those who count on us to live out of our strength and power. 

Chiron,   the Wounded Healer is also transiting the sign of Pisces  

at 17 degrees. How are you healing? What wounds have been left unattended? How have you been coping with old wounds and imbalances? How are you learning through the healing process, and what do you sense still requires more time, energy, insight, atonement to bring about healing?

And the crown on the cake of this New Year’s essay is the new cycle featuring the Virgo/Pisces axis of the North Node   in Virgo opposite the South Node in Pisces. The North Node indicates where in your life there is movement, endings and beginnings, and points where you are leaving behind one set of lessons to start a new set. Look at the houses that are ruled by Virgo and Pisces. Sometimes there is overlap in a chart. By that I mean a house or sector of your life will have the energy of two signs (perhaps Virgo on the cusp and Libra somewhere in the house itself). When this happens, you want to watch the transits of the North Node (very slow cycle) to see which area of your life is most affected. 

The North Node which is now in Virgo, brings on the new lessons and stages of our lives. It is the gateway to shifts and changes in energy, focus, and skills and challenges ahead. The North  Node is at 24 degrees of Virgo . Nodes appear to be in retrograde (though they don’t move, the Earth does). So it will move from 24 in what seems like backward motion by degrees).  Notice where that is in your life/chart, and be aware of what signs, indications, hunches, or natural processes and developments are beginning now. The shift from the Libra/Taurus axis, changes the type of energy and focus that affects this area now. 

The counterpart to the North Node is the South Node. It is at 24 degrees of Pisces. The South Node represents the gifts of the soul, what we were born equipped to bring into our quest and search for our life purpose. With the focus being on Pisces, it asks us to pay closer attention to those gifts we have either not used or have abused in some way. And the gifts of Pisces include compassion, intuition, spiritual connection, imagination, creativity, and fantasy. If we have any issues with substance abuse or for that matter, any kind of distored use of energy, now will be the time we learn how to use those gifts for good not evil. 

The Nodes passage through the Virgo-Pisces axis will be challenging for us because we will be required to rely on our own gifts and talents more than we ever have. So for example, if you have actively worked to avoid paying attention to your intuition or dreams, dismissing them as irrelevant or ‘just fantasy’, your challenge will come in learning how to understand their meaning in the context of your own perspective and interactions with others in your own life. We will be challenged to befriend our shadow (undeveloped, underdeveloped, unconscious, or misused) aspects of our subconscious and consciousness. 

As you approach the New Year, remember that letting go or releasing does not mean you never have to deal with those issues, relationships, or aspects of yourself and your relationship with others again. It simply means we move on from here in our development, and the real challenges will be those areas will show up as practical chaos in our everyday lives (Virgo North Node) and opportunities that we must discern whether or not to accept. This will appear to arouse and awaken us to those hidden treasures in our subconscious and unconsciousness, our past successes and failures, that which remains a mystery, and our connection or lack thereof to the Divine Sacred. What is being called forth now is for us to surrender to that Sacred force that guides, guards, and directs you through whatever challenges or opportunities open up for you from here on out. 

We may be able to rationalize our way through one sticky mess or relationship or inner struggle after another, but at some point our ability to surrender our own need to control, resist, or otherwise prevent ourselves from recognizing how the Divine operates in and through us.  Finding some type of model or tradition or pathway to help you discern what is calling for attention may help. However, be certain that whatever way you go in search of guidance, you do so with a sense of respecting and honoring each individual’s right and need to discover for themselves, what they came here to do and learn and be.

One of the main aspects that's going to affect how we use the Virgo-Pisces North/South Node axis energy has to do with Mercury's placement. Mercury will be making strong aspects to the Nodes, and will trigger a wide array of complications, gifts, challenges, and mountains to climb in regard to our communication. Notice  where the transiting Mercury and your own Natal Mercury are in your chart/life for indicators of how this is going to look and manifest in your own life. For example, if your Mercury is in Aries, a fire sign, it may caution you to think before you speak more. Or it might ask you to allow what you understand on an intuitive level to become more tempered and compassionate and less connected to having to have the last word or be considered the expert of everything you know a lot about. Letting go of the need to be accepted or recognized is part of this North Node/South Node Virgo-Pisces axis. Acceptance will come more from within now, and that is where it needs to be in order for new growth and development to take place. 

Honoring the ways of  Spirit and understanding our place in the ongoing unfolding of Creation leads us on the path of Harmony. 

Full Moon in Cancer, Sun in Capricorn A Week of Transition and Celebration

Full Moon in Cancer at 3:11 A.M. on Christmas morning, December 25, 2015. The polarity represented by the Sun in Capricorn and the Moon in Cancer is that of seeking a harmonious balance between our need for privacy, a home base, and a sense of safety and belonging with our need to maintain our reputation and connection with the community as a whole. This week is also the time when the Winter Solstice takes place. On Monday, December 21 the Sun enters Capricorn and we enter the season of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer officially begins in the Southern Hemisphere at that time. 

On Christmas Day, December 25-26, Uranus in Aries stations direct. That means it comes out from its orbit behind the Sun and begins moving forward. These times are significant. During it retrograde cycle, Uranus went from 20 degrees of Aries back to 16 degrees. It stations now at 16 degrees and will again transits forward over the same degrees it has been retrograding in. Anyone with planets or aspects between 16-20 Degrees of Aries has been feeling this strongly. Changes have been coming in this area of all our lives, and we might want to look back at what we have learned over this past retrograde time for reflection. The best ways of dealing with the wisdom we have gained from the Uranus transit is to be open to new ways of perceiving, conceiving, understanding, and responding to old situations or condition. We have to find new ways of incorporating our past into our present. We leave nothing behind, but we weave it into who we are becoming and how we are choosing to live from here on out. What didn’t work in the past, can teach us about what we want to avoid or change from now on. 

Think of Uranus in Aries as the Revolutionary force of your life. What has been turned inside out, and how are you using the lessons? What flashes of insight or creativity out of chaos types of experiences have you had this year? Understanding this enables you to experiment with new ways of  coping, dealing with others, and finding yourself and your purpose in life. 

Our urge to purge and bring the year to completion is fueled by the energy of the Capricorn Sun.  We also use this energy to organize and plan for the upcoming year. This is an excellent time to begin bringing to completion what is needed in order to free up energy and time for other long-term projects and goals. We are more likely to see how we’re going to establish the structure and shape of the projects that matter most to us at this time. For the next week we will be bringing some projects to their final stages, and in other ways, we will be planning and organizing for the long haul. 

Mercury, which has been in Capricorn since December 9 remains there until New Year’s Day. The new year will begin with Mercury’s entry into Aquarius. For the remaining two weeks though, communication remains in the stable, grounded influence of Capricorn. Saying what we mean and meaning what we say—the key essence of this transit. Using our communication to bring ideas into form, thought into action, and the intangible into the tangible realms of our daily lives. 

Venus remains in Scorpio until December 30, when it enters Sagittarius. For the remaining week of Venus’ transit, we remain under the spell of Venus’ passionate and deep search for meaning and connection. We are very much ruled by our unconscious desires and any unresolved issues during this transit. We may feel incredibly vulnerable as we have been awakened at a very deep level of our need for connection and lasting love. Discerning those needs is something going on beneath the surface regardless of what appears to be happening around us. It is a season for listening to that which wakes our hearts to our deepest passions and desires. We know what we want, and are not willing to settle for anything less—the Scorpio energy of awareness of who we are so active at this time.

Venus’ shadow side in the Scorpio transit has us looking for monsters under the relationship bed when there are none. We want to avoid ‘making mountains out of mole hills’ when it comes to love, romance, and relationships. Venus forms a sextile to Jupiter on December 23-24 lending an air of happiness and joy to the holiday season. Things run more smoothly than usual, and travel and festivities are favored. 

Mars remains in the muted and ambiguous energy of Libra until just after the first of the year (transits into Scorpio on January 3). Mars puts on a face of charm and fairness during this transit through Libra, not wanting to do anything that offends anyone. The problem is, we are apt to act as if we aren’t upset, when we have every right to be. In our efforts to be cordial and congenial we may also resort to being passive aggressive or dishonest about our true feelings. Watch to see where you are failing to stand up for what you feel is necessary or essential for your best interests. Sometimes with Mars in Libra, we can use our charm to get what we want, and deceive ourselves and others in the process. Act with as much integrity as you can, and be willing to stand firm in your own truth as you entertain and converse with others. Avoid putting on inauthentic faces or making false promises during this transit. Use your energy and take actions that honor all involved. 

Through the Week:

On Sunday early evening (PST) Mars in Libra forms a seisquiquadrant to Neptune in Pisces. This lends an air of fantasy or impulsiveness to our actions. We may find things a bit disorganized or disorderly, and we may not be very practical when making plans. It might be a great time to brain storm, but not such a great time for actually moving forward with new plans or trying to solve unresolved issues. We want to wait until our minds and lives are a bit more organized and grounded than they seem to be during this influence. Later Sunday night Mercury in Scorpio squares Uranus in Aries. Here’s a pretty impulsive and disjointed aspect that might lend itself to some of those not-so-clear fears and fantasies that we tend to create when we’re feeling down or vulnerable.  Better to get some rest, and to channel fears into something productive or creative (wash the dishes or paint a picture) rather than letting yourself fall into the pity pit. And if your need and desire is to be better understood, see what you can do about letting yourself be more accepting, tolerant, and forgiving—of yourself first, for that is where the real action is. Within ourselves. We can’t love or forgive anyone else, if we don’t know how to do this to ourselves.

Monday brings a nice Mercury sextile to Chiron, the Wounded Healer. Mercury in Capricorn and Chiron in Pisces allow us to be more sensitive and understanding in all forms of communications. When taking the gentle, easy-does-it approach, we find ourselves able to reach others. Being aware of our intuitive understanding of others, helps us communicate more clearly and with a greater ability to get our point across. Words can not only be comforting but also can bring healing and much needed compromise. On Monday, the Sun enters Capricorn and we cross the Threshold of the  Winter Solstice. We welcome the turn toward the light from the darkness, as we begin our journey forward. The days in the North begin to lengthen, and we move through a period of great transition and transformation. For all who celebrate the Winter Solstice, this is a pivotal time to focus energy and attention on inviting in Light, Inspiration, and Compassion. 

From Tuesday night on through the week, the waxing moon will be in Gemini, and will be forming a series of aspects on most of the major planets. Our emotional lives will be super charged with the Gemini energy leading up to the Moon’s transit into Cancer late Christmas Eve. The Moon enters Cancer at 28 minutes past 9:00 P.M (PST( on Christmas Eve) and reaches her fullness by 3:13 A.M. PST. A beautiful, sacred full Moon lights Christmas Eve and Day this year. 

Mercury forms a semi-square to Neptune in Pisces and it might be a good idea to avoid over-celebrating with anything that can cloud your judgement or thinking.  It’s a great time for story-telling and enjoying music, dance, and creative fantasies. 

On Christmas Eve morning (middle of the night) you may find visions of sugar plums dancing in  your dreams when Venus forms a sextile to Jupiter. This aspect buoys our feelings of joy and love, making us feel loved and more compassionate towards others. Nice given the season. 

Mercury trines Jupiter on Christmas Day giving us a broader perspective of  how joyful and abundant our lives can be. We feel greater compassion and a sense of wanting to reach out to others at this time—in a very real and tangible way. Our words are honeyed and oh so sweet as we express our love and devotion to those we love in whatever ways we communicate that love.  We may both receive and send out good news, and may feel a deeper connection to that which makes our lives meaningful. It’s a good time for filling our forms and writing letters or applications. And late in the evening Uranus in Aries stations for its direct motion. 

On Saturday, December 26 Saturn forms a semi-square to Mars. This aspect reminds us to be patient and to stop pushing to make things happen. Everything happens according to Divine time, and this time is for resting, waiting, and taking care of what is right in front of us where we are. Take some time off. Set cares, worries, and deadlines aside. Be mindful of where you are and of the gifts of life to be cherished. There are still some things that need to be handled before we can move forward. Any problems, challenges, or healings that need to take place now require your attention. Turn frustration into the energy you need to take care of what needs taking care of right where you are. 

Have a blessed week, and enjoy the beauty that is in and around you. Give from the heart, the love you feel, and avoid worrying about what more you coulda, shoulda done. Be at Peace, and let the Peace of the  Divine come into your life and heart.