**Times where noted are for the Pacific Time Zone; degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.
If you are reading this the end of the world didn’t happen, popular interpretations of the Mayan calendar notwithstanding. The solstice day therefore, when the Sun entered Capricorn at 3:12 a.m. on December 21st, can be considered the end of one rather long cycle but also the exciting beginning of a new era. In terms Capricorn would understand, it is a time to find our destiny, to discover the light within us and to express it outwards for all to see, to make the inner life public in such a way that the thread from our core maintains its integrity throughout it’s journey into the realm of society. The Sun in authoritative Capricorn may bring out the leader in all of us, where our efforts to organize, build and manage our collective systems come from a purely impersonal place that has no room for ego. One of the symbols for Capricorn is the hermit because he has to be so comfortable and complete in his own skin that he cannot be swayed by the plentiful recognition and rewards that will come his way as a result of his impeccable industriousness. Should he identify with those then his actions lose their intrinsic meaning and he becomes just a shell feeding on materialistic narcissism.
We’ll need the Sun in Capricorn’s impartial discernment when Venus opposes Jupiter on December 22nd. The possibility to go overboard in love and generosity is great as hearts swell with the need to express the joy of relating. With Venus at 9 degrees Sagittarius, which is ruled by excessive Jupiter, she is especially vulnerable to amplified enthusiasm and may leap into love without looking first. With Jupiter at 9 degrees Gemini, she would do well to gather a few facts first and then decide whether her amorous sights are worthy of her bounteous affection. Learning about the art of true love may be the ultimate message of this aspect.
Mars leaves practical and productive Capricorn and awakens his inner radical when he enters Aquarius late afternoon on December 25th. It’s all about fighting for a cause, which usually has something to do with individual freedom. The paradox about Aquarius is that it is the sign of the humanitarian caring about the fate of others but it resists any attempt at mass conformity. Mars here may act out fighting for the underdog, but while being concerned for the group/society/global village at large, he will also fight against anything that inhibits the provocative assertion of his individuality. With truth as his sword, Mars in Aquarius will always speak his mind, not caring what anyone thinks. About an hour later this theme is underscored when the Sun at 5 degrees Capricorn squares Uranus at 5 degrees Aries. Uranus rules Aquarius and thus embodies its themes of originality, inventiveness and revolutionary fervor. With Uranus challenging the Sun in a fractious square, Christmas day may see a lot of us hell bent on being unique. Consider all traditions at risk! This aspect also touches off a volatile period activating the era defining Uranus/Pluto square that ends later in the week when the Sun conjuncts Pluto
Fortunately, Saturn at 9 degrees Scorpio steps in to steady the energies with a smart sextile to Pluto at 9 degrees Capricorn on December 26th. In mutual reception (in the sign that the other rules), Saturn and Pluto therefore have a stronger alliance in expressing each other’s strengths. Pluto’s raw power is much more effective when corralled by Saturn’s insistence on cultivated discipline. We just may find that we can handle all that is being presented to us, and more, if we are willing to do the work that is required.
The annual opposition between the Sun at 7 degrees Capricorn and the Moon at 7 degrees Cancer on December 28th highlights the archetypes of the inner and outer worlds and the structure that separates them. The Moon rules Cancer and from her familiar domain she offers a double dose of hypersensitivity, and the need for a protective shell against anything that endangers her natural ability to read the delicate intricacies of her environment. Harshness is treated like a hurricane, which triggers all manner of defense mechanisms. Think storm shutters, battery walls, any protective structure that would block the offending forces. This intuitive stance also extends to others who she would deem vulnerable to the cold, cruel outside world and may bring out the Mother in all of us to keep them safe, nurtured and heal. To optimize her deep seated feeling nature, the Moon’s best strategy is to stay connected to the outside world via openings that don’t let too much in at once to minimize overwhelm, but which allow her to continue to reach out and feel that which is happening around her. If she builds an impenetrable fortress from which she is too fearful to venture, she ends up in a world solely made of her active inner imaginings and cuts herself off from being able to contribute her exquisite sensibilities to the world. The Sun in Capricorn isn’t concerned with feelings, much less protecting them. He is a builder of structures too, but ones that offer a useful way for society to operate. Ambitious, patient and self-disciplined, nothing gets in his way once he’s got his meticulous plan in place. Hurricanes and feelings are just nuisances to be handled, or exploited. At this Full Moon we are given the opportunity to find common ground between the extremes of feeling and will, to infuse our public life with the art of the unseen, and to make that which separates the two spheres of existence like a permeable membrane that is everything both sides need – hurricane diffuser and mystical infuser.
On December 30th at 5:37 a.m. the Sun completes his translation of the Uranus/Pluto square with a conjunction to Pluto at 9 degrees Capricorn. Those with natal planets or other sensitive points between 4 and 9 degrees of the Cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, will be affected the most by this formidable aspect. Deep in the core of our being is where our power lies. The Sun contacting Pluto will turn on the switch to that potent force. The choice for all of us remains what to do with that force during this relatively brief time when it will be more readily accessible. While it could be put to use in oppressive dictatorial pursuits that serve an unchecked ego, it could also, with authentic intent to be a guardian of that power, be a force that can break down barriers to profound growth. The Uranian factor in this configuration is the wild card. Sometimes a bombshell is the only thing that can break apart a concretized way of being. Saturn again steps in to add stability to this volatile mix when he sextiles the Sun by mid-morning, instilling some moderation to the intensity through the voice of authority.
Backing that up with some constructive thinking, Mercury enters Capricorn around dawn on December 31st where he will rely on a procedural methodology to go about his business. Mercury here is the voice of authority dedicated to the advancement of civilization. With Capricorn being an initiating cardinal sign and Mercury the planet of the mind, we may feel compelled to put our ideas into action. Great time to commit to those New Year’s resolutions!
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