AstroCast: December 4 - 20, 2013

**Times where noted are Pacific Daylight Time.

**Degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.

Astral activity is light and relatively easy going for the next couple of weeks, giving us a brief respite from the general intensity of our time.  While a sense of instability in the world, and perhaps in our own personal lives, will increase towards the end of the year and into spring of 2014, what is also present is opportunity.  What we do with it is up to each of us individually but also collectively as a family, an organization, a nation, as human beings sharing this earth, and some would say as intergalactic spirits – now that’s Mercury in Sagittarius talking!  He enters the far out sign on December 4th at 6:42 p.m. so be ready for some interstellar travel, in our meditations as least.  After spending more than two months in the psychic depths of Scorpio, Mercury sets out into the panoramic landscape of life in search of new experiences.  He wants cerebral adventures, yes, but what he really seeks is knowledge to expand his awareness.  Anything is food for thought with Mercury here and for the next three weeks we may enjoy feasting on a banquet of intelligence that delights and develops our philosophic nature.  Mercury in Sagittarius may influence us to eschew mental dieting in favor of free thinking that grasps the Big Picture.  Any hint of censorship or other form of restraint on the way we think, communicate and learn may send us off to look for our next mental meal elsewhere.

Upon entering Sagittarius, Mercury enters into a square with Neptune in Pisces that becomes exact on December 6th at 3 degrees.  Neptune’s contact with Mercury may increase our awareness of the world around us as it heightens our sensitivity and intuition.  The challenge with this aspect is to be clear in our communications and try to muster as much self-awareness of our thoughts as possible.  With Neptune stimulating our imagination and Mercury in Sagittarius already prone to tall tales, we’ll need to rationally engage our minds to ensure we don’t overstate our case, or at least offer full disclosure that we are temporarily though happily lost in an entertaining fantasy world!

Chivalry may enjoy a renaissance over next 7 months and18 days as Mars travels through Libra.  The God of War enters the sign of Love on December 7th and checks his sword at the door for an extended stay.  Due to his bi-annual retrograde motion, he will reside here until July 25, 2014, during which time we may find it awkward here on earth to assert ourselves in the usual direct manner, as our desires may be pre-occupied with the ultimate desire for balance and fairness in our dealings with others.  More comfortable asserting himself with his powerful, raw energy, Mars is at a disadvantage in Libra where he will find his forward movement checked by an intellectual process at the gate of action.  He will feel compelled to take others into consideration in terms of what they want but also what they will think of him if he makes a selfish move.  He may end up appearing impassive or indecisive at best, or at worst feel forced to subvert his desires lest they be perceived as impolite.  For us mortals, the energy of Mars in Libra may generate some frustration as we attempt to achieve our goals.  How can we get what we want if we care too much if others are pleased by it?  Then again, if we consistently yield to Other we could we lose touch with the gift of Mars’ courage.  By the time Mars leaves Venus’ natural home and returns to a comfort zone in Scorpio next July, we may look back and see that we have learned to summon the power to act decisively, but at a higher level that is in unreserved alignment with the desires of the greater whole of whatever unit we are operating through.  If we choose to be fully focused on what benefits ourselves, but within the larger context of whatever it is we associate with, we may conclude that what is good for the Whole is good for us and consequently become a highly effective agent for getting things done.  On a personal level, Mars in Libra may inspire us to be a more attentive neighbor, friend and lover.  Keeping an eye on the Whole may ease whatever frustrations we may encounter, from within or from others, as Mars begins to agitate the potent long-term cycle of Uranus and Pluto and, along with the Sun and Mercury, creates a fractious five-planet T-square formation around the holidays.  Tuning to the higher frequency of Mars in Libra and the lessons we can learn from the warrior’s passage through the sign of peace may give us just enough awareness to interrupt the chaos that is likely to play out in the usual hot spots, personal and global.

As Mercury moves away from the square to psychic Neptune, he enters into a trine to electric Uranus in Aries that becomes exact on December 10th at 9 degrees.  These two planets aligning in fire signs could generate considerable mental sparking and take free thinking to a new level.  The detached nature of Uranus at work in revolutionary Aries gives Mercury in exploratory Sagittarius a brief portal through which to perceive at a genius level, that is if we have the wherewithal to catch a shooting star.

The ability to harness that brilliance may be provided by the ongoing trine between Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio that has been building for the past month.  Exact at 18 degrees on December 12th, this aspect favors broad-based discipline and knowledge expansion through great effort.  Jupiter in Cancer deeply cares for family and loved ones.  Saturn in Scorpio is resourceful and intensely committed to developing personal power.  Acting together in this harmonious alignment, which will be in effect through the holidays, may manifest as a powerful sustaining energy to counteract the more volatile agents at play.  Families may provide the resources we need or be the inspiring force that gets us to take up the mantel of responsibility with complete joy and acceptance.  Real effort we put forth at this time has the potential to generate enduring results.

Half way through the current lunar cycle, the Moon faces off with the Sun in Sagittarius on December 17th at 1:28 a.m. The Full Moon opposition at 26 degrees brings to fruition the seeds planted at the New Moon.  As we traverse this time of seeking new horizons, we may now be able to recognize how all the new data we have taken in, by way of meeting new people, going to new places, reading new books, or simply choosing to look at something from an altered perspective, has influenced us to see our world differently.  While the Sun in Sagittarius is intent on soaring through big picture panoramas, the Moon comes along in Gemini to break the data down into little bits.  Inherent in every system are the individual parts that make up the whole and every single one is of concern to the Gemini Moon.  The imperative of the Full Moon is to bring balance by incorporating the assets of opposing forces.  The will to experience life in all its glory needs to be balanced out by paying attention to its details for an enriched and perhaps less hazardous experience.  The always on-the-road Sun in happy-go-lucky Sagittarius would do well to take the Moon in intellectual Gemini along not only because she knows where all the potholes are, but she’ll also bring along her GPS device and travel guide to assist in making better choices on where to go, who to see and what to do.  The optimistic Sun could bluntly scoff at the Moon’s street savvy, with a lot of hot air ensuing between them until they come to agreement to work together – always possible when fire and air signs face off!  With the chatterbox Gemini Moon, it is sure to involve lots of talking, but for both of them, the urge to think differently and be open to each other’s point of view, is underscored by Uranus as he stations direct at 9 degrees Aries by mid-morning.  With his awakening principal in laser like focus as he hangs in the sky, Uranus sends down to earth the impulse for change to jump-start our sleeping hearts into a life of new expression.