New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn, January 4, 2011

Solar eclipse in January 2010, photographed in Manila, Philippines, by Bullit Marquez for The Associated Press.

It’s déjà vu all over again.

The first lunation of 2011 is a New Moon solar eclipse in Capricorn – just as it was in 2010. And, once again, it’s symbolic of an extraordinary year. Not only will we have another buildup in cardinal signs, but 2011 is a rare six-eclipse year.

At 13 degrees Capricorn, the eclipse on January 4 is only partial, and it’s far removed from a T-square. Still, it’s square Saturn, and that does suggest some tension. Indeed, it may mirror situations and circumstances of the Mars-Saturn square occurring today (December 29).

As I wrote in my weekly forecast, there may be a silver lining in this conflicting aspect, as we’ll be pushed to do things we’ve been putting off, whether due to fear, laziness, or not wanting the hassle. You can put things off only so long before problems start compounding. The key phrase for this eclipse may well be, “Do what you gotta do.”

A little effort will go a long way, too. Mercury is direct and moving steadily forward, and all other planets are direct. It’s like driving down the main drag and hitting every green light. To do that, though, you have to get the timing right – not too fast, not too slow. This won’t be a time for blowing through a mountain of work in record speed. Rather, you’ll get everything done by pacing yourself and staying focused.

With Mercury in Sagittarius, we may find it more useful to focus on the big picture and not get caught up in details. Still, if you’re doing detailed work, you’ll need to take care not to miss small mistakes – yet another reason to work at a steady pace. This applies to driving, too. If you’re going to be late for an appointment, don’t speed up and take risks. Simply accept that you’re going to be late. It happens.

In any case, Saturn clearly is in charge of this eclipse, with the Sun, Moon, Pluto and Mars in Capricorn, the sign Saturn rules. Saturn himself is exalted in Libra, which is why I think the square is going to manifest more as tension that pushes us to move mountains rather than the kind of stress that puts us on overload and takes a few years off our lives, with nothing to show for it.

There’s another configuration in the eclipse chart that has nothing to do with Saturn and is quite interesting. Venus, who is now past her post-retrograde shadow phase and in new territory, makes a perfect square with Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius, and she also makes a very tight trine with Uranus and Jupiter, which are exactly conjoined in Pisces. Neptune and Uranus have remained in a close semi-sextile over the winter, and they’re in their last few months of mutual reception, until Uranus re-enters Aries in March.

There’s been so much going on this year with the cardinal T-square that we haven’t given a lot of attention to the mutual reception. But it has been an undercurrent, running through the T-square and everything we do. Neptune and Chiron represent healing on the collective level. But you can’t heal society unless and until you heal the individuals within it, and that’s where Uranus in Pisces comes in.

I’ve written a lot about the conjunction of Uranus and Jupiter as indicators of major breakthroughs, but what is the source of these successes? As individuals, we’re awakening to higher consciousness. Uranus is sometimes called the “Awakener,” and Jupiter is associated with expanding the mind and, thus, spiritual advancement.

With Venus in close contact with these four bodies, we’d have to conclude that relationships are a big part of our awakening. Many clients over the past several months have come to me with questions about soul mates, or people they suspect they have a karmic connection with. I believe this to be absolutely the case. More and more of us are encountering souls we have known or will know in other lives. Whether we’re meeting them because we’re awakening, or we’re awakening as a result of meeting them, who can say? And does it really even matter?

Eclipses are windows on time, and with six eclipses in 2011, there will be lots of opportunities to sense what’s beyond the “reality” we see with our eyes.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 13°39′ Capricorn is an ancient bas-relief carved in granite, with the keyword FOUNDATION. This symbol is about the limitless potential in every moment. Put another way, you attract what you focus on and give energy to. If you intentionally place your thoughts and actions in a given direction, this is where you’ll go, by hook or by crook.

When our perception of the world changes, our external reality shifts to match it. Saturn, the lord of time, represents the process by which that reality comes into being.

Pat

P.S. Speaking of making your own reality, don’t forget to write your abundance check!

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in 1925 with the help of Elsie Wheeler, a gifted psychic. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

Weekly Forecast December 27:Mars Square Saturn, Mercury Direct

Christmas lights in Leavenworth. © Pat Paquette, 2010.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is typically pretty low-key, and that’s what we can expect this week, for the most part.

The only major planetary aspect in the next seven days is a square from Mars to Saturn. This is among the dread “big bad wolf” aspects, and yet I don’t think we’re going to feel any terrifying effects from it. There are a couple of reasons I say this.

First, Mars and Saturn both are in the signs of their exaltation and thus on their best behavior. Further, Mars in Capricorn “feeds” Saturn, Cap’s ruler, and so I don’t think the square is going to be a tense as a Mars-Saturn square normally would be. It might even be positive for some people.

It could, for example, get some of us off our butts and into action, especially regarding career and family obligations. For those who feel this effect, you may experience some discomfort with the initial push, but once you get going, you’ll feel the sense of relief that comes with accomplishing something you’ve been dreading and putting off.

Second, and more to the point, Mars has already crossed the early degrees of Capricorn, where he and Mercury reactivated the summer’s cardinal T-square. That effect occurred from the first week in December until the 18th or so. Those days were extremely challenging, and we’ve moved out of that. In my estimation, Wednesday’s Mars-Saturn square will be anti-climactic and perhaps have a “dust settling” or “light at the end of the tunnel” feel to it.

Mercury, meanwhile, will return to 19 degrees Sagittarius, where he’ll return direct on Thursday (Wednesday in Western time zones). It’s hard to determine which issues arose over the past few weeks in relation to Mercury retrograde and which were associated with events of a few months ago, at the height of the T-square. In all likelihood, you’ve experienced a combination of the two, which is why this Mercury retrograde was so harrowing.

As usual, when Mercury returns direct, we can expect communications and transportation to be at a dead stop for a day or two on either side. Once he gets going again, though, much of what stood in our way over the summer may begin to resolve, little by little. Real breakthroughs are still a few months away, but it’s encouraging when we begin to see answers, solutions, and results. A little success goes a long way toward restoring one’s faith and optimism.

All other aspects this week are lunar. The most significant are the aspects from the Moon in Libra on Tuesday and Wednesday to T-square points. These aspects could add some stress to the Mars-Saturn square. Again, I don’t see much of anything new here. Rather, we’ll be returning to issues that plagued us over the summer, with a greater possibility of resolution now. Even if the resolution you get isn’t in your favor or causes you some emotional distress, it’s resolution nonetheless, and it will allow you to move on to a better place.

The only other thing I want to alert you to is that we’re in the two-week period between eclipses, which sometimes can be a bit disorienting. That sense of inner chaos and lack of control can be disturbing, but it’s not necessarily negative. Often, it’s just a sign that we’re trying too hard or attached to a particular outcome. Many people I know have managed to truly give up control and ride the wave. The more you relax and let that current carry you along, the less stressed out you’ll be.

Friday is New Year’s Eve, and we’ll be blessed with a merry Sagittarius Moon to ring in 2011. Sagittarius is the party sign, and the Moon with be there for the entire weekend. Come Monday, reality will set in, and this could be depressing for some. So enjoy the good times while you can. Eat, drink, dance, laugh with friends, and revel in the camaraderie and joy of the season.

Wishing you all much love, prosperity, and good health,
Pat

Merry Christmas to All

I’m taking the day off to bake cookies and pies and go to dinner with friends. But you are all in my thoughts.

It took me a couple of hours, but I figured out how to upload an MP3 of my favorite Christmas song, one with old pagan roots, sung here by the Roches. If you click on the link, it should play on your browser (provided you have sound).

The Holly And The Ivy

It’s from their We Three Kings CD. The three kings, or wise men, were astrologers, so perhaps it’s no accident that I love this music. If you like this song, you can download the single or the entire CD and have it instantly for today’s celebrations.

Amazon.com Widgets
The Internet sure has changed our approach to the holidays. But that’s another story for another time.

Love and blessings to all,

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Is 2012 Really Going to Happen?

This week’s question comes from Bucky in Saskatchewan:

I know you get this a lot, but do you really think that 2012 will happen? People said it a million times before and they say we should believe them. Should we?

Yes, Bucky, 2012 will happen … right after December 31, 2011. After that, 2013 and 2014 will happen.

OK, sorry for being a smartass, especially with a young person. But what the heck, if you can’t be a smartass with a young person, who can you be one with?

I assume that what you really meant to ask is whether I think all of the dire predictions for 2012 are going to happen. That’s actually a very good question and one I get from people of all ages who are rightfully concerned, given all the hype. My answer is definitely no. I can’t tell you who you should and shouldn’t believe, but I don’t buy any of the end-of-the-world, wrath-of-God-stuff.

The 2012 predictions are based on the calendar devised by the ancient Maya, who were exceptional mathematicians. It might surprise some people to hear that the Mayan Calendar does not say that the world is going to end in 2012. That date simply is the end of the cycle for which they calculated the calendar. The notion that it signifies the end of the world was proposed by several researchers of Mayan culture. Incidentally, they don’t even all agree on the end date.

That’s not to say that we aren’t living in interesting times and that 2011 and 2012 won’t be historic years. Events in 2010 already have a lot of people shaken up. I attribute these events to the cardinal T-square. It peaked over the summer, but it was so powerful that we felt it before and afterward. It was recently triggered by Mercury and Mars and will continue to reverberate into the material world.

There will be another cardinal T-square in 2011, although it will be different than this year’s in many ways. I did a preliminary article on it last year but will have more as we approach significant dates.

The T-square will be dissipated by 2012, but other cosmological forces will be in effect that will make it a landmark year in human history. Among other things, we’ll experience a rare Venus transit. When Venus and the Sun are exactly aligned, they will be on the Descendant in Washington, D.C., and Venus also will be in the seventh house of the birth chart for the United States (Sibly). This is a bit worrisome, as the seventh house rules enemies in mundane astrology, and the Mayans associated Venus with war.

Also, Uranus will begin an exact square with Pluto in 2012. We got close during this year’s cardinal T-square, but Uranus never quite caught up to the degree of Pluto. This square corresponds to extreme political unrest, and my guess is that the protests will be about basic survival – in other words, a class war. This unrest will continue well into 2014 and could be quite violent at times.

If you’d like to explore this topic further, I recommend Alison Chester Lambert’s book, The Future in the Stars: The Astrological Message for 2012 and Beyond (there’s a hint for you), and also a documentary film, 2012: Science or Superstition. I reviewed both of those items and found them very sane and informative.

Thanks for writing, Bucky. I’m gratified to see that people your age are asking about serious topics like this and that you’re taking the time to find reliable information. You’ve got it right.

Pat

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. I do read all of your questions, although I am sorry that I can’t answer them all. If you need immediate guidance or in-depth advice, please contact me for a private consultation. THANKS!

Lunar Eclipse Hangover

We were socked in and didn’t get to see Tuesday’s lunar eclipse. Not that this is any big surprise in December in Seattle.

What is surprising is that the energy of this eclipse began unfolding before the event itself, and it’s still playing out. We can thank retrograde Mercury for that.

I’ve heard from several friends and clients that big things are afoot in their lives. But resolution hasn’t happened yet. It’s as though the eclipse is unfolding in slow motion. The final outcome likely won’t be apparent until Mercury returns direct at the end of the month and perhaps not until January 12, when he returns to the degree of the eclipse.

Incidentally, this is the first time since 1638 that a lunar eclipse has coincided with the winter solstice.

Meanwhile, Mercury retrograde is wreaking all sorts of havoc. One reader left a comment on this week’s forecast saying this has been “the most retrogradey Mercury retrograde of all time.” I just love that adjective, and boy is it ever true!

I’ve been scouring the news looking for events possibly related to Mercury retrograde and the eclipse. The trouble is, governments and politicians have been behaving so pathologically for so long, that it’s difficult to identify much of anything out of the “ordinary.” We might attribute the weather-related travel difficulties in Europe to Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius, sign of long-distance travel.

I did run across a news item about the launch of a new CIA panel to assess the impact of the release of thousands of diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. Is it any coincidence that they came up with the name, the WikiLeaks Task Force – WTF for short – while Mercury was in bluntly honest Sagittarius? The trickster has got to be ROFL.

Now, will they realize the blunder and change the name after Mercury returns direct? I hope not. It’s one of the only opportunities they’ll ever have to get laughed at for telling the truth.

Pat

P.S. The clouds parted just enough right before sunrise for me to get this shot of the moon off my deck.

Weekly Forecast December 20:Lunar Eclipse, Sun Enters Capricorn

Pretzels on a Christmas tree outside the Danish Bakery in Leavenworth. © Pat Paquette, 2010.

This week is so big astrologically that we started experiencing it before it even got here.

As most of you know by now, we’re in for a lunar eclipse on Tuesday, which also is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The eclipse, which I covered in last Wednesday’s post, is the first in a new series in Sagittarius and Gemini. As it so happens, it will be on the Midheaven here in the Pacific Northwest, at the exact degree in Vancouver, Canada.

Mercury, on his retrograde path, passed over the degree of the eclipse on Saturday. Close to that exact moment, I accidentally let in a malware program that turned my very smart new laptop into a slobbering idiot. Adding insult to injury, I fell prey to an ad promising a solution with a free trial of anti-spyware software. Three hours later, after downloading the program onto my computer and following the surgical instructions, I arrived at a page telling me that the “free trial” found the problem, but if I wanted it fixed, I had to buy the program. I fired off an impolite note to the company, PC Tools, only to have it bounce back with a message that they don’t answer e-mail from nonpaying customers.

Ah, Mercury retrograde at his finest.

The bigger message, as I see it, is about moving toward a “circle of trust” model. Rather than giving my money to a faceless corporation that tried to trick me out of my money when I was in a vulnerable position, I took my computer to our IT shop on the island. It’s a bit more expensive, but they are professional and guarantee their work, and if I have a problem, there’s a real person to talk to.

I’ve written before about the need to choose our friends and allies carefully as we head into the rocky terrain of 2011 and 2012. Who we do business with is part of this process — a fitting message for an eclipse ruled by Mercury, planet of commerce and contracts.

But we may be tempted to shoot the Messenger plenty this week. On Monday and Tuesday, he aspects Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter, repeating the same aspects he made in late November. He’ll make a third and final pass January 10-11. If nothing else, there will be a lot of gift returns after the holidays. The good news is that what you really wanted and didn’t get may be on sale in January.

Otherwise, think of what kind of Mercury ruled activities were going on in your life in late November. They may erupt in a crisis this week. If so, don’t worry, because it will all work out by the middle of January. For me, this is clearly the backlog of consultations I’m still struggling to catch up with. The infected computer set me back another couple of days. To new clients waiting to get on my list, hopefully I’ll have my current workload cleared by the first week of January.

If you’re trying to repair a dinged relationship, Tuesday is a good time to make overtures. However, don’t have the conversation until New Year’s or after, by which time Mercury will be direct.

Right after Tuesday’s eclipse, Venus passes the degree at which she went retrograde on October 8. Romantic relationships can progress to the next level now. Money issues may start to clear up, too. However, with Mercury retrograde, solutions may be delayed until the end of the month.

With the Sun’s entry into Capricorn on Tuesday, we’ll get yet another blast of the summer’s T-square as the Sun crosses the early degrees of Capricorn and conjoins Pluto on Sunday. I ran across an AP news article this morning about the unprecedented number of earth events in 2010. It’s not enough to convince astrology debunkers, but those with an open mind may stop and think about the connection.

As you’ll recall, Ceres was a vital part of the T-square. This week, she forms a sextile to Jupiter and Uranus, and she’s on the Descendant in Washington, D.C., in the Capricorn ingress chart. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department sued BP and eight other companies involved in the Gulf oil disaster. Dare we hope that the United States in the coming months will join in global initiatives to protect the environment, perhaps under the leadership of President Obama?

Friday’s Leo Moon should make for a festive Christmas Eve, for those who celebrate the holiday. The Moon in Virgo on Christmas Day favors healthy feasting and moderation in food and drink. Hopefully, it signifies restraint and good taste in gift-giving, as well. Like many people, I love the festivity of the season but am saddened by the crass commercialism that has overtaken the spirit of Christmas. The winter holidays are so much more meaningful when we celebrate with those we love and trust, exchange gifts from the heart, and create abundance through our soul connections.

Wishing you all much love, joy, and abundance,
Pat

Living Soul Astrology, Part I: Your Soul Sign

In today’s post, Ruth Hadikin takes us deeper into the exploration of Soul Astrology by explaining the concept of the “Soul Sign.” ~Pat

Stars on the Move. Image courtesy NASA/ESA.

The purpose of any spiritual path or practice is to support us in integrating our Soul and personality by developing Soul-awareness, recognition and identification.

Soul Astrology supports us in this process and our spiritual path by helping us to discern which of our personal qualities, traits, and tendencies are expressions of our Soul-light, and which is learned behaviour (personality-based).

When we begin to look at our natal chart from a spiritual perspective, it is important to remember that we are talking about energy. If you could see your natal chart in 3D (or better still multi-dimensionally), you would see a glorious rainbow-coloured mandala – indicating all the dynamic energies that combine to make up your energetic field. If you could see that visually, you would be able to detect a core vibration, a pure essence, almost like a fabric into which all the other energies are woven. This “fabric” would be your Soul Sign. A beautiful sight to behold!

[headline h=”5″]Your Soul Sign[/headline]

Your Ascendant (Rising Sign) is the essence of your Soul, because it comes in first. It is because your Soul is already resonating at that vibration that it can incarnate at that time and place. Your Ascendant creates a window of opportunity for your Soul to incarnate at that precise moment, in that precise location, because it is the same frequency. So for example, it is because you are a Cancer Soul that you incarnate when Cancer is rising on the horizon. It is your “wavelength,” and so you are able to “beam in” on this frequency!

It is important to be clear that it is not because Cancer is on the Ascendant that this makes you a Cancer Soul. You are a Cancer Soul already. Your Ascendant heralds the “dawn of your life” and, as such, is therefore the most important sign in Soul Astrology and can be considered your Soul Sign.

One of my mentors, Soul Astrologer Errol Weiner, explains in his book Transpersonal Astrology how your Soul stays in the same sign for seven incarnations, and it is possible, by measuring the degree of the Ascendant, to estimate how many lifetimes your Soul has been in this sign. So, in our example, if you have 14º Cancer on the Ascendant, you may have been a Cancer Soul for three or four lifetimes.

So have you always been a Cancer Soul? No. Your Soul is growing, changing, and passing through stages of development, just like your physical body does. When you were an infant, you went through the developmental stages of eating solid food, teething, sitting, standing, walking, and talking. Similarly, according to The Tibetan in Esoteric Astrology by Alice Bailey (AB), your Soul also passes through developmental stages.

[headline h=”5″]The Stages of Soul Development[/headline]

For the purpose of understanding Soul development, we can think of the twelve zodiac signs in three categories. The first four signs are the signs of “preparation.” This is where your “infant” Soul is growing, developing qualities, and taking shape. The next four signs are the signs of “crisis” or “challenge” where your “teenager” Soul has to begin functioning and applying these qualities. The latter four signs are the signs of service, where your mature Soul recognises its purpose, is skilled, and knows what to do in order to serve for the highest good of humanity.

The Signs of Preparation: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer
In Esoteric Astrology, the Tibetan (AB) explains how your Soul begins in Aries as a “point of light in the mind of God.” In Taurus, this point becomes a beam of light, and in Gemini, the beam splits into multiple beams of light. In Cancer, the light becomes the diffuse light in form.

The Signs of Crisis or Challenge: Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio
If you have one of these signs on the Ascendant, you will recognise that struggle and/or challenge, have been major themes throughout your life.

In Leo comes the first “battle.” Your personality has to “fight” to individuate and separate from the mass consciousness of Cancer. The light form has to individuate and become a “Self.” In Virgo, this Self turns to Service by flowing love and light into physical matter.

In Libra, there is an apparent “resting phase” where your Soul exercises ethical choice to harmonise opposite polarities. It is a time of synthesis. (Similarly, in childbirth there is also sometimes a brief resting phase after contractions and before pushing begins). This is important, because there is a kind of birth in Scorpio. As the final sign of “crisis,” Scorpio enters the battlefield, where the lower desires of your personality battle the higher calling of your Soul. Crucifixion of your personality and integration with your Soul happens in Scorpio.

The Signs of Service: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
In Sagittarius, the true goal is recognised, and there is the potential for true liberation of your mind. Capricorn is the sign of the disciple – the goal is known and your Soul at this point begins the inner journey, walking the spiritual path that leads to the ultimate goal.

According to Esoteric Astrology, in Aquarius your Soul becomes the “World Server,” and in Pisces, the “World Saviour.” These latter signs are the most mysterious and esoteric of all, because humanity has not yet reached an evolved stage of consciousness whereby we can fully understand the true spiritual meaning of these signs and their Divine energies.

At the level of Soul vibration, it is probably best to think of the twelve zodiac signs as twelve Divine Intelligences, or Beings that are working with us, at each stage of our Soul’s development. It takes us around 84 lifetimes to complete a “Soul cycle” through all twelve signs. What happens once our Soul completes a full cycle? No one knows for sure, but my guess is that we start all over again, only from a higher position on the spiral, and so we evolve.

In Part II we will look at the personality signs, why they form an important part of your spiritual journey, and what it means to be living Soul Astrology, as part of your spiritual practice.

Ruth

[hr]

Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Follow Ruth:

Ask Real Astrologers: Does Precession Mean I’m Not an Aries?

This week’s question comes from Carolyn in Seattle, Washington:

I have always thought of myself as an Aries, my whole life. I was looking at a website that said as of 2009, the sun is in Aries from April 19 to May 15. I have always known it as March 20-April 21 (ish). Does this affect my personal star sign, or does it only matter when I was born, not when my birthday is?

This is a great question, Carolyn, and one I’m asked often. What makes it so confusing is that we’re talking about two separate systems of tracking planetary movements. It’s comparing apples and oranges.

The zodiac is the belt of constellations along the ecliptic, the path the Sun makes in the sky throughout the year. The Sun currently moves through the constellation of Aries from April 19 to May 14, but it is in the sign of Aries from roughly March 21 to April 20. The exact dates vary slightly from year to year. The scientific community observes the movements of the Sun against the actual constellations, while astrologers refer to the Sun in the signs.

As the article you cited in your e-mail explains, this discrepancy didn’t always exist, but arose due to a phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes. When astrology was first developed thousands of years ago, Aries was on the eastern horizon at sunrise on the spring equinox. But because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, this point has shifted backwards.

To address precession, astrologers in ancient Greece devised a system whereby the sky was divided into 12 parts, with 30 degrees assigned to each sign, starting with 0 degrees Aries on the spring equinox. This is the basis of our popular Western astrology, and it applies to the date you were born and every birthday in your lifetime. Even for those born on the cusp, you are the sign you were born under. That’s why it’s so important to look up your chart and not rely on the dates given in horoscopes in the current year. Further, if you were born on a day when the sign changed, it’s critical that you have your birth time, or you won’t know for sure what sign you are.

Now, at the risk of confusing you further, there are other branches of astrology that use calculations closer to the Sun’s actual path through the constellations. The most widespread of these is Vedic astrology, which is practiced throughout India and other Eastern countries. According to that system, Carolyn, you would be a Pisces from birth.

But unless you want to convert to that system and completely ignore Western astrology, you should consider yourself an Aries and not worry another minute that you’re anything but an Aries.

To anyone who would like to know more about the origins of astrology, I highly recommend the A&E “Ancient Mysteries” series, with Leonard Nimoy as host. You can find it, along with several other recommendations, in the RealAstrologers bookstore (yes, that’s where all my book links went!).

Pat

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Gemini, December 21

Living on an island gives a whole new meaning to “missing the boat.”

If you arrive at the dock 30 seconds late, you may have to wait an hour for the next ferry. I’ve slept through the alarm a few times, and when I realized how late it was, I had to make a last-minute scramble to get my butt out the door – wet hair, no coffee, and makeup thrown in a bag for later.

That, dear ones, is how I see the Full Moon lunar eclipse on December 21 – the first eclipse in the new Sagittarius-Gemini series. As we awaken into higher consciousness, we may suddenly realize that our normal routine is useless, and we’ll have to make some very fast changes in order not to miss the boat.

Most of us have a pretty good idea by now where we’re going, or at least in which direction we’re heading. The challenge has been how to get there. Over the summer, under the influence of the cardinal T-square, we initiated new circumstances in our lives but then got stuck. To get unstuck, we had to expand our thinking or change our beliefs. If you managed to get that far, you may now find yourself in a chaotic blur as your inner being and outer world attempt to realign.

The Sun at 29 degrees Sagittarius and the Moon at 29 degrees Gemini form a mutable T-square with Jupiter and Uranus, both back in late Pisces after their brief foray into Aries over the summer. Whereas the cardinal T-square initiates new projects and circumstances, the mutable T-square favors change through adaptation. So, the way I read this is that we’ll need to scramble to make changes in order to adapt to events that came about during the cardinal T-square.

Several hours after the Full Moon, the Sun enters Capricorn and activates the apex of the cardinal T-square, which was occupied by Pluto over the summer. The lunar North Node, a destiny point, also is there, and Mars recently moved over this point. Needless to say, it’s a highly charged area of the sky. Be prepared for difficult issues to come to a head, but then observe closely. What transpires will give you a clue about what comes next and what course corrections you need to make, if any.

In a flip of energies, Jupiter and Uranus are at the apex of the mutable T-square at this Full Moon – yet another sign that shifting is going to occur. Uranus is unpredictable, but with Jupiter in close conjunction, whatever happens is sure to happen big. The open spot opposite Jupiter and Uranus, in late Virgo, is the pressure relief valve, so check to see where this point is located in your chart. That’s where you may see the most positive changes at this eclipse.

The conjunction of Neptune and Chiron form another release point, which is in a flowing sextile-trine pattern with the Sun and Moon. I’ve been writing about these two for several years and their influence in healing. We can’t expect to have healthy and supportive social structures when the individuals who make up our society are sick, asleep, and drugged into emotional numbness. How much shock is enough to wake us up? And will enough of us do the healing work to reach critical mass?

Mercury is the ruler of this eclipse, and he’s retrograde until the end of the month. While we may have to deal with a lot of frustrating delays and miscommunications, I’m hopeful that we’ll also have an opportunity to rethink our response to the summer’s events. Launching new projects while Mercury is retrograde isn’t advised, but research and revision can work out quite well. Mercury is closely conjunct the Galactic Center, and that tells me we could get more “downloads” from the Universe – important information we can use to help us comprehend what’s occurring and to work more effectively toward our new goals.

A few hours after the eclipse, Venus reaches the degree of her retrograde on October 8. Relationships enter new territory, and I think this will be mostly for the better. The problem, as I see it, is that with Mercury retrograde, going back over old ground may be necessary but not necessarily productive. Try it, and if you see that it’s not working, back off until after Mercury returns direct on December 30.

Saturn is unaspected at this Full Moon but is “receiving” from Pluto, Mars, and Ceres in Capricorn, and he’s also exalted in Libra. Whatever we manifest now, there’s a real possibility that it will balanced and fair. Among other things, look for news of environmental issues being addressed in a more fair and balanced way. Saturn will be the ruler of the next New Moon, a solar eclipse at 13 degrees Capricorn on January 4.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Moon at 29°21′ Gemini is, bathing beauties, with the keyword CHARM. We all have natural gifts and talents. They are part of who we are and what makes us unique, and as we develop them to their fullest potential, we become stronger and more confident. When we’re using our gifts as intended, we naturally want what is best for our “highest self,” and we can more easily let go of what doesn’t serve us. Since this is a Full Moon, there’s a strong possibility that many of us will have to let go of something or someone.

For the Sun at 29°21′ Sagittarius, the Sabian Symbol is the Pope, with the keyword SANCTITY. This symbol originally was meant as a testament to the special abilities a person develops as he climbs higher on the social and political ladder. In an era long gone, those who made it to the top were admired for their strength and leadership, and it was recognized that they sacrificed much to make it to the top.

There’s a flip side to this symbol, “inordinate love of self-display and surrender to a lust for power.” That hits the nail on the head in the context of mundane astrology. But there’s a personal message in it, too, which is that getting to the top – whatever that means to you – requires self-sacrifice and, above all, maintaining your integrity.

Pat

Weekly Forecast December 13:Mars Conjunct Pluto, Sun Square Uranus

Detail from The Birth of Athena, monotype print by Brian Fisher, 2010.

Get your latte early Monday and make it a double. It’s going to be a wild ride this week.

We’re all on overwhelm and faced with too much work, too much shopping, too much interference, too many hassles, and too many things slowing us down when we’re under pressure to speed up.

Still, I remain optimistic that we’ll be able to address issues that had us totally frustrated and paralyzed into inaction over the summer, and that movement will be possible. Just prepare yourself for a lot of turbulence.

For this week’s image, I chose another monotype print by Brian Fisher, my favorite Vashon artist. This work, entitled “The Birth of Athena,” depicts the myth of goddess Athena springing fully formed from the head of Zeus, the Roman Jupiter. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, military intelligence, and crafts. Among other things, her birth symbolizes the manifestation of thoughts into reality. But you can bet that Zeus had one hell of a headache afterwards!

It’s a good metaphor for this week.

Throughout the week, the apex of the cardinal T-square is activated by Mars and retrograde Mercury, who conjoin on Monday with each other and with Pluto. The Mars-Pluto conjunction is especially potent, and its effects will last for most of the week. Again, I do have some optimism about this aspect, in that Mars is setting off T-square events and propelling us into movement. One of the biggest complaints I heard all summer was that everyone was stuck. Chances are, you will not be stuck after this week.

On Tuesday, the Moon enters Aries and squares the cardinal points of the previous day, adding more fuel to our rockets. Speaking of the Moon, we’re counting down to the lunar eclipse in Gemini on Tuesday, December 21. I’ll have a complete report in a day or two.

Uranus and Jupiter, who formed one leg of the T-square, are both direct in late Pisces. From Thursday through Saturday, the Sun in late Sagittarius squares Jupiter and Uranus, and he also forms a sextile with Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius. Once again, I see these aspects entirely within the context of the T-square. The jarring aspect from the Sun to Jupiter and Uranus will nudge them into action, so wherever they are in your chart – and however they’ve been playing out for the better part of a year – is what you’ll get.

Also on Saturday, Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius, and he conjoins the Sun on Sunday. Next week, he’ll pass over Uranus and Jupiter. It’s like he’s replaying the entire summer, right before our eyes. Yes, we may cringe at the thought, but it’s also our opportunity to get the movement we couldn’t get while Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter were in a standoff with Pluto.

As for Saturn, he’s exalted in Libra and “receiving” from all the Capricorn planets. Best of all, he’s out of the way of the T-square and so can do his job. Saturn is strict and not always fun, but when you’re manifesting new thoughts into reality, Saturn is the go-to planet.

Just don’t be surprised if you have a screaming headache come next Monday morning.

Wishing you all much love, joy, and abundance in this holiday season,
Pat