New Moon in Capricorn, December 27

New Moon by Chuck Ren The New Moon on December 27 may be one of the most significant of 2008, because it conjoins Pluto as Pluto begins its 16-year journey through Capricorn, signaling the beginning of a new era.

The Sun, Moon, Mars, and Pluto are in early degrees of Capricorn with Mercury and Jupiter at the end of the sign, totaling six planets in Capricorn at this New Moon. Capricorn is an interesting sign. Even though it is associated with government, corporations, and the father of the family, it is feminine in polarity and the third earth sign. Saturn is the traditional ruler of Capricorn and the planet responsible for teaching us to respect boundaries and limitations and to follow through on our commitments. On this New Moon we are getting a clear message to grow up and accept responsibility for ourselves in all facets of our lives. It is time to be creative with what we have on hand.

The Pluto-Mars conjunction in Capricorn is powerful and implacable, and we need to be aware this is not a good time to stir up trouble, because the response may be far more than we bargained for. With Mars in Sagittarius, tempers flare quickly but cool quickly, too, but this is not the case in Capricorn. This Pluto-Mars conjunction can cause people to hold a grudge for a long, long time so the wiser course of action is to take the high road and behave with maturity.

The luminaries are also part of this stellium, underlining the importance of considering the needs of the collective rather than the individual. It is very possible we will be in for a dose of instant karma if we behave badly at this time.

Jupiter and Mercury are conjunct in Capricorn, and both are trine Saturn in Virgo, emphasizing a clear, concise, pragmatic approach to problem-solving. The more we stay with the “no frills” version of things, the easier time we will have right now. Jupiter will move into Aquarius on January 5, and the sense of constriction will start to ease some.

Venus is exactly conjunct Neptune in Aquarius in this chart, and compassion rather than passion is the order of the day. Unconditional love encourages us to embrace others, warts and all, and supports diversity within the collective – all necessary aspects of the maturation process this New Moon embodies.

The Sabian symbol for 7 Capricorn is, “A veiled prophet speaks, seized by the power of a god,” with the keyword MEDIATORSHIP. This message is appropriate for a New Moon conjunct Pluto, as we are in a time of new beginnings on many levels, and those glimpses we have of future possibilities can help us choose what we wish to manifest. However, it is important to stay open and avoid becoming attached to a certain outcome, because Pluto is the quintessential outer planet and is impersonal in the way it affects our lives.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, especially those latitudes where the nights are very long, it is easy to remember that this is time to reflect and review the past year in order to prepare for the new one. This New Moon practically demands that we turn our focus inward and take inventory. My own key phrase these days is, “Don’t get attached to an outcome,” because Pluto is on the field. It is also good to remember to be kind to yourself and others now and forgive, forgive, forgive.

**Please read Pat’s weekly forecast for this week, December 22, too. With the dynamics in the sky right now, additional perspective can only help.

posted by Neith . . .

Of course, today is the day to write your New Moon abundance checks! Here’s how.

Image: New Moon, by Chuck Ren.

Weekly Forecast December 22: New Moon in Capricorn Conjunct Mars and Pluto

Winter, by Maxfield Parrish Happy Solstice!

Here in the frozen North — and I do mean frozen — the longest night of the year is upon us. From now on, the days will begin to lengthen, and we know that the warmth and light of the sun will return, dark and dismal as it is now. It is no accident that the fathers of the Christian church made this ancient pagan holiday the birthday of Jesus, whom they called the Light of the World. Jesus more likely was born in the spring, not on Christmas, but no matter.

Where I live, the winters typically are pretty mild. If we get snow at all, it melts within a day or two. But we’re under a foot of snow, and everything is at a standstill — appropriate for the Solstice, which means sun at a standstill. I walked home from work last night, trudging up the unplowed hill with my bag over my shoulder, much like the hunter in this Maxfield Parrish painting trudging through the snowy woods.

Saturn-ruled Capricorn trudges on, doing what must be done. We’ll experience a lot of this theme over the next few years with Pluto in Capricorn, especially the year after next, when he’ll be squared by Saturn and Uranus. At that point, we will have to switch our focus from amassing wealth to meeting basic needs. Already, the economic downturn is causing many people to stop and think about what they really need and what they can do without. The answer to that question is, “a lot.”

Speaking from experience, I can assure you that we don’t realize how wasteful we’ve been until we begin living more frugally, and while that’s a scary prospect for many in privileged Western societies, I can also tell you that it’s exactly what many people need to wake up spiritually, to be enlightened or “come into the light.” Let me add, for those who haven’t heard me say it before, that “spiritual” is not a moral position to aspire to, but a way of seeing the invisible energies that flow through the Universe. They exist, they are real, and they impact our lives. There is nothing with wrong with wanting stuff, but too much emphasis on the material limits the vision.

With that long introduction, let’s talk about this week.

Although the Sun conjoins Pluto on Monday, most of the activity doesn’t happen until Friday and Saturday, with the entry of Mars in Capricorn and the New Moon at 6 degrees Cap, not far from Mars and Pluto, which conjoin on Sunday. Mercury and Jupiter also are in Capricorn, although in later degrees. Still, this is a lot of Capricorn, so we are going to get a full frontal view of what this sign is all about. Government, business, military, and authority in general all fall under the auspices of the Sea Goat.

In our personal lives, authority usually is represented by parents and employers. Saturn will be stationed about to go retrograde at the New Moon, so I expect that we will spend the next several months revisiting these issues. Neith will have more on the New Moon on Tuesday, so be sure to check back.

The ongoing Saturn-Uranus opposition will be active this week on many levels. Watch for developments on Wednesday, when Mercury forms a favorable sextile to Uranus, and on Friday, when Mercury trines Saturn. If you don’t know yet how this major aspect is impacting your life, you’ll get clues this week.

While all of this high-powered business is going on, Venus quietly conjoins Chiron on Tuesday and Neptune on Saturday. Although most people need a crisis or a series of crises to awaken, that a-ha moment tends not to come when we’re under the gun, but when we’re in a relaxed “in-between” space.

We can wish for world peace all we want, but it won’t happen until the prerequisite is met, and that is the awakening of the collective mind. That is my deepest hope and wish for this holiday season.

Holiday love and blessings to all…

Pat

Image: Winter, by Maxfield Parrish.

Saturday Extra: Living With Saturn Opposing Uranus

Bridging Earth & Water On November 4, Saturn opposed Uranus at 18 degrees Virgo and Pisces, the first of four oppositions that will take place in these signs over the next 18 months. The next one will occur on February 5, 2009, at 20 degrees, followed by a third pass on September 15, 2009, at 24 degrees, and the last one on April 26, 2010, at 28 degrees – clearly a mandate on working with the Virgo-Pisces axis.

Bernadette Brady refers to this aspect as “the Structure vs. the Surprise” and I sure agree with her. Uranus is always good at throwing a curve ball or two our way, and Saturn cringes every time. However, we can’t live under the bed for the next couple of years waiting for the sky to fall, no matter how much some of us would like to, but we can help each other understand what’s happening.

One thing about oppositions is that they take place in complementary signs, unlike squares or inconjuncts. Virgo and Pisces may mumble about the other a lot, but they do have a sneaking admiration for each others’ strong points. Virgo often wishes they had Pisces’s knack for going with the flow, and Pisces people would love to have Virgo’s organizational skills at their fingertips. In other words, the possibilities for meeting each other halfway and for compromises are greatly increased.

I am inclined to believe the sporadic disruptions will be followed by repair and rebuilding, just as I have experienced in my own life. And, as in our case, the end results will be better than the previous structures. Many times Uranus transits force us to deal with something we’ve consistently put off, too. The first opposition found Saturn and Uranus in harmonious aspect to Jupiter in Capricorn, and that encouraged us to accept the fact that rebuilding is a process. Uranus can create chaos in a matter of moments, but it takes Saturn’s willingness to do the work to create order once more.

As always, be prepared to practice forgiving yourself and others, because this series of oppositions is bound to bring moments of uncertainty and doubt as part of the process.

posted by Neith . . .

Image: A bridge is a good symbol for working with oppositions. This lovely Japanese Moon bridge brings earth and water into harmony.

Ask Real Astrologers: Is This a Karmic Relationship?

This week’s question comes from Donna in Columbus, OH:

I have a question about one of the strangest relationships I have ever experienced. This is definitely a relationship where a strong romantic attraction exists, but honestly, it seems there is more to it. I knew the moment I met this man I already knew him, and told him so. Which, shockingly, he did not dispute or think I was completely insane!

Anyway, this man has his South Mode conjunct to both my Sun and Venus. I know there is a lot to look at with relationship charts, but could you just describe a little of what this placement could indicate? We see each other only a few times a year but our relationship seems to deepen even when we are not present in each other’s lives daily.

Libra ponders . . . Neith’s response:

Donna, the feedback I’ve received from others with aspects to the Moon’s Nodes in synastry particularly by conjunction supports what you are saying about what’s happening in this relationship.

Any time the Sun or Venus are active in synastry, the effect is generally on the positive side, because these two planets embody warmth and affection, and since it is your Sun and Venus, you are the person bringing these qualities to the relationship. The South Node represents ways of thinking and being we are most familiar with, and if you believe in reincarnation, then it’s what we bring into this life from past ones. This conjunction is all about pure comfort for both of you, so it is no surprise you enjoy spending time together.

A possible downside here comes about if the South Node person is not particularly conscious and drains the vitality of the Sun-Venus person. In a way it is a good thing you only see each other a few times a year because then you reap the benefits of this aspect bringing about a “no harm, no foul” situation.

Keep in mind if you do decide it’s important to be together more, to have an experienced astrologer give you feedback using both synastry and composite charts, provided you both have good birth times.

Enjoy for now!

Pat’s response:

Donna, you don’t say how close Venus and the Sun are to your friend’s South Node. In general, planets have to be within a degree or two of a lunar node to have much of an effect, unless there are other things going in the chart that provide more clues about possible karmic connections.

I do agree with Neith that there is something karmic going on here. I don’t believe in past lives, per se, but I believe that the energies we bring into this life do have relationships with energies that other people bring into their lives, and we attract or repel these accordingly. As Neith said, Venus and the Sun attract and in general are positive.

That said, I do know of one married couple in which the woman’s Venus and North Node are on the man’s Sun and South Node, and while they have a very comfortable and apparently easy relationship, there isn’t a lot of passion, and they appear to have a sort of unspoken contract to keep each other from delving too deeply into who they really are. In other words, they reinforce each other’s laziness about doing the work necessary to wake up and live to their fullest potential.

This strange relationship you are experiencing may simply be a reminder that we all have kindred spirits who come and go out of our lives, and that may be all there is to it. If not — if this is meant to be something more — it will develop when the time is right. Often, that timing happens when a chart point you have in common is triggered by a conjunction from an outer planet.

Good luck!

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Astrology Poll: What’s Your Favorite Winter Holiday?

The Sun enters Capricorn on Sunday, the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Online Surveys & Market Research

While many cultures and religions around the world have different feast days throughout the year, the solstices are celebrated just about everywhere in one form or another. In Christian-dominated countries, most people celebrate Christmas, perhaps forgetting that it had its origins in a much older tradition that revolved around the four cardinal points of the zodiac.

We would love to know how our astrologically inclined readers celebrate the winter holidays. If you live in a foreign country and aren’t as proficient in English as you would like to be, don’t let that stop you from leaving a comment! Help enlighten us all as we celebrate the return to the light.

Love and peace to all.

Pat & Neith

Weekly Forecast December 15: Mars Square Saturn, Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, by Danilo Pivato As the week begins, we are still in the wake of last Friday’s heavily charged Full Moon. The tension has eased off a little, but there’s still a sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Mars continues to stir up conflict as he squares Saturn on Monday and then crosses the degree of the Full Moon at 21 Sagittarius. Even powerful aspects such as the Saturn-Uranus opposition or an eclipse can pass unnoticed until the energy is triggered by another transit. Trigger-happy Mars often fulfills that role, so do be prepared for shakeups through Wednesday.

Of course, not all conflict is bad. Often it’s exactly what we need to wake us up and move us out of our comfort zone so that we can find our edge. That is where growth takes place, and Sagittarius is all about growth and expansion. On Tuesday, Mars sextiles Neptune, which is uniquely situated in a position indicating a window of opportunity to heal deep wounds. If you can bear some temporary discomfort and possibly even pain, the breakthroughs could be breathtaking.

The Moon in Virgo on Thursday also may prod and provoke as she opposes Uranus, conjoins Saturn, and squares Mars. Again, there won’t be anything new here, just another possible episode in an unfolding story.

Sunday is the Solstice, when the Sun enters Capricorn. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Midwinter, a holiday that goes back to times as ancient as humanity itself. For many people, this is a psychic gateway and opening on new beginnings. Indeed, new beginnings in our life often have their seeds in our darkest hours.

Much love and holiday blessings to all…

Pat

Image: This phenomenal image is a composite taken by Italian photographer Danilo Pivato on the Winter Solstice in 2005 overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in Santa Severa, Italy. For more of Danilo’s astronomy images, check out his fabulous website, Beyond the Moon. Copyright 2005, Danilo Pivato.

Saturday Extra: RealAstrologers, a Truly Global Community

Sagittarius is winding down, but the Sun and Mars (the “ego” planets) are still in the sign of the Archer, so I thought this would be a good time to do a little bragging.

As of today, RealAstrologers.com has readers in all 50 states of the United States plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and in 112 countries on six continents! I don’t believe this is any accident. Neith and I have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Chiron all conjoined in Sagittarius on the Ascendant in our composite chart, Sagittarius being the sign most associated with traveling, foreign contacts, and growth through exposure to other cultures. And while we’ve been in existence for only nine months, today will we will surpass 100,000 page views!

I’ve been keeping a list of where our page views are coming from. Here’s just a small sample:

Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Botswana
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Hong Kong
Iceland
Moldova, Republic of
Palestinian Territory, Occupied Bethlehem
Slovakia
Slovenia

I confess that I’ve had to consult a map a couple of times to know where some of these countries are, and I also had to look up the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia, but that’s how we learn — learning being one of the keywords for Sagittarius.

As we head into the winter holiday season and solstice — be it winter or summer where you live — Neith and I send our love, gratitude and best wishes to our readers all over the world!

Ask Real Astrologers: How Can I Use This Heavy Pluto Transit?

This week’s question comes from Crystal:

Early in 2009, Pluto in the 8th house will oppose my Sun in the 2nd and square my Moon in the 11th. What areas of my life will be affected? And, how what is the best way to use this period positively?

Pat’s response:

Crystal, if you gave us the correct birth information, then Pluto already is in your eighth house and opposite your Sun, and you should know at this point how things are playing out. Remember, Pluto entered Capricorn in January 2008 and remained there for a few months until he went retrograde and slipped back into Sagittarius. He re-entered Capricorn on November 27. So you are in the midst of this powerful transit.

A Sun-Moon square often indicates internal conflicts, and with your Cancer Sun and Aries Moon, my guess is that you run into trouble trying to take care of others as a way of getting what you want and need, and then perhaps become resentful when that doesn’t work. You do not need to apologize for your needs or to try to keep them hidden. Being direct is good, and then you need to let others decide how to respond, whether to give you what you want or not. If they don’t, attempting to manipulate them will only backfire and make you feel worse. I’m not saying that you do this; it’s just a tendency I see with this configuration in your chart.

Pluto is “at home” in the eighth house, since this is the area of the chart he rules. I suspect that you already are going through a personal transformation and will continue to do so as Pluto transits your natal Sun and Moon. The square to your Moon may be especially difficult, as emotionally challenging circumstances may arise in order to help you grow and evolve consciousness. Also remember, with Pluto transits, the point is to learn to relinquish control. So I’m not sure there is really a way you can use this transit; just be aware of its effects.

If it’s any consolation, a lot of us are going through trying emotional times right now as humanity moves toward a higher state of consciousness awareness. You are not alone.

Much love and courage to you.

Libra ponders . . . Neith’s response:

Crystal, there is no doubt this is an important transit for you and will teach you more than you want to know about how you really feel about your friends and family over the next few years.

As Pat noted Pluto entered Capricorn for the first time from mid-January to mid-June this year and you may have gotten hints as to what to expect. With your Sun on the cusp of your second house and Pluto transiting the cusp of your eighth house, your values and personal finances will be highlighted and if you have a 401k or other investments those will be up for review. The square to your eleventh house Moon could find the nature of your friendships and relationships with women in particular undergoing deep changes.

Pluto generally plays nice in your natal chart with an exact sextile to your Mercury giving you a willingness to dig a little deeper than most into the “why’s” of life. Having Pluto conjunct the cusp of your fourth house does suggest powerful family bonds or an occasionally contentious relationship with your family, a theme continued by your natal Sun-Moon square. Pluto’s transit will stir all these issues up too and allow you to deal with them for one and for all. Keep in mind Pluto transits last quite awhile and create lasting changes.

If there is one lesson Pluto teaches us by transit, Crystal, it is about learning to detach one’s self from a specific outcome. In fact the more energy we invest in events unfolding according to our wishes, the less likelihood of that happening. Pluto in Capricorn is beginning the process of teaching everyone about how to do more with less and you may be getting a jump start on finding out what that means to you personally.

Best of luck!

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Ask Our Readers: Crazy Enough For You?

As we approach the Full Moon on December 12, Sun and Mars in Sagittarius are triggering the opposition of Saturn and Uranus — all in mutable signs — creating lots of tension down here on planet Earth.

Because the Sun-Mars conjunction is in my first house, this celestial event is directly affecting my body. Last weekend my overstressed right wrist gave out and I’m wearing one of those ubiquitous carpal tunnel braces most of the time. Saturn is in my tenth house opposing Uranus in my fourth, and both are squaring the Sun-Mars in my first. Between attempting to keep up with my workload, which involves lots of time typing, knitting a sweater for the granddaughter for Xmas and still finding time to walk my dog (a very Sagittarius form of exercise according to Pat), something had to give!

Here’s hoping once we move past the Full Moon and the pressure backs off some, we’ll all be able to catch our collective breath. So how’s it going out there for the rest of you?

posted by Neith . . .

Weekly Forecast December 8: Mars Square Uranus, Full Moon

Our galaxy Challenging astrological aspects combined with all the rushing around for the holidays make this one of the most intense weeks of the entire year. I’m seeing the effects already, as I’m sure many of you are, too.

Yesterday the boat I was on crashed into the dock. Apparently, something went wrong with the steering, and the captain didn’t realize it until he tried to land and discovered he didn’t have control. A hysterical “hang on!” blared over the speaker system, but there wasn’t enough warning to secure people and possessions.

That is a perfect metaphor for this week. But hopefully my message to “hang on” is not hysterical, and it’s with enough warning to be useful to you.

You may have gotten a taste of things to come last Friday and Saturday, when Mercury and the Moon amplified a mutable T-square. T-squares in the mutable signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces — tend to bring swift and sudden change, and this is all the more true with Uranus recently direct in Pisces. Uranus is the planet associated with unpredictable events, which of course aren’t always bad, but even pleasant surprises can throw us off balance and require us to completely upend our lives.

This week, we get a brief respite on Monday and Tuesday, when the Sun and Mars both will make favorable aspects to Chiron. Both the Sun and Mars are about the ego, and we need healthy egos in order to relate well with others and move through our lives with confidence. When we know ourselves and what’s in our heart, making tough decisions is easier.

After Wednesday, the tension begins building toward Friday’s Full Moon. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Sun and Mars square Uranus. Cautioning you to slow down isn’t going to be much help, because, like the captain of my boat, you may not realize until it’s too late that you’re about to crash, and at that point, the only thing you can do is hang on or try to break your fall. I’m writing metaphorically here, but there are going to be some physical accidents, too. Do try to be mindful, and don’t take any unnecessary risks, especially if Mars and Uranus are transiting sensitive areas of your natal chart.

Friday’s Full Moon occurs in a close square with Saturn and Uranus, which are in opposition for the next couple of years. Neith already has done a thorough report, which is well worth reading again. I tell you, when Neith starts issuing cautions, I sit up and take notice!

Now, one interesting thing she points out is that the Full Moon closes the mutable T-square and makes it a grand cross. This does increase your options for handling whatever is thrown your way. Indeed, I believe that this Full Moon may provide a gateway to a reality shift. That’s why I chose this week’s image, showing our galaxy spinning around the Galactic Core. In Western tropical astrology, the GC is at about 27 degrees Sagittarius, not far from this Full Moon at 21 degrees Gemini-Sag. Even if you don’t intentionally open yourself up to greater possibilities, they may find you all by themselves. That said, the g-force of acceleration could be extremely uncomfortable.

Hang on! And much courage and love to all…

Pat

Image: Artist’s conception of our galaxy, the Milky Way, dominated by two major arms spiraling around the Galactic Core. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech.