Whew! That was one bad-ass Mercury retrograde. I’m sure you will join me in gratitude that it’s over.

Unfortunately, life didn’t turn around immediately, as I expected it would. It was almost as if people had a Mercury retrograde hangover. It took me a couple of days to clean up the mess, and then I had to sleep off a grueling academic quarter. I just now am starting to feel like I’m re-entering the real world – although, after two eclipses, it’s not the same world I left.

Reflecting on the past three months and on what comes next, I was able to connect the dots of events over the past two years. Although it’s true in general that we wouldn’t be where we are now if events in our lives hadn’t happened in the specific order that they did, there seems to have been something unique about the period since the cardinal T-square began ramping up in the spring of 2010. The tests and trials we encountered appear to have been precise in their design. For example, one of my classmates was about to get accepted into a prestigious art school in the summer of 2010, and the door suddenly closed, only for another to open in the spring of 2011, when she switched to film school. Incidentally, this young woman has strong early cardinal energy in her chart. Those of you with Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in the early degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn likely have similar stories.

In any case, we crossed a threshold during the eclipses, and now that Mercury is direct, we’re seeing a new reality. Or, perhaps it’s the same reality from a broader perspective. That’s definitely within the scope of Sagittarius, seeker of the Truth. Be prepared to see an even larger piece of the picture when the Sun crosses over the degree of the Galactic Center early Monday morning (2:27 a.m. EST). The portal is open for a giant leap in consciousness. The rest of the week is equally momentous, culminating with a groundbreaking New Moon in Capricorn on Christmas Eve and Jupiter’s return direct on Christmas Day.

While conjunct the GC, the Sun sextiles Saturn in Libra on Monday and Neptune in Aquarius on Tuesday. The key to successfully visualizing what you want and manifesting it into reality is knowing your purpose and following your path. I can’t help but think of the words in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” Change the concept of the Christian God to a neutral universe in which we collectively upload and download, and then think about where your individual Will comes from. Incidentally, this is the same Will that Crowley was talking about when he said, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” (I’m not a Crowley fan, but I appreciate the concept.)

Venus enters Aquarius on Tuesday and immediately squares Jupiter and sextiles Uranus. This is great energy for holiday parties at the office and among friends, and while some overindulgence is a given, take care not to go too far overboard. That goes for last-minute shopping, too. I’m a big believer in “less is more” when it comes to holiday gift-giving. Give gifts that are simple and meaningful and that create a heart connection between you and the recipient of your generosity.

Thursday is Solstice, with the Sun’s entrance into Capricorn (late Wednesday on the West Coast of the United States). In itself, it represents a shift, from dark to light. Given the recent eclipses and events leading up to them – including an eclipse last year just hours before Solstice – there’s no doubt that we’re in a magical time of awakening, when the light is “reborn” – light being a symbol of consciousness.

Speaking of which, this seems as good a time as any to mention the so-called 2012 alignment – you know, the one that’s supposed to happen on Dec. 21, 2012. In fact, that alignment happened already. Because the galactic equator isn’t an exact spot in space, the alignment occurs over several years. We’re in it now and will still be in it next year. However, most astronomers agree that it was closest to exact in 1998. For many of us who have been observing the evolution of human consciousness, 1998 was a pivotal year. What we’re experiencing now is clearly an outgrowth of that cosmic shift, and this week’s solstice is another important milestone.

Shortly after entering Capricorn, the Sun trines Jupiter and squares Uranus, both on Thursday. Both aspects are activated by the New Moon, so I’ll turn my attention toward this significant event.

The New Moon, at 1:06 p.m. EST on Saturday, falls at 2°34′ Capricorn – right about the degree that Pluto occupied during the summer of 2010, when the cardinal T-square was in full force. Meanwhile, Saturn was in early Libra, and Jupiter and Uranus were conjunct in early Aries. In other words, this New Moon is significantly linked to the T-square. The big difference is that Saturn has moved on, and so we don’t have the obstacles and constraints we experienced back then.

Better still, Jupiter is now in early Taurus, in a harmonious earth trine with Pluto. What’s more, he’s coming out of his annual four-month retrograde. Planetary energies are most powerful when planets are stationed to shift direction, and earth signs are about manifestation on the material plane. I interpret this configuration as a free flow of the rewards we felt so close to attaining in the second half of 2010 but that continued to elude us, no matter how hard we tried or how much we suffered and sacrificed.

That’s not to say there won’t be disruption. As you can see in the chart, the New Moon is at a jarring square to Uranus, in the same degrees of early Aries he occupied in the summer of 2010. As I’m so fond of saying, change by definition is disorienting, even when it’s overwhelmingly positive. The more sweeping it is, the more disrupted your life will be.

The New Moon also makes a favorable sextile to Chiron, conjunct Vesta in early Pisces. In Pisces, Chiron reflects wounds from our individual and collective past. It’s no accident that so many people are beginning to have an awareness of other lifetimes (often called “past lives”). Manilius, an astrologer writing in the 1st century CE, considered Vesta as the patron deity of Capricorn. Virgin goddess of the home and hearth, Vesta occupied a special place in Roman society and was called upon whenever new communities formed. What is happening if not the formation of a new global collective without geopolitical, racial, ethnic, or religious boundaries? Vesta conjunct Chiron in Pisces also reminds us of our “spiritual home.” We are active on the material plane, but there is a deeper, unseen reality – that bigger picture that more and more of us are beginning to see and feel.

Not to neglect Mars, the warrior currently is moving on his own, with no major aspects at this New Moon. However, he is in his pre-retrograde shadow, making rumbling noises through Mercury, planet of communications. If you find yourself overly critical, perhaps even starting an argument when you believe someone to be lacking in some way, stop and think about whether you could get your message across without being so blunt. Directness does have its place, and it can save a lot of time and wasted energy. However, sometimes a little sugar can get you what you want faster. It’s your call.

Wishing you all abundance, joy, and hearts full of love during this magical season,
Pat

P.S. StarGuide Winter 2012 forecasts are now available. If you want to reserve a place on the list, don’t wait to order! I’ve got an increasing backlog of reports, and right now there’s an estimated wait time of 5-7 days. To those of you waiting for reports and consultation follow-up notes, I am grateful for your patience and understanding. I’m slowly making my way through the backlog while nursing a persistent cold and catching up on much-needed sleep.