“Well it’s more than letting go, you have to adjust… This is the part where you let go of what you thought would be, and adjust to what is.”
~ Beth’s mother, Carol, played by Phylicia Rashad in “This is Us,” season 5, episode 12
~~~
The Energy: heightens even as we fall towards the dark side of our Moon.
The yang, energy of action, has all but disappeared in the northern hemisphere.
We slip into the yin, energy of being, and the yin of the yin of the winter solstice.
The yang diminishes to nearly nothing, only to rise again the very next day, and as we walk towards rocky roads around the corner.
~~~
The Astrology: hard forms get funky, and dance with expansion.
Drones mystify in the skies, as our Moon wanes.
Mercury scorches forward in the mercurial fires of Sagittarius.
Venus & Ceres pilgrimage in the airy~water~bearer Aquarian zone, where there be the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto.
Mars continues to oppose Pluto, and now in retrograde motion in Leo's crucible, streaking towards Cancer's deeps.
Sun crosses the sign barrier from Sagittarius to Capricorn, just as the solstice becomes exact (usually called the Winter or Capricorn solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.) The field electrifies as an orb of influence of four days to either side sparks, grounded by Capricorn's steady earthen hand.
We also gear up for the second exact square* with Saturn in Pisces, and Jupiter in Gemini on Dec. 24th, (first was this past August 19th, and the third ~ and final for a spell ~ will be June 15, 2025.)
*squares are detailed in the footnotes
Plus:
Our Moon begins as a waning gibbous in Gemini's mutable air, and wanes to three quarters and even slightly smaller all the way to Libra's cardinal air.
And our Moon phases from her third quarter to her fourth.
Each night our Moon will rise in the east 50+ minutes later than the night before, and her left side will shrink a little bit until month's end when she's new again, and rises with our Sun.
December 17th: Mars appears near our Moon.
All Month look for the Winter Triangle formed by Sirius, the Dog Star ~ a binary star system down from Orion, and Procyon in the constellation, Canis Minor, and Betelgeuse in Orion. "This asterism marks the arrival of winter skies and is a prominent feature throughout the season." (from NASA, see reference in footnotes)
December 21st*: Solstice is exact at 4:21 a.m. EST. Winter starts in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer starts in the Southern Hemisphere.
*December 21st is also Yule day from the Old English word, geol, like the Old Norse word, jól. Both refer to a solstice festival, which used to be considered the middle of the winter season, rather than the beginning.
The Yule time recognizes that the days are lengthening, and with more Sun in the sky, more veggies, roots, and fruit will grow in the land, providing for earthlings.
In the days of old at Scandinavian jól (Yule) festivals, a tree was burnt in a fire as a smoke signal to our Sun, which messaged, "please come back!"
Sometimes this tree might stoke the fire for 12 days, and until the night of January 5th, the eve of the day that the light noticeably returns to our eyes, a.k.a. the 6th of January.
~~~
Moon focus:
I tend to focus on our Moon as she pulls on our emotions, like she pulls on Earth’s tides.
When our Moon is in-between signs we might feel less grounded. Accident potential increases. During these moon "void-of-course" times, it can be nice to just chill, take it easy, recover and prepare.
The lunar transits this week, a.k.a. void-of-course times are lengthy for the most part, and especially on Dec. 24th ~ 25th.
Please see details of those days in the calendar below.
~~~
And, here are the Astro data:
Please give yourself a nice breath, and I will do the same.
Unless otherwise noted, all times given are Eastern Standard Time (EST,) which is UTC/GMT -5.
~~~
Mon., Dec. 16th:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Cancer
~~~
Tues., Dec. 17th:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Cancer then void-of-course at 1:33pm, enters Leo at 6:39pm
~~~
Wed., Dec. 18th:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Leo
~~~
Thur., Dec. 19th:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Leo
~~~
Fri., Dec. 20th:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Leo then void-of-course at 12:19am, enters Virgo at 2:37am
~~~
Sat., Dec. 21st:
Moon phase: 3rd, Sign: Virgo
Solstice happens exactly as Sun enters Capricorn at 4:21am
Yule
~~~
Sun., Dec. 22nd:
Moon phase: 3rd > 4th at 5:18pm, Sign: Virgo then void-of-course at 8:27am, enters Libra at 2:08pm
~~~
Mon., Dec. 23rd:
Moon phase: 4th, Sign: Libra
~~~
Tues., Dec. 24th:
Moon phase: 4th, Sign: Libra then void-of-course at 5:44am until the next day (at 3:06am)
Second exact square* with Saturn in Pisces, and Jupiter in Gemini
Christmas Eve
~~~
Please note, I am including a "footnote learning" in each post, as well as two "footnote learnings" from recent posts. See below.
All for now, friends.
I appreciate your stopping by.
Until tomorrow, and in carrying the light.
~~~
References & Footnotes:
Data collected from Llewellyn's Ephemeris & Aspectarian
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/whats-up-december-2024-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/
https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions
Footnote Learnings:
Squares in Astrology:
Squares occur when two planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, or celestial bodies are positioned 90 degrees apart from each other. This may happen with two, or three (T-square,) or ~ in more rare cases ~ four planets (grand square) square one another.
Challenging and conflictual energies often arise from squares, especially between the various involved parties.
When squares occur in a person's natal chart, or in our everyday astrology there's a suggestion that growth through adversity may be necessary.
The ecliptic of the zodiac that the 12 signs mark is 360 degrees. Each quarter of it makes a 90° angle. The vector forces on each point of these angles are strong, so when a square is occurring each point, or in this case celestial body, is getting tugged.
If the objects getting tugged resist, compromise is hard to come by and conflict ensues.
Sometimes squares force us to change, make us analyze the pros and cons, and forge new pathways forward. They make us deepen to return to a place of equilibrium in which we are feeling less tugged in separate directions.
~~~
Planets, Moon, Sun, and their Metaphoric Body Connections:
Sun: our core self, which includes our hearts, central channel, circulation
Moon: our nourishing self, mother's milk, our wombs, upper digestion
Mercury: our electric self, hands, enteric; central and peripheral nerves, respiration
Venus: our sensuality, kidney yin and urinary bladder yang, throat, reproduction
Earth: our vitality, the soles of our feet, pelvic floor, organ and fluid systems
Mars: our muscular energy, arterial circulation, reproduction
Jupiter: our sacral energy, gall bladder yin and liver yang, hips, and thighs
Saturn: our structural self, skeleton; including our teeth, and our skin and fascia
Uranus: the central and peripheral nervous system, our ankles, astral body
Neptune: our feet and the fluids, especially the lymph, immunity, spirit body
Pluto: sexual energy, lower digestion and elimination, soul body
The Signs of the Zodiac and their Modalities:
Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. These signs represent new beginnings.
Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. These signs stay steady and keep things going.
Mutable signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. These signs bring change and flexibility.
Pictured: Photo by New York Public Library, courtesy of Unsplash
Share this post