The Archway

The week begins with the second in a sequence of three Mercury trines to Jupiter (Dec. 18, 2023, 6:28 am PST, 05º21’ Capricorn-Taurus; the primary was on December 7, and the ultimate one rolls out on Jan. 19, 2024). Mercury and Jupiter in earth indicators are usually not afraid to roll up their sleeves and deal with massive tasks, with sheer grit and dedication marking the street to success.

Mercury’s Sabian image is 6 Capricorn, Darkish archway with ten logs on the backside. With these ten logs on the backside of the archway for further materials, we’ve the provides we have to get the job completed. And Jupiter’s image, 6 Taurus, A bridge being constructed throughout a gorge implies that new pathways of communication are opening up with those that may very well be useful to us.

Since Mercury remains to be retrograde, constructing may very well be delayed, however this can be a good time to double examine your plans and strategy.

Leap of Religion

Neptune will get unhealthy press for inflicting confusion or deception. However to start with, Neptune doesn’t “trigger” something; and second, like all of the planets it symbolizes optimistic in addition to detrimental qualities.

This First Quarter Moon in Pisces (Dec. 19, 2023, 10:39 am PST) conjoins Neptune, with each sq. the Solar. Does this sign per week of bumping into furnishings and forgetting everybody’s names? I imply, there may very well be a few of that. The First Quarter part urges us to take motion, however that may be a bit of bit difficult beneath foggy, Pisces/Neptune circumstances.

Then once more, what Neptune instances lack in readability, they make up for with religion. And leaps of religion are all of the more practical once we’re guided by Neptune’s instinct and imaginative and prescient.

Drawing the Curtains

Venus opposes Uranus this week (Dec. 20, 2023, 11:04 pm PST, 19º39’ Scorpio-Taurus). Venus’s Sabian image is 20 Scorpio, A girl drawing two darkish curtains apart, and Uranus is on 20 Taurus, Wind, clouds, and haste. It’s time to open up the curtains and let within the mild, to assist us determine what it’s that we actually care about, what we worth, and what brings us pleasure.

However once we open up these curtains, our view is of the wind, clouds, and haste of turbulent, unpredictable Uranus. Issues are transferring shortly. Everybody round us appears to be dashing. And we’d take a look at all that and assume, “That’s a bit of an excessive amount of. Perhaps I ought to shut these curtains once more.”

Take a breath. You don’t want to maneuver any extra shortly than you’re able to. However this opposition facet highlights the significance of at the very least opening ourselves as much as new potentialities and new methods of issues, and to have interaction a bit of extra with the world and its wildish parts.

Nowhere to Go However Up

On the Winter Solstice right here within the Northern Hemisphere, as the Solar enters Capricorn (Dec. 21, 2023, 7:27 pm PST), it reaches its lowest level within the noon sky. Power and spirits might be low. We’re headed for the end line, and as we glance again over the calendar 12 months, we could also be tempted to chastise ourselves for what we haven’t achieved.

On the Capricorn Solstice, there’s nowhere to go however up. Over the approaching months, the Solar will start its gradual ascent, ultimately reaching its highest level on the summer time solstice.

Fittingly, we make resolutions at the moment of 12 months. To what heights would possibly we climb within the 12 months forward? In the meantime, it’s darkish and chilly, and we mild fires and candles and plug in glowing lights to remind us that it received’t be this darkish endlessly.

I believe many people are feeling the necessity for some mild at this Solstice. Issues have felt fairly darkish for some time, and it’s very nice to be reminded that all the things is a part of a cycle, and that the sunshine is on its means again.

Recognition

The Solar and Mercury make a conjunction this week (Dec. 22, 2023, 10:54 am PST, 00º39’ Capricorn) on the Sabian image 1 Capricorn, Indian chief demanding recognition. This, after all, is the Solar’s Sabian image every year because it enters Capricorn. It’s good symbolism, as a result of incomes and demanding recognition is an enormous a part of the Capricorn story.

I’m a bit mad at this Indian chief, although, as a result of I hold questioning: Is it the identical one from that image, Scorpio 29: Indian girl pleading to her chief for the lives of her kids? Coming throughout towards that Sabian image in current weeks, as planets have been transferring from Scorpio to Sagittarius, I felt unhappy each time I noticed it. However then once more, we don’t know the way that story turned out. Perhaps the chief was simply and type. Nonetheless it was resolved, for good or in poor health, the chief receives his recognition at this conjunction.

Likewise, this facet brings recognition for every of us – if not from the world, definitely as we acknowledge in ourselves who we’re and what we’ve achieved. Typically we’re a optimistic drive for management and authority, and different instances we let Capricorn’s cruel aspect get the perfect of us. Because the Solar comes along with Mercury, it’s the time to look inside and determine: Is that this the story I wish to inform about myself? Is that this how I want to be acknowledged?

Lacking Arrows

I as soon as served on a board of administrators with a pleasant Sagittarian who constantly delivered to the desk an countless provide of massive, marvelous concepts. Whereas he overtly acknowledged that following by way of on them was not his sturdy swimsuit, his invaluable contributions performed a vital position in propelling the group ahead. In any case, follow-through isn’t a lot use with inspiration.

Whereas Mercury moved by way of Sagittarius between Nov. 9 and Dec. 1, you might have discovered your thoughts overflowing with massive concepts. As soon as Mercury entered Capricorn (Dec. 1) and also you settled all the way down to work on a couple of of them, maybe there was a nagging feeling of getting missed one thing. As Mercury retrograde revisits Sagittarius (Dec. 22, 2023, 10:17 pm PST by way of Jan. 13, 2024), see for those who discover any arrows that fell out of your quiver the primary time round, collect them up, and move them off to Capricorn for ending within the new 12 months.

The Deadlock

The Solar makes a sextile to Saturn this week (Dec. 24, 2023, 9:28 am PST, 2º37′ Capricorn and Pisces) on the Sabian symbols 3 Capricorn: Human soul receptive to progress and understanding, and three Pisces: A petrified forest. A sextile facet represents a suggestion or a chance that may carry rewards if we select to take it. And this explicit sextile suggests {that a} willingness to hear and perceive may create motion in an ongoing emotional deadlock.

I don’t know for those who’ve ever seen petrified wooden. It appears like stone – and it’s troublesome to make your means by way of one thing that onerous. In the event you’ve been estranged from somebody who issues to you and have been feeling that you simply wish to attain out, to attempt to lower by way of the stony forest that divides you, right here’s your likelihood. Simply keep in mind that the important thing to progress lies in actually listening, along with your coronary heart in addition to your ears, reasonably than merely restating your individual perspective.

Writing and pictures © 2017-23 by April Elliott Kent

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