Astrology Report Dec 20–27
By: Ronnie Pontiac
Tags: Spiritual Growth, Astrology, Spirituality, Future, Philosophy

Photo by Tamra Lucid.

Friends, we have before us a pivotal week, perhaps the most important, astrologically speaking, of 2020, though the Saturn conjunct Pluto that announced the arrival of the pandemic may qualify. Jupiter and Saturn are now in Aquarius. This is a big shift. Tomorrow when they are exactly conjunct, the so called Great Conjunction, a new 20 year cycle begins.

Jupiter in Aquarius is more comfortable than Jupiter in Capricorn, especially with Pluto sojourning in Capricorn. Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, is a sign of constriction, endings, and realism. Not a good position for expansive Jupiter. Wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of the elite. Jupiter in Aquarius promises to spread the wealth, a predictable development as the pandemic subsides next year, and the new economy, and what has survived of the old, begins to gain strength. Jupiter in Aquarius wants freedom, eager for the arrival of the future. It bodes well for technological and other scientific breakthroughs. For many of us, particularly those with strong Sagittarius placements, this may nevertheless be a time of sadness at first. As a collective we acutely feel the loss of what we cherished, and while the future is now dawning it isn’t here yet. So we are stuck between loss of the old and delay of the new. Dare to be optimistic. Imagine future successes. What is of real value to you in life? What gives you solace and hope even in desperate times? Build the foundations of your tomorrows on those strengths. But don’t get ahead of yourself. Enjoy the simple things. Updating your tech, finding out what’s new out there, could prove a blessing, and may help you succeed.

Saturn as ruler of Capricorn has, with the help of Pluto, made this a time when we have all faced limitations, lock downs, shortages, and futility. Saturn also rules Aquarius, but with Uranus. This brings out a different side of Saturn. While it remains important to be patient, to simplify, to face facts, Uranus makes it easier to let go. The future arrives in surprising ways. Unexpected opportunities send us in different directions. The struggle between Jupiter’s blind optimism and Saturn’s relentless pessimism will continue, tempting us to move too soon, to expose ourselves to needless risks, and with Pluto still in Capricorn, square Mars, this is a bad time to take risks. As we shall see we have three difficult Chiron aspects this week, potentially indicating another major surge in the pandemic, likely due to holiday gatherings. A better future requires simplicity, discipline, patience. Identify weaknesses and make them strengths. Explore the educational resources provided by technology. Meditation can help you make the best possible choices.

Yesterday’s sun conjunct Mercury influences the beginning of this week, making it a good time for writing, and for communication in general. There can be an urge to socialize, which must be considered carefully from the point of view of maintaining well being, not just for ourselves, but for others.

This afternoon at 3:07 PM (all times Pacific) Mercury enters Capricorn. This is a good placement for organizing, for simplifying, for taking care of necessary chores. Remember, drudgery is actually prevention of harm. But Mercury in Capricorn can be depressed, lingering on the most alarming aspects of any situation. As 2020 draws to a close it will be natural for us to look back over Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. To feel our losses, of those we cherish, of precious time, of our once comfortable assumptions about what we can depend on. Most of us have awakened to a new point of view. With so much suffering and deprivation the collective psychic weather is dark, cold and stormy. But we can put some of that practical perspective we learned this year to good use, refining a new approach to the future. Mercury in Capricorn is especially good for editing creative work, for tying up loose ends, for closing the details of endings, and for learning and practicing important skills.

Tonight at 10:12 PM Venus inconjunct Chiron is exact. Inconjunctions can indicate health issues, and Chiron can indicate healing through crisis. This aspect indicates that collectively we want affection, comfort, beauty, we want a little pleasure, a little warmth, but realities regarding health are not cooperating. Not everyone giving into this urge for love will get sick, and some who do may not have symptoms at all, but for those who lose the bet with fate the consequences may be harsh. Find other ways to express Venus. Get on Zoom, or on the phone, to reach out to loved ones. Write an old fashioned email expressing how you feel. Let the depth of your self expression make up for the loss of personal contact. This aspect can also indicate healing through the arts. Give yourself some time to enjoy art, music or nature. Do something creative to increase well being.

Monday Dec 21 the winter solstice arrives at 2:02 AM. The days begin to grow longer, despite that this is a common time for depression. From the midst of the pandemic it’s painful to look back at better times. For many of us the world seemed much more fun, much sexier, a decade, two decades, three decades ago. So much of what gave us joy has disappeared. For creative people making a living at what we love has become almost impossible. We’ve seen artists like Dylan and Crosby sell their catalogs as the value of their creations diminishes. For every new artist that becomes a star on YouTube or TikTok there are countless others earning pennies for their hard work. The wonderful subcultures that once flourished are gone. It’s hard to imagine that even DIY indie bands were able to break even in the late 20th century. But new opportunities will be arising with the new 20 year cycle. The past is dead. Long live the future.

Also Monday Jupiter conjunct Saturn is exact at 10:21 AM, the so called Great Conjunction commences a new 20 year cycle. This last cycle in Taurus was challenging. While on the one hand the Taurean part of us all loves that we can get food and necessities delivered right to our doors, while the Roomba automatically tidies things up, But during this last Great Conjunction the materialism, stubbornness, selfishness, and belligerence of the Taurus have been on full display. Now we have a twenty year cycle in Aquarius. Is this the Age of Aquarius that they were singing about in the Sixties? Not with Pluto in Capricorn. But perhaps it’s a step onto the threshold of whatever the Age of Aquarius means. The best psychic I ever met, the Rev. Edward Monroe, channeled a spirit of high attainment who once told me that the Age of Aquarius would be “a lot of ruddy hard work.” We must clean up all the messes humanity has made, before we can go on.

If you’re reading this on Sunday, today is the last day of the old twenty year cycle. Look back over the last twenty years. What have you accomplished? What do you still want to do? What have you learned? How can you put it all together to meet the future with greater hope? With Saturn and Jupiter together there’s a strange blend of pessimism and optimism. The past and the present seem so threatening and obstructive. For many the future can only be imagined as worse. But as Theodor Adorno wrote: “In the face of despair, we must try to contemplate all things as they would present themselves from the standpoint of redemption.”

Wed Dec 23 Mars square Pluto is exact at 6:53 AM. With moon square Pluto at 2:27 PM and moon conjunct Mars at 2:51 PM. Be careful, these aspects can easily turn frustration into anger, and anger into violence. Look back to the weeks of August 13 and Oct 9 when Mars last squared Pluto. Anger over politics will be strong and threats will fly. Frustrated libido and ambition may spill over into rage. Be careful when commuting. Avoid belligerent people. No need to deputize yourself as protector of all that is sacred. Cultivate tranquility and let your good example do the talking for you. This aspect can indicate an urge toward cathartic experiences, especially in sexuality. But be sure everyone is okay with the plan. Stay away from any form of criminal activity, and do not take risks. The results of willful actions could be very drastic with these aspects. This along with the Chiron aspects may indicate yet another major surge in the pandemic that begins this week.

Also Wed Mercury square Chiron is exact at 2:51 PM, another aspect suggesting that the pandemic will spread especially fast this week. Again the urge to socialize is implicated. Choose health over giving into a restless need to get out and have a chat. Take all necessary precautions. With a little effort research may help you heal issues that have been holding back your well being.

Thu Dec 24 Mercury trine Uranus is exact at 11:56 PM. This can be a liberating aspect, it’s great for communicating, especially over technology. A great time for writing and other forms of creativity involving words and dexterity. For some this could be an impulsive moment, the need to feel free may be so strong that unnecessary risks are taken, it being Xmas eve, after all. Don’t make the birth of Baby Jesus an excuse for doing something stupid. He wouldn’t like that. Use tech to stay in touch. Spend some time talking about the future. What does freedom really mean to you? What changes must you make to achieve your destiny?

Xmas Day sun square Chiron is exact at 11:37 PM. This aspect can indicate a crisis due to further spread of the pandemic. That it falls on Xmas day is worrying. It would seem that many people will be taking unnecessary risks, and many people will suffer for it. Can you find healing in staying safe? Can you find the joy of Xmas in the little things around you? Don’t let ego put you in danger. Celebrate in a different, more modern way. There will be time for gatherings, there will be wonderful holidays. This one is unique. Make it special. As the Chinese classic The Secret of the Golden Flower puts it: “If you can be absolutely quiet then the heavenly heart will spontaneously manifest itself.”

Sunday Dec 27 at 7:25 PM sun trine Uranus is exact, another aspect that loves freedom and can be in denial of the present in the name of the future. What areas of your life can you liberate with new tech, new perspectives, a better plan for the future? Can you find ways to feel the exhiliration of freedom even in isolation? We all have that birthright. Creativity can be so liberating. The ultimate freedom is within.

In The Secret of the Golden Flower we are told that when we exist in bodies the lower soul, or the lower part of the soul, becomes so fused with the job of harmonizing the minutiae of biological life that it forgets about the part that is still unobstructed outside the body. Aristotle described the angst of souls in bodies as similar to the Etruscan pirate torture of tying a captive face to face with a corpse. All that angst leads to a death wish. The lower soul hates life, it fears the rampaging realities of the world, it finds all joys hollow, and makes bad choices, as it rushes toward the nearest exit. But the higher soul loves life, loves this precious opportunity to engage with the most astounding creative project imaginable, the co creation of a world, self expression in a dimension of consequences, collaboration with every being sharing our moments in space and time. It’s like waking up in a most spectacular dream. Which part of your soul are you thinking and feeling with?

As you consider the future ponder this quote from The Secret of the Golden Flower: “If one cultivates one’s action while mingling with the world and is still in harmony with the light, then the round is round and the angular has angles; then he lives among men, mysterious yet visible, different and yet the same, and none can compass it; then no one notices our secret actions. The living manner of the circulation of the light has just this meaning: to live mingling with the world and yet in harmony with the light.”

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