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December '11
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by Boots Hart

Long are the traditions which make us think of December as a month of peace and the blessings of home, hearth and loved ones. And yes, you may get to enjoy just that this December—just don't plan on having that peace or those blessings without a side helping of hassles, even if they're just inside your own head.

The personal basics we start the month with are Venus and Mars in earth signs (Capricorn and Virgo, respectively) against Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius—with Mercury in retrograde. This is a recipe for wanting to get things done but needing to deal with behind-the-scenes efforts so that all will actually work.

Given that Sagittarius and Virgo are signs in square, those willing to take note of situational dynamics while steering their way through life's complications will achieve more, with less grief, than those who simply attempt to impose their ideas, methods or aims on others or those who try to abdicate responsibility to someone else. The distance from here to there may simply involve an adjustment of attitude, approach or wording, and yes, it may feel fussy or frustrating. But with Mercury in retrograde, there is an underlying suggestion that all glitches and blockades arising now are lessons which through learning will stand us in good stead in the long run.

Another celestial image is Venus and Sun/Mercury being in successive signs (Sag-Cap). This can feel like the world is refusing to reward you…OR it's dealing with how to balance what you ask for against what you can expect to accomplish or get in return, the need to do so, and the rebuff which can happen if you push too far or too fast.

Barely has the month started then when Venus conjuncts Pluto at 6 Capricorn on December 2. Six Capricorn is a personal and "structural" degree with a reputation for manifesting as imbalances in relationships. Granting that Venus/Pluto lends intensity to anything it connects with, this may manifest as existent imbalances or challenges appearing "bigger" than they usually do. Being that Pluto/Venus often indicates "intensity of attraction," you may experience a "coming together" now. Is this intimate and sexual? It could be, though since Capricorn is the sign this is more likely to be an "attractive situation" or partnerships or agreements.

Of course there will be those thinking about "popping the question"—or buying/selling a house. Yes, this well may be a moment when finance meets emotionality. Just don't get swept away!

Sun conjuncting the Moon's North Node at 14 Sagittarius on December 6 (early afternoon, UT/+0 time) with Mercury still in retrograde outlines a learning opportunity…or when the need to learn/learn better becomes apparent. Fourteen Sagittarius (read as 15 Sagittarius in Sabian Symbols) is a degree known as highly mental and supportive of text and literary accomplishments, so there's an aura of curiosity here which may well manifest as some sort of "melting of resistance" (yours or that of someone else) promoting better communication which in turn advances someone's agenda.

Because the Nodes always pertains to where our own life "intersects" that of the world around us and the North Node is what we should do against the South Node (that which we feel comfortable and like doing), this is a good day to face challenges, whether you particularly like the idea of doing so or not. Go on—give it a try!

Whenever the Sun conjuncts any celestial object which will be involved in some “major” configuration within a week or two—we also get what astrology calls a “trigger transit.” The Sun (life, will, consciousness) “triggers” the transit's energy. In this case the transit being a Lunar Eclipse at 18 Gemini, it is not to be surprised at if the period between the 6th and the 10th (when the eclipse actually happens) is an emotionally bubbly (or frothy) one.

Plus—let's remember our eclipse basics: lunar eclipses only happen when a New or Full Moon occurs within specified proximity to the Lunar Nodes. So this isn't just about you…this is something about your world. Or how you interact with that world. Or someone in your world.

The Lunar Eclipse happens at 2:37pm (UT/+0) on December 10. Starting with the general concept of a Lunar Eclipse being about "heightened emotions," that this one occurs at 18 degrees of Gemini is speaks (Gemini) to much emotional (lunar) expression (Gemini).

Then we add how any celestial event happening at a degree between 10 and 19 (of any sign) is defined as emotional expression. Expression of what? That sign. So here we have an "emotional situation" (the eclipse) manifesting at an emotional degree (18 degrees) of Gemini, a sign many think is about information and "many options," but which in the end is successful through finding the right choice and building on that choice (seeing it through).

With Gemini being an air sign, we will expect emotionality to be expressed through ideas, text, theory or proposals. But again—let's remember…Mercury (ruler of Gemini) is still retrograde. That Mercury will be at this point "slowing down" to take its station and go direct, that adds an intensity, a fixation, focus or serious degree of contemplation to the mix here. But make no mistake—this is internal. So no matter what happens during the days around this eclipse, understand—the karmic energy is about your understanding…your conceptions (and perhaps your preconceptions). The lunar node addition suggests this is a time where you relate to or learn something about others/someone else and come to some realizations about yourself or maybe your own life which stir inner emotions or feelings.

And let's not forget the simple stuff: with Mercury in retrograde this is defined as a fine time to pose a question, put your issues out there for discussion or learn something new, but finalizing decisions is not yet in the mix. So go ahead and put that phone call in. You may not get a call back until Mercury goes direct. Or maybe you're just overwhelmed now. Delightful or terrible, trying or blissful, you may need a few days before moving on.

The degree of 18 Gemini poses a particular challenge in that it speaks to our being in love with love…whether that's the love of winning, a love of travel, the love of playing the game or loving your lover. If there are differences between the actual status of this love and how you imagine it to be, that's likely to show up now. And that this may be a bit of a shock is underscored by this lunar eclipse occurring in conjunction with fixed star Rigel (at 17 Gemini) in opposition to Ixion at 17 Sagittarius.

And there is one other little fact: Uranus will go direct (at 0 Aries) on the same day as the lunar eclipse, if about 7 hours prior. So! Is this a time of breakthroughs, bumpy rides or shocking jolts? That would seem to be the question which applies to these days between December 6 and December 10 (eclipse/Uranus direct day)…even on through December 12, seeing as how we give all planetary stations a two-day before-and-after "station window" allowance.

Put simply, flexibility wins here. Rigid structures and "set paths" are most likely to experience the up-or-down here, though none of this has to be a disaster. Uranus at 0 Aries is all about "new beginnings" and providing you grab the initiative or allow yourself to open some door, any things can be/become yours. This could be your turning point—the moment the news "hits."

Giving Mercury its own two-day station window, that starts on December 12, making negotiations and gleaning of understandings more vital (and possibly more interesting, you never know!) between December 12 and December 16 even if Jupiter (still in retrograde) semi-sextiles Uranus at 5:29 (UT/+0) on December 13 tosses a wrench in the works. Those most affected (if you have any placements between 28° of any sign through 2° of any sign this would be you!) will have their values, security, willingness or reticence tested or challenged. The whole of this time is a good time to learn—both about the good and about how to "make good" on hazards. Just don't be shocked if December 13 is a wee bit stressful!

Come December 14, Mercury does go direct—at 1:44 am (UT/+0). Doing so at 3 Sagittarius makes this all about our willingness to do, don't do or correct our methods or standards. Sagittarius being a fire sign, there's some "vision" or altruism in the works here which can be asset or the bane, depending. This degree (3 Sagittarius) has a reputation for manifesting as caring, particularly through attachments. Thus the trick here—and thus the revelation—is all about whether your priorities and allegiances are misguided or not.

A finicky detail: that you may feel rewarded or be getting rewarded by someone does not make them all good—there is a little "does the end justify the means" sort of coloration going on now.

More various and variable pluses and minuses show up as Vesta (service) conjuncts Neptune (lack of ego) on December 16. Considering this occurs at 28 Aquarius—a degree Neptune has been sitting in since mid-September—here we get a celestial suggestion that righteous denial of real challenges is slowly diminishing. The bad part? We may be the ones in denial—ouch!

The Venus Factor challenges us to marry reality with high ideals as Venus enters Aquarius at 6:27 pm (UT/+0) on December 20. There's a sense of commonalty here, with special attention being placed on "how things work"…or in today's world, whether things work, and how people aren't working. This is not a particularly charitable transit, though it is a signal—especially with Mercury now direct—that those who have not felt heard may now finally get a chance to speak out. And that chance comes because others decide to listen—particularly as the Sun enters Capricorn at 5:31 am (UT/+0) on December 22 with Vesta (service) conjuncting Chiron (needs one doesn't know how to fill) on December 23.

For some, this will trigger displays of generosity. For others, there will arise a recognition that serving your own needs at the expense of others—ultimately—is a self-defeating process.

Vesta (sacred service) evokes Chiron's "vibe" initially at the Solstice (the Capricorn ingress), and carries that "determination of Self" into Jupiter's station period as the New Moon appears at 2 Capricorn on December 24 (at 6:08 pm UT/+0). There is a colliding of what we know to do, what we know we should do (but maybe don't know how to do) and a realization that prioritization of efforts and attention are truly vital. As December 22 becomes the 23rd and the 24th, wrongs which must be dealt with become plainer. Malfunctions—even those which have worked in our personal favor—need correcting. This would be the positive side of zodiac degree 2 Capricorn, which is a degree about "vacillation." The Sabian Symbol (read as 3 Capricorn) images it perfectly: "A HUMAN SOUL, IN ITS EAGERNESS FOR NEW EXPERIENCES, SEEKS EMBODIMENT." We want to do better.

This very much goes to the heart of Chiron. In myth, Chiron is a centaur. To the Greeks this represented the challenge of using human intelligence (intellectualism + emotionalism + faith/beliefs) to govern, harness and utilize "animalistic power and instinct'—starting with our Self.

The celestial centaur Chiron comes as close to us (and the Sun) as 8.514 AU—one astronomical unit (AU) equaling the mean distance from the Sun to the Earth. What that means astrologically is that Chiron's orbit comes just inside that of Saturn before cycling back out into farther reaches of space.

Remembering how we cannot see anything beyond Saturn with our unaided human eye this defines the astrological Chiron as something we can see (in ourselves)…if not all the time.

At the outer edge of its cycle (18.891 AU) Chiron crosses beyond the inner orbit of Uranus…which at its perihelion (the closest point to the Sun) is at 18.375 AU. This crossing is a very close one, one which would almost seem to "embrace" the Uranian energy of innovation and (re)invention (sometimes anarchy and sometimes freedom earned). So while Uranian transits may "bring change" upon us, Chiron is our struggle to learn how to change. Chiron is that "now I see the need, now I don't" sort of quality in all our lives. We don't know how to do everything but in the trying in spite of not knowing—there lies our mortal genius.

And our humanity.

So in trying lies the willingness not to give up on Free Will, the refusing to surrender, not to the "Fate" cast upon us in the form of some situation, but that internal ennui, that conceptualized "fate" generally thrust upon us which allows us to surrender our individuality.

Are we willing to break a mold? Are we willing to discover that we didn't know we were capable of and in doing so, tap into our truest genius?

All of this happening as Jupiter is on station to go direct on December 25 (at 10:09pm, UT/+0). It doesn't point to any particular culture, no. Rather, it points to our awareness of our life as an integral part of the lives around us, near and far. As much as this time of year is so often about "us" and "mine," none of that would be possible were it not for everyone else. The distance between respectability and selfishness is often merely defined by how willing we are to share ourselves—nevermind the money or goods—and that's what Jupiter going direct at 0 Taurus is all about.

Now we get a sense of how much we have yet to do in our life; how potent and powerful yet how individual in a sea of "otherness" we really are.

That Pallas (dispassionate wisdom) squares the Nodes of the collective (or interactive) on December 25 in conjunction with Hybris (emotional entitlement) is part of what poses this question. Some will insist on being "entitled" to have their day off, their holiday party…something. But that's not the point. The real point is that if all you do is react to your own desires, you will end up feeling obligated. Or even strangely, bizarrely guilty, unfulfilled or dissatisfied. That's not about someone else…that's about you.

Those more measured in their approach will pass through this time feeling perfectly entitled to enjoy the moment—with some part of their mind already looking ahead. That they end up feeling rewarded is a reflection of the difference between "sharing" and "getting.'

It's really just as simple as that.

The last transit of mention for December is the Sun conjuncting Pluto at 7 Capricorn on December 30 (UT/+0). With Messier (fixed star) Facies at 8 Capricorn and soon to be conjuncted by Pluto (think late January on this one) we are all dealing with the power struggles and whether and when we are the victim or maybe even strangest of all, the victim and the aggressor.

That's the next lesson coming down the pike…and for those who speak astrology, let me just say this: that lesson will come wearing the garb of Mars retrograde.

It's a process—one which will begin soon enough.

Boots Hart, CAP