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DECEMBER SNAPSHOT BY SIGN
SAGITTARIUS
Venus remains in your sign for most of the month ensuring a pitched battle between your desires to be gone to pastures yet unseen and the need to get the job finished. Your sense of honour is strong, so too the urge for freedom. Do not be tempted into hasty or premature action but rather accomplish what is before you whilst laying the plans and organising the escape you yearn for. A little willpower applied now ensures a far better outcome for all things concerned, particularly with the New Moon in your sign on the 16th.
CAPRICORN
Not an easy time for our mountain goats as the square from Saturn to Pluto all month can have a debilitating affect both physically and mentally. It may seem that no matter how much effort you apply more is needed. With Sun, Mercury and Venus all also contacting Pluto at various stages care should be taken that extreme measures are not enacted on. The Full Moon on New Year’s day provides a wonderful opportunity to become conscious of how you may separate yourself from those near and dear.
AQUARIUS
Uranus, the awakener, goes direct on the 2nd after five months’ retrograde movement. During this time you may have experienced sudden alterations to existing conditions or plans, the suddenness causing disruption and disorientation. This is to allow new insights/attitudes and a re-evaluation of values that may have been outgrown or in need of change. Aspects to the personal planets ensure that you are ready for action and in your eagerness may try and attempt too much too soon causing upset. Keep it steady.
PISCES
The alignment of Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune all month can bring on feelings of comradeship or good fellowship that mixes well with the Christmas spirit. It brings with it a hopefulness and joy for the future and a belief in the goodness of your fellow man. Herein lies the problem for if you are susceptible to flattery and therefore easily seduced you may experience the misfortune of being deceived. Love of humanity is a wonderful thing but in all things be discriminating, all are not as you are, nor do they want to be.
ARIES
When our solar light and Mars, planet of activity, are in accord, particularly in fire signs, energy and vitality are high. This remains the same for the first three weeks but on the 21st Mars begins a 2-month retrograde movement where the outward energy changes direction and the focus tends to be more inner directed. Love affairs that seemed to be going strong may falter or children, particularly teenagers, may become problematic. If this is the case don’t automatically blame the other but reflect on your own actions.
TAURUS
Venus moves into the freedom loving sign of Sagittarius at the start of the month so the search for pleasure takes on a far wider range. This also extends to the love inclination and the imagination leans towards the romantic and idealistic. This changes dramatically on the 26th when the flirty goddess moves into the more earthy and serious Capricorn as well as aligning with Pluto who also looks for more intensity. A relationship that may have started as a quick fling may somehow turn more serious.
GEMINI
The month starts with a big Full Moon in your sign illuminating not only your relationships but also your self-image. Full Moons can signal a time of change, of letting go, so how about a revamp of the face you show the world, the body and how you adorn it. These are things you can change, relationship changes generally require collaboration and co-operation so set the mood giving time and place for discussion on how to let go of negative feelings so as to embrace a brighter Christmas/New Year together.
CANCER
Christmas is generally a time spent with loved ones, a bringing together of the clans and extended family. It is also a time that can create a lot of stress both in the build up and on the day. When two people decide to share a life together each brings into the relationship their differing life patterning and together they find their own. Relationships are opportunities that allow us to enter and explore the other’s experience and to respect and honour the differences. Remember you do not need to agree with them but acknowledge they are there.
LEO
This is a time when you may well have to balance your need to be independent and do your own thing with the needs of your partner. This could also mean giving your partner the time and space to do their own thing without feeling threatened or over shadowed. The Sun moves into Capricorn and your solar sixth house on the 22nd and given this is the Christmas New Year period you may like to consider how you can improve your lifestyle through exercise and diet.
VIRGO
Christmas is a time of year where your normally frugal or practical nature gets a bit overshadowed by wanting to have things perfect. Try not to allow discussions about money and the financial costs turn into bitter arguments, causing resentment and ill feeling. Mercury’s contact with the North Node from mid December suggests not going it alone but to seek assistance or feedback from a superior or older more experienced person. Tie up any loose ends before Mercury goes retrograde on the 27th.
LIBRA
The ingress of Venus into Sagittarius on the 2nd has you desiring an overseas holiday, somewhere where you don’t need to weigh the pros and cons or consider the needs of anyone else. If money does not permit this then think of somewhere closer to home but still out of your local environment. You may find a sibling is also eager to get away and so share the costs. Venus does team up with Pluto at the end of the month so a relationship started then has a sense of permanency and familiarity.
SCORPIO
Working with that Saturn/Pluto square and avoiding power struggles you are still able to activate, organise and plan the work needed to meet your obligations. With your co-ruler Mars retrograding on the 21st be prepared to suffer a disappointment as you may need to alter or make adjustments to those plans or preparations. Any paperwork that needs to be signed or finished should be finalised by the 27th as Mercury then goes retrograde, signaling delays/ holdups or misunderstandings.
At 6:30pm AEDT on Wednesday 2December the Sun and Moon were in the opposing signs of Sagittarius and Gemini and, as with every Full Moon (New Moon also), the gravitational pull upon the earth is at its strongest, although pulling in opposite directions.
A Full Moon bridges 2 signs and 2 houses in our horoscope and as a result we may experience an internal division where we become aware of tension in regard to integrating these facets of ourselves and areas of our lives. We can also become aware of how we function and how we might integrate and harmonise differing energies.
In the signs of the Centaur and Twins we have one reaching for the stars and heaven above and the other wanting to focus on what is happening now in the immediate environment. You may become restless during this time, caught up in trivia, scattering your energies and involving yourself superficially. If this is so visualise yourself doing it for the next 12 months and if you don’t like what you imagine start thinking about where you would like to head and plan to move in that direction.
The conjunction of Chiron and Jupiter provides the opportunity and willingness to process and reflect on life experiences and the sextile to Mercury, the winged messenger gives the motivation to seek alternatives. The ingress of Venus into Sagittarius has you throwing off the emotional intensity of Scorpio and appreciating life outside the square, wanting to experience all that is on offer.
There is a semi-square (45 degrees), an aspect I equate with Freud’s Anal Stage or Erikson’s Autonomy, vs. Shame and Doubt, where a toddler needs to develop a sense of personal control over physical events. This aspect between the war monger Mars and the controlling Saturn, which is in effect all month, may have us throwing tantrums if we are thwarted in our endeavors. Care should be taken that our behaviour does not revert to that of a 2-year-old.
Dane Rudhyar – An Astrological Mandala
11 degrees Gemini – Newly opened lands offer the pioneer new opportunities for experience. The power and joy of new beginnings
11 degrees Sagittarius – In the left section an archaic temple, a lamp burns in a container shaped like a human body. The value of the “return to the body” advocated by modern thinkers in order to balance the stress on intellectuality and objective consciousness.
NEW MOON at 24 degrees 10 SAGITARIUS on 16 December 2009
Sagittarius is the sign of the Archer who shoots upwards at a 45-degree angle, symbol of maximum mobilisation of energy, or the Centaur who in Greek mythology was half man and half horse. This dual sign signifies the search for truth and knowledge, as well as the constant pursuit of adventure and new ideas.
In Sagittarius we have reached the ninth sign of the zodiac emerging from the murky, swampy waters of Scorpio where we faced our fear of death and probed the depths of feeling and emotion. The number nine means completion, perfection, or purity of thought and the Greeks referred to totality of the Olympic Gods sitting in assembly as the Nine - the Ennead. The Navamsa (Sanskrit for number nine) is still identified with completion and perfection in India so it seems fitting that the last New Moon for 2009 at 11:02pm AEDT, is in the sign of Sagittarius.
New Moons are a time of action, of initiating a new phase of life and with our next New Moon, which will be in Capricorn occurring in January 2010 we would be well placed to start the New Year with the seeds already planted.
This New Moon in Sagittarius is also up close and personal to Venus the goddess of love and relationships, so questions that need to be raised are to do with values, relationships, how to satisfy the need for beauty or aesthetic experience and what would need to be done to experience a deeper relatedness. It’s about creating our own morality and philosophy not dependent on parents or peers and discovering and maintaining an internal guiding spirit, which leads and inspires us. It’s about letting go of those procrastinating tendencies or avoiding immediate issues and reaching for those goals that are attainable and enhance a search for knowledge.
This month’s philosophy loving Venus also has her sights set on Uranus increasing the restlessness and sense of being unfulfilled so a New Year’s resolution may include the need for more personal individuality.
With her sights set on Mars and an applying conjunction to Pluto the New Moon/Venus combination suggests any rash actions are to be avoided, as our God of the Underworld likes his retribution. Lots of fire and air implies an active and boisterous Christmas and the aspect from Saturn to Pluto suggests the need to make adequate preparations.
Overall use the energy and symbolism implied by a New Moon to destroy those habit patterns that are hindering your relationships, reorganise your priorities and set more realistic goals that allow you to achieve or pursue more personal satisfaction.
Dane Rudhyar – An Astrological Mandala
25 degrees Sagittarius – A chubby boy on a hobby- horse
The anticipatory enjoyment of powers one can only as yet dream of utilizing
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR – MAY YOU BE A STAR IN YOUR OWN LIFE
FULL MOON at 10 degrees CANCER 15 at 6:13 am AEDT on 1 JANUARY 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The history of the celebration of New Year is found to have a pre-historic root. Since the era of the most ancient civilisation different people and cultures have marked a number of dates as the beginning of a new year. The wide spread acceptance of January 1st is confined only within the past four hundred years.
Celestial events are not random occurrences so what does it suggest to start 2010 with a Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse? Koreans believe that the first Full Moon of the year signifies affluence and good luck and so wish for good luck and health throughout the year. As an agrarian society the Koreans also place special emphasis on the first Full Moon as it is thought to predict how the year’s harvest will turn out and an occasion to gather community spirit.
The zodiacal sign of Cancer is predominately known as the sign of home and family, where our basic well being is dependent on the care and nurturing received from loved ones. This provides the very foundations of our lives by encouraging and supporting us in our early years which then allows us to go forth on our heroes journey safe in the knowledge that there will always be a secure haven to return to or with the ability to build our own. This gives the courage and strength to face the challenges life throws at us by overcoming the trials and tribulations that may litter our path to a fulfilling and rewarding life.
It is the satisfaction which you experience in your personal life that enhances your professional life (Capricorn). Cancer helps you to choose a profession which nourishes your inner self and which as a result allows you to accept and take responsibility for your life. It is Capricorn that nurtures self-control and self-sufficiency and nourishes ambition.
Eclipses enhance the effect of Full/New Moons and this one in Cancer at the very start of a New Year accentuates the possibility of liberating ourselves from the past so as we can more freely embrace and take responsibility for our own future. Be aware that Mars goes retrograde on the 21st so any new beginnings or resolutions may need reassessing in March.
January was named for the Roman God Janus, the protector of gates and doorways. Janus has two faces, one looking ahead to the future and the other back to the past.
Carpe Diem - seize the moment
Sabian Symbols An Astrological Mandala
11 degrees Cancer – A clown caricaturing well known personalities.
The value of humour in developing objectivity and independence of mind.
11 degrees Capricorn -A large group of pheasant on a private estate
The ability to explore unfamiliar realms and discover the laws underlying the complex processes of nature.
THE COSMOS
SUN
The Sun’s movement on 22 December from the fiery Sagittarius to the earthier domain of Capricorn sets a more serious and pragmatic tone. Generally this is the time of year where we look back and reflect on what was accomplished (or not) and achieved. This ending can be one of satisfaction and fulfillment of a twelve-month period where hard work and an acceptance of responsibilities have achieved the required result. Or we can experience feelings of regret and disappointment for those goals we did not achieve or attempt. In either case as a cardinal sign the impetus is to take practical measures endeavoring to address the challenges and opportunities for the coming year.
MERCURY
Our Trickster is still in Sagittarius at the beginning of the month and the alignment with the independent Uranus and the active Mars could cause some rash actions or words, so it would do well to remember “act in haste, repent at leisure”. Moving into Capricorn on the 6th concentration and persistence becomes easier but the close alignment with Pluto can give you a quick grasp of any situation. Try to avoid any sarcastic tendencies. Mercury goes retrograde on 27 December and remains that way till mid January. The conjunction with the fated North Node on the 29th – 31st may see some good business contacts or connections being made that bring benefits in the New Year.
VENUS
Venus leaves the passionate and intense sign of Scorpio, moving into Sagittarius on the 2nd where she scatters her energies far more liberally. Pleasure and delight is found by broadening horizons through travel, books or indeed anything that releases you from your current situation. Venus usually likes company; someone to share the road with, so socialising with those who can stimulate and expand your worldview can enhance how you feel. End of the month this expansiveness is reigned in as Venus moves into Capricorn and conjuncts Pluto. Nothing flighty or flirty about this pairing.
MARS
Mars in Leo goes retrograde on the 21st remaining that way till early March. This happens every two years and is often a period when plans backfire or fail to get off the ground. You may feel that New Year’s resolutions come to nothing or are hard to instigate and if this is the case don’t continue to beat your head against the door but reflect on your efforts to date and rechannel your energies and efforts in a new or different manner.
URANUS
Goes direct at the start of the month after six months of retrograde movement, which was a time when we could get in touch with our needs for personal freedom of self-expression. We could say an internal rebellion was taking place and any insights gained can now be brought forth and perhaps new liberating avenues explored.
Do all have a happy Christmas and may the stars guide and shine for you in the New Year.
Astrologically
Patricia Shepherd | 
