PLANETARY ENERGIES

The Time of Angels

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
       The Bible, Hebrews (ch. XIII, v. 2)

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In this issue:

Winter Solstice: rituals and significance
The World this Midwinter
Astrological Overview for 2008
Pluto in Capricorn (in email version)
The Planets December 21—February 2 (in email version only)

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The Winter Solstice

This morning, walking the dog around the bridleways and ancient pathways of this patch of Hardy’s Wessex, everyone I met said “Oh, what a beautiful morning!” And it’s true. These frosty mornings — pale sun gleaming through mist, hoar white icing covering the land, stilled trees giving their calm silhouette to the low skyline — are beautiful in their stark purity. The hedgerows are noisy with the scuttering sounds of chilled birds hunting for food, but the air is icy stillness. It’s magical, mysterious, and full of the promise of eventual renewal.

The ways we honor the Winter Solstice have two strong opposite-yet-complementary flavours – we enter a period of outer, extraverted, family-and-friends celebration, yet this is also the most deeply inward moment of the year (for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). Some sources say that this is the time the angel realm is closest to the people of the earth. It is a wonderful opportunity for communion with the angelic spirit of endless kindness and protection.

The Winter Solstice is a natural time for inner musing, for taking stock, for seeing what worked in the past year and what didn’t, what we want to keep and what is ready to be surrendered, which processes are complete, and which ones just beginning. When the flickering flame of the new cycle of the year is kindled, we can set our intentions for the coming year and allow our deepest dreams to show themselves to us in the long winter nights.
 
The new flame brings with it renewed hope, just as the birth of a baby brings renewed hope into the heart of the family. One of the versions of the collective dream of this renewed hope is the symbol of Jesus, the child of our humanity and bringer of lessons about love and open-hearted relationship between all people. (Before him, the sacred baby was Mithras and Dionysus.) Whatever way we depict this child, it is the rebirth of our own consciousness that we celebrate, and the renewed life cycle of our world. In this darkest period of the year the new seed of the new year is born.
 
The Winter Solstice occurs when the Sun enters the part of the zodiac known as Capricorn, and it is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely acknowledged of all the ancient festivals. Most cultures in the Northern Hemisphere honor the window of the Winter Solstice in one form or another, and have done so from time immemorial. (For a good list of Winter Festivals of Light, visit http://tinyurl.com/48ott)
 
This year the Solstice is exact on the West Coast of the US on December 21 at 10:08 pm Pacific Time, and on the East Coast and in Europe on December 22 at 1:08 am Eastern, 6:08 am GMT, and 7:08 am Central European Time.
 
After the moment of the solstice the Sun stands still for three days (solstice means standstill) meaning that it rises in the same place for three days running. This period is a sacred window, an opening, a gap in the fabric of the year, during which we can come to terms with our past, connect with our purpose, listen to our guidance, and prepare psychologically for the gradual movement into the new year.
 
Just as the Sun stands still, so we echo this in our holiday rituals, pausing from the routines of work to feast and gather together. If you can organize your holiday season in such a way as to allow for open, soft, unscheduled time, for rest and relaxation, so much the better.  One of the best meditations for this time of year is fire-gazing. Whether by candles, fairy lights, or firewood, at this time of year sources of warmth and illumination are all important. Fire is the medicine we need at solstice time, providing outer and inner warmth, and giving us the spark for new ideas and inspiration. If you don’t have an open fire, you can light plenty of candles at this time, and allow the softness of the gently flickering light to soothe and inspire you.
 

The World This Midwinter

We just had a New Moon on December 9, at which the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto were all close together in the sky, merging around the degree of the Galactic Center. This is a very rare occurrence, perhaps never seen before. My ephemerides only go back 2,500 years and there has been nothing like this in all that time.

This astronomical event is perhaps best seen as a symbol of great hope for the future, of spiritual optimism triumphing over material limitation. And no doubt there are other meanings that can’t be perceived from inside the moment and will become clearer over time. The Bali concord (if we can call it that) happened under this influence and may turn out to be a bigger event than we can see right now. It may be the moment history will look back on as the organized beginning of world environmental stewardship, consciously undertaken.

For me, the most significant moment reported from the Bali conference was when the Dutch delegate collapsed in tears. He wept openly when it seemed it would not be possible to come to an agreement. This turned the tide and I think effected an emotional shift that led to a softening among the various factions. I know the Bali agreement is a long way from being sufficient, but I believe something critical happened in that moment. A man had the courage to openly show his distress at the state of world ecology. This is what we need in order to crack the rigidity of commercial interest and short-sighted greed.

There was an interesting scientific announcement that coincided with the Jupiter Pluto conjunction, about information gathered by the THEMIS satellites over the past eight months: “The satellites have found evidence of magnetic ropes connecting Earth’s upper atmosphere directly to the sun,” said David Sibeck, project scientist for the mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. “We believe that solar wind particles flow in along these ropes, providing energy for geomagnetic storms and auroras.” (sciencedaily.com) Astrologers have always thought that there are real energetic links between the Earth and other bodies in the Solar System. It has been suggested for some time that these may be electromagnetic in nature.

There were many other major announcements and happenings during this phase, including UK troops being pulled out of Southern Iraq and handing over control to the Iraqis. It was an exciting couple of weeks. Following the Jupiter Pluto conjunction, to which we had been leading all year, astrologically things are calmer for a while. But there is still a biggish Full Moon to come, on December 23, at which the Moon is conjunct Mars and both opposing Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Pluto. Keeping the peace is a helpful Saturn — the key to Christmas (etc) this year is taking the adult, mature view, if you possibly can!

Astrological Overview for 2008

There’s a lot of astrological good news for 2008. We’re collectively coming down to earth after a long period with an emphasis on fire and air signs. For most of 2008 we have three of the slower moving planets in earth signs, for the first time since 1989–1990 when Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were all in Capricorn. It’s been all boom and craziness since then, especially once Pluto moved into Sag in 1995, and few of us feel the earth is particularly stable under our feet after a decade and a half of rapid change.

2008 represents a bit of a breather, certainly until the fall. Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Virgo, all earth signs, will be calming things down nicely. When there are several slow moving planets in earth signs we have the ability to build realistically step by step. Depending on your individual chart this could be a great year to start a new business as long as it based on realistic foundations. Same goes for new buildings, homes, and anything in the world of form.

Other good news: Venus and Mars conjunct in Libra on September 8, giving us all a great window for achieving relationships goals and finding greater harmony with loved ones. Jupiter makes a series of helpful and possibly inspiring aspects, sextiling Uranus in March, May and November, and trining Saturn in January, September and November. In addition, there are no hard aspects (squares and oppositions) between any of the slower moving planets from Jupiter out, until Saturn opposes Uranus in November 4 (yes, US election day, more on this in future newsletters ).

The eclipses this year fall in Leo, Virgo, and Aquarius, highlighting Neptune which is in the last third of its transit through Aquarius. Aquarians born on 6 or 7 Feb take note of events around the eclipse of Feb 6/7. Pisceans born Feb 20/21 and Virgos born Aug 23/24 look out for the total eclipse of Feb 21. Leos born Aug 1 have a total solar eclipse on their birthday, which is always interesting! Then on Aug 16 there’s a partial lunar eclipse at 24 Aquarius, mainly affecting those born Feb 13/14 and Aug 15/16.

Because of the good relations between the outer planets and the degrees at which the New and Full Moons fall, there are many benign and cheerful beginnings and peaks of the lunar months especially in the first half of the year. The exceptions are the Full Moon of March 21 which squares Pluto, the Lunar Eclipse on August 16 which involves Neptune (also on that day Mars squares Pluto), the New Moon in Virgo on August 30 which squares Saturn, the Full Moon on Sept 15 which involves Uranus, the Full Moon on Nov 30 squaring Neptune, and the Full Moon on December 12 squaring Uranus.

Pluto goes back into Sagittarius from mid-June through November and so the tail end of the Sag era will come up again with more trouble in Iraq and general political dirty laundry being aired. This again will affect the US election. There should be a lessening of fundamentalist-fuelled insanity before and after this phase.

The financial slowdown will itself slow down until September at least, allowing for some practical regrouping. It’s not a time to overextend financially, but an excellent time to build carefully.

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I send you my wishes for a beautiful holiday season, whichever traditions, old and new, you celebrate. It’s a natural time to celebrate something, even if it’s simply the moment of the Sun turning back towards the light half of the year. If you can also bond with family and friends, with angels and avatars, the season becomes a celebration of love and connection. What more can we ask for?

With love,

Lara

December 21 2007