“Don’t you
know yet?
It’s your
light that lights the world.” By Rumi
The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night
in the northern hemisphere. This
event has been observed and celebrated for thousands of years. The return of
the Sun gives us hope that life will go on. The days will gradually lengthen. Sun gods and goddesses come out of their caves. We light candles during the longest
night of the year. We remember
those who have passed on to another realm. We become the light.
This year the Winter
Solstice and the New Moon in Capricorn occurred on the same day, December 21th. At any new moon, seeds are planted for
the next life cycle. The pinecone
and the acorn are symbols of the continuation of life throughout the winter
cycle. We remember to have faith. The Winter Solstice also initiates the energy
of the next few months (until the Spring Equinox). The astrology of the New Moon/Winter Solstice is abundant in
Capricorn energy, the sign that moves us into the next season. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Pluto and Venus
are lined up in Capricorn, the last earth sign of the zodiac. Capricorn can climb the highest
mountain. If you are a Capricorn
born between December 21 and early January, these planets in your sign invite
you to have a board meeting with yourself! Make plans, set goals, write things down, and get passionate
about your life.
For the rest of us, we have Capricorn somewhere in our
horoscopes. We are motivated in
some area of life to make things happen. Capricorn utilizes all that is
available to build structures to contain and hold what we value. The highest Capricorn act is to do the
job because it needs to be done, not because we should do it or because we will
receive honor, fame or money from it.
Think about your life and ponder what area(s) (family, career, children,
health & healing, making a living, finding friendship/community, spiritual
development) seems to call you right now for deep concentration and focus. Capricorn is practical. Capricorn is not a dreamer sign. It is
a ”do it” energy. Break down any problems
or goals into components and take one step at a time.
The other big news here at the end of 2014 is about planet
Saturn. Saturn has been visiting
the sign of Scorpio for two years.
This Tuesday, December 23, Saturn steps into
Sagittarius. It will return for a
final visit in Scorpio during June, July, August and part of September, at
which time it steps into Sagittarius for two full years.
Saturn is about reality.
What you see is what you get. Life may be “maya” (illusion) but
a wall is still a wall. Until the
discovery of Uranus with the use of a telescope in the 1700’s, Saturn was the
last planet visible in the sky. Hence Saturn was the boundary of our known sky
and universe. Saturn still
contains this symbology of limitation and boundary, and of course life lessons. In Scorpio, Saturn’s lessons pertain to
life’s mysteries. What can I know? What can I not know? Issues of stagnation,
intimacy, resources, elimination, release and the big questions about death can
be on the agenda when Saturn visits Scorpio. Where do I stand on these
issues? How do I deal with my own
darkness? How do I keep my physical energy alive and pumping? Can I rejuvenate after loss,
defeat, and illness or near death experience? Saturn in Scorpio tempts us to go inward and to hold on to
trouble. We must learn to let go,
breathe, and release what no longer belongs in our life.
When Saturn spends time in
Sagittarius, the focus shifts to belief systems, the law, philosophy and
religion. Saturn
can make one stubborn and stagnant.
If you are a Sagittarius person, pay attention to what you believe and
how attached you are to it. Can
you be open to alternative ways of thinking? During the next two and one half years, we might see a lot
of hubris on the part of people who hold tight to their religious beliefs and
their social agendas. Keeping an
open mind will be very important.
It is imperative to make our priority the search for truth. Can we ever
know the total truth? Maybe not,
but we can hold the ideal of seeking it.
Sagittarius rules far away places, including space travel. If we aren’t going to travel in a
physical space ship, we might find we are travelling in our dreams or we are
becoming more open to the life that exists in this vast universe. These are the
higher domains of Sagittarius. Keeping ourselves locked into our ego beliefs will
be tempting during Saturn’s time in Sagittarius. The challenge is to break free
of ego and open the mind, heart and soul.
Planets Uranus and Pluto
made another exact encounter this month (the encounter is called a square
aspect, one of tension and irritation). In our personal lives and on the collective stage we see
irritation; we see sudden death for no good reason; we see flaws in our
judicial system; we see the growth of oligarchy and the shrinking of a solid
middle class to help keep some balance; we see unimaginable suffering. The fight
for change (Uranus) and the struggle to let go of what doesn’t work anymore
(Pluto) is slow and painful to watch (and be participating in). We put our energy where
passion calls and hope to make a small difference. Meanwhile, we try to
practice kindness to all who come within our realm.
We close this year with hope and faith, based on strong earthy
Capricorn. But we also enter a new
year with the wisdom that beliefs and value systems based on closed mindedness
and selfishness are hard to change.
What we can do is remember Rumi’s poem. It is our light that lights the world.
Together our lights are very bright and getting brighter.
