Celestial Notebook Overview December 2008

‘Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.’ Soren Kierkegaard

An aphorism in astrology holds that each sign is a reaction against the extremes of the previous one. After defeating the darkness in Scorpio, the Archer glimpses the light at the end of the tunnel and sets off in avid pursuit. Following Scorpio (), Sagittarius () strives to rise above the deep waters of the unconscious and to discern the meaning of life. In the Tarot, the archetype of Death (Scorpio) is followed by Temperance Sagittarius): the promise of Temperance is healing and renewal so that we may meet the challenges of life afresh.

During December we are challenged to confirm the accuracy of our ever-emerging system of beliefs, so that we may establish what is true for us – a continual process of trial and error. This is especially true during the Festive Season when we bring together the person we are becoming with our original families, when all businesses are closed and we have no place to hide.

From 27 November to 31 December no planets are retrograde and it will be all systems go: much that has been hidden will come to light and with focus we will be able to achieve much – if we’re willing to let go of the ghosts of the past. To hold on is to live in the past; when we are living in the past, we are just living a fantasy that we made up to validate old beliefs. This month is break through, break up and break down time!

Pluto (), The Cosmic Bulldozer, finally entered Capricorn () (after 13 years in Sagittarius) on 27 November. The Sea Goat symbolises worldly power – worldly power not in terms of glory but in terms of integrity. In the sign’s highest expression, there is no pretence – what you see is what you get. Without mercy, Pluto will rip open the doors into the underworld and create circumstances in which you are compelled to show and tell who you truly are. With new content coming to light, the form, the structures which spelled safety, will have to make way for completely new ways of relating to our physical world.

All that counts is being your true self – perhaps the greatest challenge Barack Obama is facing.....Just when the world opens up before him with all its colour and drama, he has to find the solitude within himself, finding the strength to tear his eyes from the presidential suite and turn them inward, toward his roots. (In his Vedic chart Obama has a Capricorn ascendant and both Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn.)

Vulnerable like the mythical creature, the Sea Goat, we are invited to step up our spiritual maturity. In Capricorn there is a recognition that all structures are unstable, that all our material belongings and endeavours, even our bodies, are on loan to us. We will have to look to our oneness in the apparent separateness of phenomena and surrender into acceptance of our own uniqueness within this multiplicity.

Outer planets travelling through Capricorn always correlated with dramatic political change through revolutionary means. The last transit of Pluto through Capricorn brought the ideals of liberal democracy to the world through the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. Another theme for the Lord of the Underworld tangling with the Sea Goat is therefore likely to be increasing self-determination for newly emerging nations.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign (see Signs) and our confrontation with the limits of the earth’s resources will intensify, forcing us to become part of difficult energy choices between accepting energy conservation and alternative power sources or developing nuclear power stations to supply an insatiable demand.

Air (thinking) and earth (sensation) are generally more conscious and as such more left brain functions. Fire (intuition) and water (feeling) are more closely associated with the unconscious. As the airy Uranus () transits the watery sign of Pisces () and the Sea God, Neptune () transits airy Aquarius, science and reason is entering into a new relationship with spirit and soul.

With the three outer planets in the adjacent signs of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, a large chunk of any chart is susceptible to sudden and irrevocable changes. It will be worth your while to study your chart using the signs and houses as your guide to understand which areas in your life are being affected and gain insight into your own inner and outer shifts. You could also book a consultation with me and have your questions ready.

When the Moon is in perigee (closest to the earth) and coincides with a New or a Full Moon, a SuperMoon is created. SuperMoons generate stronger gravitational pulls on coastal tides, weather patterns and tectonic plates. Usually these happen three days to a week before or after a SuperMoon. The devastating Californian fires occurred at the SuperMoon of last month. (Richard Nolle is the astrologer who introduced the term SuperMoon.) Be aware that your psyche is more easily shifted; take cognisance of your emotional surges and your insight will deepen.

The Full Moon on 12 December is another SuperMoon and the Sabian symbol for the degree of the Full Moon (21° 02 Gemini) sets the tone for the entire December: Dancing couples in a harvest festival. The wholesome enjoyment of organic processes and emotional drives. The image is not that of the mind-built city, but of the village, where men and woman live in harmony with natural and seasonal processes. – giving free reign to their emotional instincts. What we’re striving for is to include these two poles of a wholesome society; likewise the two poles of a healthy personality – mind and natural emotions – should be active.

The keyword for this symbol is: BIO-ENERGETIC REBUILDING.

This symbol echoes the message of Bottle 19, Living in the Material World, red/violet. The founder of the Aura-Soma system of 107 jewel-coloured bottles, Vicky Wall ascribed this bottle to Capricorn (www.aura-soma.net). The keynote for this bottle is: The renewal of our bodies takes place when we change our thinking to build up new energy.