Astroblogick

The Outset

   Here we are, at the start of another year with all the promises and resolutions we can bring to bear on our current situations and unfinished scenarios. The New Year commenced during the Moon’s darkened, pre-eclipse phase which means we’re carrying baggage into the Year 2019, big time; karmic cargo on the road to sunrise, as it were.

    We’ll take a look at the Year 2019 in another post, but for now it’s important to note that how we choose to show up this coming week (during the Moon’s First Quarter Phase) will have a big impact on outcomes as they find expression throughout the year. Because we’re currently navigating through that odd, two week period sandwiched between two eclipses along with a hefty dose of amplified Uranus, we should expect some psychic turbulence as we take the first tentative steps into the new year.

    The qualities of fitness and flexibility, both physical and mental, are assets this week along with a sense of humor and an open heart in the face of darkness and fear. We’re now on the other side of the Solstice, the place where the light returns and our shadows are cast more starkly against the ground of daily life.

Eclipsed Sun

    Saturday’s New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse opened a new cycle in the heart of Capricorn (15Cap25) at the Moon’s South Node, placing the focus on clearing obstructions and habits that block us from accomplishing those things that give our lives a sense of meaning and purpose. Such obstacles are often found in the form of fear: the fear of failure, fear of not living up to socially-accepted forms of behavior or the fear of letting go of parts of our story that we’ve used to define ourselves, no matter how painful such parts may be. Solar eclipses have an association with matters past-tense while setting a vibratory tone that will reverberate for months into the future.

    With the New Moon Eclipse having taken place in Capricorn, its focus tends to be on traditional forms, status quo thinking and conservative values, all of which are poised for a sea-change in the weeks and months to come. Another important point is that this Eclipse is taking place in close vicinity to both Saturn and Pluto, ahead of their drawn-out conjunction in Capricorn. This would suggest the need for inner evaluation with regard to how we interface with society and the collective tribes we associate ourselves with. Utilizing the stabilizing influence of earthly Capricorn, we can use this period for establishing a grounded awareness as we navigate the chaos that appears to be growing in the outer world.

An Epiphany

    Speaking of chaos, the planet Uranus is stationary direct at the end of Aries (28Ari36) on Sunday (Epiphany), amplifying its symbolic qualities of freedom, liberation, revolution and flashes of cosmic insight. Of course, Uranus has effectively been motionless for the past week and will remain that way for another week to come, so its influence tends to be spread out and not limited to Sunday’s station. As Uranus is also in a square aspect with the Moon’s Nodal Axis (connected with the eclipse), there may be a fated or ironic quality to this time with the potential for some rather bizarre events intruding on the realm of the mundane. Look at it as a cosmic elbow in the ribs. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

    Alongside the qualities of innovation and progressive thinking, stationary Uranus in its current location also indicates rebellious attitudes and disruptions to the status quo. Go figure. Significant is the fact that this will be Uranus’ final station in Aries, a fiery and often reactive sign that Uranus has occupied since 2010, before making a final foray across the cusp of Taurus in early March. The divisive and aggressive tone that has interjected itself into national and international politics these past nine years is now having one final tantrum before shuffling off into Taurus where the shake ups will become much more immediate and concrete, not merely rhetorical.

Ever So Briefly

    One more time: the coming week falls in the Moon’s opening, First Quarter Phase which favors actions taken to further one’s goals and aspirations despite any appearance of delays and setbacks. Venus, now brilliant in the morning sky before sunrise, crosses the cusp into Sagittarius on Monday after having spent the past four months pacing back and forth between Libra and Scorpio as a result of its October retrograde. This would signal a shift in values from the realm of the deeply personal and relational to the social as Sagittarius is the first of the so-called “universal signs” where the qualities of Venus are extended into the realm of laws, politics and belief systems. Finally, we may be experiencing low gravity sensations as we move toward the end of the current forecast period and the onset of the first of three Jupiter-Neptune squares of the year. This is an excellent combination for mystical work and spiritual practice, but not the best for matters concerning honesty, boundaries, sanity or a semblance of balanced proportion.

Lunar Gardening Report

    Even though Saturday night’s New Moon Eclipse opened a new planting cycle, there won’t be any real favorable days for doing so until Wednesday afternoon when the Moon takes on light in the fertile sign of Pisces through Friday. This marks the first excellent days of the year for seeding, germinating, sprouting, transplanting or feeding, especially with marine-based nutrients. The days before and after this stretch will be inauspicious for most hands-on gardening work.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Standard/-0500UTC)

Saturday, Jan. 5: Capricorn New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse. Late morning hosts an aspect suggesting the need for healing, particularly with respect to relationships and sexuality (Venus trine Chiron). Duty and responsibility are making themselves known, perhaps a final matter to tend to as the current solar-lunar cycle comes to a definitive close. The New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse becomes exact at 8:28 pm, opening a powerful new cycle in the heart of Capricorn (15Cap 25), pointing to a year of consequence and opportunity. Although we might have celebrated the New Year last Tuesday, from a cosmic standpoint, this is where it really begins, encouraging us to move boldly forward with our resolutions and ambitions. Because this New Moon is also an eclipse, the Cazimi Window isn’t open this time around, but shouldn’t stop you from formulating and planning your entrance into the new cycle on Monday. That’s when all lights turn green and we’re cleared for departure. Make sure your seat is in an upright position and your seat-belt is securely fastened. Relax and enjoy your flight.

Sunday, Jan. 6: Epiphany. We’re still under the influence of last night’s New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn and a time when the seeds of the first lunar cycle of the year only begin to germinate. Adding to the commotion, Uranus is motionless ahead of turning direct this afternoon in the late degrees of Aries (28Ari36); lending its own brand of surprising, disruptive, revolutionary impulses to the first fortnight of the year. As Epiphany is the day associated with revelations and brilliant insights, we may be standing at the brink of a new awareness that shines like a lamp in this time of darkness and uncertainty.

Monday, Jan. 7: The Moon now traces a path through clear-headed Aquarius while taking on light of its own at the start of a new solar-lunar cycle; signaling the all-clear for any new initiatives you’ve been eager to launch in the New Year. After having paced back and forth through Scorpio and Libra since early September, Venus finally crosses the cusp into Sagittarius where our values shift from the personal to the social throughout the coming month. This is an excellent planet-sign combination for long-distance romance, vacationing to faraway places or pursuing relationships based on spiritual and philosophical similarities.

Tuesday, Jan. 8: Fightin’ words and fender-benders are possible first thing this morning (Mercury square Mars) with the remainder of the day favorable for putting fresh ideas into practice. Group projects and community-based initiatives are highly recommended under the waxing Moon in Aquarius.

Wednesday, Jan. 9: New insights and a different approach could get the ball rolling this morning while we’re encouraged to hit the pause button once the Moon goes void of course (VOC) in Aquarius at 11:53 am where it will remain until 2:45 pm when the Moon enters Pisces. This might represent a shift from clear-eyed awareness to dreamy states of mind, perhaps with an elevated interest in photography, movies, music or altered states; even so, not everyone will share your enthusiasm for such things. Just sayin’

Thursday, Jan. 10: A string of lunar alignments formed by the Pisces Moon throughout the day suggest a mixed bag of themes: Communication and mental focus get a boost while it would be easy to go overboard in the early evening hours. Some of you may be feeling a bit ungrounded or vulnerable later tonight; if so, tune into the sensation to see if it has something to offer.. You may be pleasantly surprised by the answer you get.

Friday, Jan. 11: The waxing Moon continues to tread the waters of Pisces today, lending an idealistic or unrealistic tone to the proceedings. The use or misuse of power is indicated along with the potential for manipulative behaviors to get one’s way (Sun conjunct Pluto). As the Sun represents executive action, authority and monarchy, you can guess who’s likely to be in the cross-hairs of this conjunction. Whatever unfolds, the momentum will carry it forward into the future before culminating in a breakthrough or standoff come mid-July.

Saturday, Jan. 12: With the Moon stomping through the fires of Aries, we can expect an active day ahead with a fair chance at a cooperative engagement during the mid-afternoon hours followed by a tense moment in the early evening. We could also be experiencing a massive deception or something going terribly wrong ahead of tomorrow’s Jupiter-Neptune square which is known to coincide with financial downturns, over-idealistic approaches or some brand of social nonsense that's being snapped off the shelves. Needless to say, be mindful where you place your trust this weekend and be sure to take a long look at anything that looks too good to be true.

Copyright 2019 Gary Paul Glynn

Return of the Light at Year's End

    Yuletide is well upon us and the days are already growing longer on our final approach to Christmas, followed by that odd, liminal zone that exists between Christmas and New Years: once known as the “Days of Misrule.” This can be a time of high mischief and merrymaking, or it can be a time for retreating, reviewing and recharging as there often isn’t anything too pressing that needs tending to this time of year.

Lunar Time Lag

    As always, we’ll usher-in the New Year at the stroke of midnight come January 1, while at the same time considering, from an cyclical perspective, the real new year won’t truly begin until January 5 at the New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Capricorn. Everything up until then will be geared toward endings and completions, not beginnings; an important detail to bear in mind when making resolutions about a fresh course of action. Once we’re on the other side of the eclipse, there’s little standing in our way, geo-cosmically speaking, so save your proclamations and resolves until that time if you want to succeed with far less effort and angst.

Rearview

    Taking one final glance over our shoulders at 2018, we recall the second guessing, redundancies, bad decisions, violence, bureaucratic chaos and high-level insanity coinciding with Mars and Venus retrogrades dominating the second half of the year. Jupiter-Neptune aspected one another throughout the year, reflecting a daily stream of overinflated lies and misdirection while the dance between Mars and Uranus found expression through radical, senseless violence in places once deemed safe. Then there’s the daily barrage of crazy-town news out of Trumpland and I just can’t.

    It seems as though 2018 has largely been about coming to terms with the fact that the old, reliable structures either no longer support, or are antagonistic to addressing the challenges facing life on this planet; a matter that has been difficult to digest let alone act upon. From an astrological perspective, next year may be seen as a continuation of the year just past (with notable exceptions) where we’ll be forced to make difficult choices and radical course corrections. I would go as far to say that we have about a year to make necessary changes, because once we step across the threshold of 2020, there’s no turning back. That will be the year when the real action takes place... another story we’ll pick up at another time.

Santa’s Web

Oh, ho, ho! Look what Santa dropped into your virtual stocking! A handful of interesting links for your curiosity, pleasure and distraction. A number of these sites require a little experimentation, tweaking and toggling to get the most out of them, but are worth the effort.

Moon Phases 2019. An animated look at the Moon and its phases over the course of 2019. Either click to select a date or scroll down the page to the animation window which is the best part. If you like it enough, it can be downloaded as well.

Hubble Deep Field. One of the newest Hubble images utilizing ultraviolet wavelengths to see the invisible. Click thumbnail to zoom, scroll and use bar at the bottom to pan left and right. And yes, those are galaxies, about 12,000 of them in just one section of the sky!

The Planets Today. One of my favorites. Online orrery demonstrating the motions of moon and planets through the signs in real time. Open the control panel in the upper right corner to toggle fast forward animation to see how the planets move and interact at various speeds and orbits. Retrograde planets have a pink halo that intensifies when the planet stations direct or retrograde. A very cool way to visualize how geocentric astrology operates.

Stellarium. An online planetarium that shows the position of the visible planets and stars in the night sky. Click on the time box at the lower right to advance the date and time or move the sky around in different directions while paying particular attention to the eastern sky before sunrise now through late January. I’ve been using this as a downloaded program on my computer for years to locate planets and stars, but this new, web-based version is a breeze to use.

Null School. A meteorological look at real-time wind currents around the world. Open control panel at lower left, it gives you different map projections as well as altitudes of wind currents, from the ground up into the stratosphere, where the jet stream howls. If you’re a weather geek like I am, this is awesome.

Luminous Blue Variable Star. This last link is a trippy, 3-D simulation of one of the most mysterious stellar objects known to astronomers: the luminous blue variable star.

Hope you enjoy these links as much as I do!

[Please note: Astroblogick will not be posted next week so I’ve included an extra week of Daily Forecasts to keep us all up to date until I’ve awakened from my long winter’s nap.]

Lunar Gardening Report

    Slim pickin’s in the planting and fertilizing departments this holiday season considering the waning Moon this week and next. Your best bet for planting, sprouting, transplanting and feeding Sunday through Monday morning when the Moon is occupying fertile Cancer. After that, the Moon is either in infertile signs or in its closing phase ahead of the New Moon Eclipse on Jan. 5. The next best dates for planting, fertilizing and cutting to enhance growth won’t roll around again until Jan. 9.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Standard/-0500UTC)

Sunday, Dec. 23: The Moon’s journey through Cancer today and tomorrow morning is exquisitely timed, highlighting home and family gatherings here at the advent of Christmas. This is particular true with the Moon forming a Grand Trine aspect with Neptune and Venus midday, a potentially loving and harmonious configuration. Watch for someone attempting to manipulate or intimidate later tonight - walk away for your own sanity and kindly refuse to play. Peace on Earth begins at home.

Monday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve. Matters involving home and family continue to take the lead with the potential for a surprise during the late morning hours. The Moon then enters expressive Leo at noon, lending some drama and excitement to the Christmas festivities with Leo’s emphasis on children and play. The evening hours are dominated by a planetary aspect favoring story-telling, movies, music and other wonders when we behave (Mercury square Neptune).

Tuesday, Dec. 25: Christmas Day. The Leo Moon forms a harmonious aspect to Jupiter in the predawn hours where one can’t help but think of an exhausted Santa making his final rounds with cookie crumbs in his beard. Brunches, parties, open houses, phone calls and lively conversations are emphasized around noon (Moon trine Mercury). Differences in tastes and values emerge during the late afternoon hours, but a pout won't ruin an otherwise happy occasion. Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Wednesday, Dec. 26: Boxing Day. A relatively quiet day unless you’re out looking for post-Christmas deals at big box stores with everyone else as the Leo Moon winds-down family gatherings and festivities. If you’re shopping, a late-morning Moon-Uranus contact highly favors a focus on tech and toys. Watch for a brief VOC period between 10:30 and 1:00 pm: items purchased in that time frame might get little use. That said, a more discerning eye and attention to quality are emphasized after 1:00 pm with the Moon now in Virgo, so think about it over lunch.

Thursday, Dec. 27: The Virgo Moon lends a critical approach to activities and interactions with the potential for confusion or deception midday. Things quiet down in the afternoon ahead of potential communication or transportation difficulties in the early evening which may be brief and of little impact while a more harmonious, if not humorous, lunar aspect takes place a little later.

Friday, Dec. 28: An energy spike is possible in the late morning hours which might signal a conflict, depending on your situation. Watch the Virgo Moon VOC between 11:30 and 3:30 pm when the Moon enters Libra, hopefully taking the edge off any recent aggravations and replacing them with a more harmonious and cooperative set of circumstances. A potentially erotic aspect arises in the late afternoon into early evening, again, depending on your situation as it can also point to obsessive behaviors (Venus sextile Pluto). Mars will join Chiron past midnight, urging us to heal any festering anger or resentment issues through tomorrow morning.

Saturday, Dec. 29: The Libra Moon enters its Last Quarter Phase, pointing to a week of closure extending past New Year’s Day ahead of the New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse on Jan. 5. This is the year-end clearance sale and everything must go! Seriously, if you haven’t put a wrap on 2018 yet, don’t worry about it, you still have a week to do it in. Late morning aspects point to the need to take care of business while still keeping your sense of humor.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Standard/-0500UTC)

Sunday, Dec. 30: The waning Libra Moon lends itself to a harmonious and potentially easy-going day with little in the way of aspects until nightfall when we may be facing unsettling news or a surprising turn. This will kick off a 2.5 hour VOC period beginning at 5:53 pm, lasting until 8:23pm when the Moon enters Scorpio and we get a whiff of a more intense emotional setup. Good night for mystery movies or thrillers as well as personal, end of year soul-searching.

Monday, Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve. On this final day of 2018, we’re encouraged to begin putting a wrap on anything asking for it while being mindful that with the Moon in closure phase until Saturday, don’t sweat it if you can’t release it all today. Mars takes leave of Pisces where it’s been all over the place these past six weeks, entering its natural sign of Aries where it will remain until Valentine’s Day. Mars in Aries often acts in an impulsive, reactive or volatile manner with little standing in the way of obtaining his desires. Use care with this one, particularly if you have planets or sensitive points in Aries; Mars transiting these points might signal the need to act or find ways to safely release suppressed anger. As we approach that magical, midnight hour, the Scorpio Moon forms a flowing alignment to Neptune, which among other things, could result in getting wasted even before ball drops in Times Square. Otherwise, this is a wonderful aspect for fun and excitement off the beaten path as we close out another year. Happy New Year, everybody!

[FYI: At 12:33 am, the space probe, New Horizons is scheduled to have a close encounter with an asteroid named Ultima Thule - the most distant body a man-made probe has ever encountered.]

Tuesday, January 1, 2019: New Year’s Day. A relatively quiet day in the heavens, overseen by the Scorpio Moon and a time to contemplate the year that stretches ahead. I’m sure many of you are embarking on fresh resolutions although I would again caution that with the Moon’s closing phase continuing this week, there will be little in the way of momentum behind our best intentions. The Moon joins Venus in the predawn sky before reaching an exact conjunction at sunset, signaling harmony and loving vibes, particularly when it comes to significant others. Thoughts pertaining to duties and responsibilities may weigh heavily as we move into the late night hours (Sun conjunct Saturn).

Wednesday, Jan. 2: The Moon enters Sagittarius while moving into its Balsamic Phase - a time of deep closure ahead of Saturday’s New Moon/Solar Eclipse. Although many of you are back to work and already marking up a new calendar, this is still a time for clearance, release, elimination and consolidation. Wait until next week to pull the trigger on any new business.

Thursday, Jan. 3: Today might get off to a groggy start with the potential for oversights and confusions messing with the program although we move relentlessly forward under the optimistic auspices of Sagittarius Moon. Communication themes are notable during the second half of the day with Mercury forming aspects to Chiron and Uranus; the possibility for abrupt news and information is strong, particularly where health and healing are concerned.

Friday, Jan. 4: Hyper-mental states and media meltdowns; maybe a continuation of a matter that came to our attention yesterday. The Moon now goes into deep closure after entering Capricorn in the early afternoon where we’re asked to let go of anything we’re needlessly holding onto ahead of tomorrow’s New Moon Eclipse in Capricorn. The imagination is strong mid-afternoon, lending itself to an over-idealized state that needs tempering along with enough self-control to wait until next week to act upon it. Impatience, aggravation or frustration are possible tonight while we should check our expectations at the door, something that might come more easily after Mercury crosses the cusp in Capricorn at 11:00 p.m. where a more pragmatic and measured approach is implied over the next few weeks.

Saturday, Jan. 5: Capricorn New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse. Late morning hosts an aspect suggesting the need for healing, particularly with respect to relationships and sexuality (Venus trine Chiron). Duty and responsibility are making themselves known, perhaps a final matter to tend to as the current solar-lunar cycle comes to a definitive close. The New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse becomes exact at 8:28 pm, opening a powerful new cycle in the heart of Capricorn (15Cap 25), pointing to a year of consequence and opportunity. Although we might have celebrated the New Year last Tuesday, from a cosmic standpoint, this is where it really begins, encouraging us to move boldly forward with our resolutions and ambitions. Because this New Moon is also an eclipse, the Cazimi Window isn’t open this time around, but shouldn’t stop you from formulating and planning your entrance into the new cycle on Monday. That’s when all lights turn green and we’re cleared for departure. Make sure your seat is in an upright position and your seat-belt is securely fastened. Relax and enjoy your flight.

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA) – Hubble / Europe Collaboration

Copyright 2018-2019 Gary Paul Glynn

The Rising Tide of Yule

    Autumn gives way to winter here in the Northern Hemisphere as we move into the season of long nights and cold temps, when the Sun reaches its nadir and Nature goes to ground with the advent of winter. Most of the coming forecast period is relatively calm while activity levels begin to rise as we head toward the weekend where the Cancer Full Moon takes place just 17 hours after the Solstice: the Long Night Moon.

Rebirth of the Light

    The sacred moment of the Winter Solstice takes place when the Sun reaches its farthest point south, appearing to pause over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. In western astrology, this is marked by the Sun’s entrance into the tropical zodiac sign of Capricorn, taking place on Friday, Dec. 21 at 5:23 pm (Eastern Time).

    From a symbolic standpoint, the Winter Solstice marks the Sun’s nadir and the darkest time of the year, a darkness that gives birth to a tiny spark of light that will eventually grow into the blazing fires of Midsummer, six months for now. It’s here that we turn inward to kindle the fire that burns in our human hearts, expressed through celebrations with family and friends in the rising tide of Yule. Beyond the festivities, this is also a time for rest, retreat, reflection and contemplation as we bring the year to an end with one eye turned toward the future and whatever we out-picture it to be.

Long Night Moon

    The solar-lunar cycle that commenced two weeks ago at the Sagittarius New Moon now reaches a climax on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 12:48 p.m. (Eastern), illuminating the potent Solstice Points of the zodiac, located at the first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn (00Can/Cap49). This is literally the backbone of the zodiac, the coordinates of above and below, zenith and nadir, speaking to outcomes, consequences, long in coming.

    The Full Moon taking place less than a day following the Solstice, would suggest confronting matters that might otherwise be easy to dismiss. Polarity tends to revolve around inner security needs and domestic harmony (Moon in Cancer) and outward expectations, ambitions and willful, conservative approaches (Sun in Capricorn). Personally, this could highlight a conflict between career desires and family needs and a potential impasse in terms of choice. Even so, it’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t an either-or proposition, just the need for balancing priorities without dramatized extremes.

The Visible Sky

    Hopefully, many of you were able to see the Geminid Meteor Showers this past week and although there may be a stray meteor here and there, this particular show is pretty much done with. Taking its place this weekend is Comet 46P/Wirtanen as it makes its closest approach to the Earth on Sunday, look for a small green fuzz-ball near the Pleiades star cluster and just above bright star, Aldebaran, the gleaming eye of the Bull.

    Saturn was just lost in the Sun’s glare in the west this past week, leaving Mars dominating the nighttime hours and the most notable thing crossing the southern sky. A bigger show is taking place in the predawn hours over the eastern horizon with stunningly brilliant Venus rising around 4:00 am (Eastern) followed by Mercury and Jupiter, low on the horizon a couple hours later. Taken together, this visible trio is like a cosmic Christmas present for anyone willing to get out for a look before the sun rises.

Lunar Gardening Report

    If you’re looking for a good time to sprout, plant, repot or fertilize, your options are limited with the only good days for doing so taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday when the waxing Moon is located in Taurus. Sunday and Monday are good for weeding, cutting, clearing and pest control while Thursday and Friday are poor days for most any kind of gardening work. The week that follows has better days for planting stuff, if that’s at the top of your Christmas to-do list.

Daily Forecast (For all signs)
(Times are Eastern Standard/-0500UTC)

Sunday, Dec. 16: Relationship matters take a more serious turn today in as far as mature discussions and the alignment of priorities are concerned (Venus sextile Saturn). Finding a balance between expansion and contraction while avoiding extremes is suggested with the Aries Moon forming contradictory aspects in the early afternoon. Later tonight we’re engaged in effective actions that cut through the surface crap and go straight to the heart of the matter. Look for Comet Wirtanen near the Pleiades star cluster.

Monday, Dec. 17: Lunar alignments involving the Aries Moon would suggest a fairly energetic day in need of focus with power plays in the late morning and a search for balance later tonight. Expect the unexpected during the overnight hours.

Tuesday, Dec. 18: With the waxing Moon now making its way through the grounded earth sign of Taurus, we’re open to a more stable and productive day where we can really get stuff done. Communication may appear garbled during the afternoon hours while it’s easy to get carried away in the early evening. In the late night hours we find a focus on matters involving love, sex or money that are hard to dismiss. The Sun now begins its annual, three-day transit of the Galactic Heart Center (Sag26-28) where emanations from Cosmic Central (what the ancient Maya called “Hunab Ku”) are directed toward Earth.

Wednesday, Dec. 19: Unless a tendency toward laziness has its way with us, this can be another productive day under the waxing Taurus Moon. Matters involving health and healing are likely to come to our attention this afternoon with something involving executive action making a lasting impression (Sun square Chiron).

Thursday, Dec. 20: Midwinter’s Eve. On this last full day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, we find the Moon moving out of the deliberate earth sign of Taurus for the curious and oftentimes hyperactive mental sign of Gemini at 9:30 am. Unusual or eccentric behaviors are possible today while we might also be in a position for some sort of personal breakthrough (Sun trine Uranus). Being released from limiting circumstances and going one’s own way is indicated, but so is the potential for getting caught-up in whirlwind (and traffic jam) of the Christmas Countdown.

Friday, Dec. 21: Winter Solstice/Yule. Another busy day in the heavens translates into a busy one here on Earth as well with the Gemini Moon taking the lead with shopping, shipping and travel at the center of the action. Oversights and omissions are possible this morning along with deceptions and confusions which may need to be sorted-out later. Idealism and things looking almost too good to be true in the love, sex and money department are highlighted midday with an emphasis on higher forms of divine love and compassion (Venus trine Neptune). At about the same time we find Mercury joining with Jupiter for the third and final time since Halloween, placing an expanded emphasis on matters pertaining to laws, courts, legislation, publishing, religion and ideological belief systems. Mercury-Jupiter conjunctions are also notorious for exaggerations, hype and much ado over nothing in a social media context, otherwise, you can’t find a better aspect for public speaking or long-distance travel. The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere arrives at 5:23 pm when the Sun crosses the cusp of Capricorn (four minutes before the Sun sets, locally) marking the beginning of the longest night of the year when the Light is born anew. Happy Birthday, Capricorns! Happy Yule, Everyone!

Saturday, Dec. 22: On this first full day of Winter, watch for the Moon void-of-course in Gemini between 9:20 and 11:30 am when the Moon enters Cancer, and just before the Full Moon becomes exact at 12:49 pm, illuminating the very first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn (00Can/Cap49). These are potent Solstice Points, representing the backbone of the zodiac, posing questions regarding originations as well as possible outcomes; something major is brewing on inner and outer modes of expression. Use care out there as we make our way through this period of darkness while keeping the steady faith that spring can’t be far behind.

Copyright 2018 Gary Paul Glynn