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Number 93 

December sees the end of the current eclipse season at the full moon when the Earth’s shadow will eclipse the Moon. This can indicate a stressful time, especially as Mercury is retrograde until the middle of the month. The energy is quite chaotic and may keep you running around in circles if you forget to stay centred. So my advice for the festive season is to keep your sense of humour, stay grounded and remember to breathe! 

Best wishes for the Solstice and the Festive Season. 

Blessings

Christine Rothwell 

'03 9584 6532

Email: christiner@netspace.net.au

Website: www.christinerothwell.com.au 

Contents

1.     December Overview

2.     The Capricorn Solstice and 2012

3.     The Summer Solstice

4.     2012 Astrology Classes.

5.     Consultations and Gift Certificates 

 1. December Overview 

Uranus turns direct on December 10 at 0 Aries 38 after having spent the last few months retrograde.Whenever a planet makes a station and turns direct its energy becomes more powerful and focused. Uranus, the Great Awakener, symbolizes the urge to change, break free of limitations and express our individuality. Sit with any impulsive plans for a while before acting on them to make sure they are an authentic expression of your true self, not just a reaction to your circumstances and environment.

Mercury is retrograde until December 14 and a new Mercury cyclewill begin aroundDecember 4when Mercury conjuncts the Sun. The key dates and degrees in this cycle are:

• Retrograde from November 24 to December 14
• Sensitive degrees: 3 to 21 degrees of Sagittarius
• Full time of influence: 5^thof November to the 1^stof January
• Time for insight: around December 4 when the New Mercury Cycle begins [Mercury conjunct the Sun]
• Time to act on new ideas / beliefs: December 14 to January 1 

The whole retrograde phase is a potent time for reflection and review … a time when we can become aware of habitual beliefs and thought patterns and make the adjustments necessary to align our thinking with the person we are now. This is a great time to meditate, reflect, research, seek answers, sort out your paperwork, return calls and generally attend to all the things you have been too busy to do earlier. 

Remember Mercury retrograde always provides us with the opportunity to free our thinking from habitual ruts and develop a more conscious set of mental attitudes and beliefs. Concerns may arise over the first few weeks and the answers and insight can appear when the new cycle begins on December 4. Sit with your insights until after December 14 when Mercury goes direct. The next few weeks are the time to express your insights and put new plans into action. 

The December Full Moon is a lunar eclipse that takes place at 1.36am on December 11 at 18 degrees of Gemini. Lunar eclipses are visible anywhere it is dark and free of cloud cover. All ofAustraliaandNew Zealandshould be able to witness the eclipse phenomenonas the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, slowly covering then revealing the brilliance of the full moon. Our friends in Europe and most of the US will miss out, although the eastern states may be lucky. Check for the local time of the full moon to see if it will be visible for you. 

A lunar eclipse is an especially potent full moon that can activate sub-conscious feelings, urges and fears, making us more likely to act and react emotionally. It also comes straight after the November Solar Eclipse, suggesting that this may be an emotionally draining time where we may be better off taking some time out. It also makes the month from November 25 Solar Eclipse through to the Summer Solstice very powerful for meditating and re-aligning with our inner truth.Energetically eclipses are said to create disruption in the Earth’s energy field [as well as our personal energy fields] as they activate the zero point energy that can be both chaotic and creative. As the Earth’s field enters into the chaos of the zero point, there exists the potential for a conscious and coherent re-organization of our energy bodies and mind. 

This eclipse forms a mutable grand cross with Mars in Virgo and Ceres in Pisces, so issues around anger, assertion, and competition [Mars] as well as nurturing, belonging and food [Ceres] may arise. Mars in Virgo tends to repress and somatise anger so be prepared to own what you feel and meditate on a constructive way to express it. The mutable grand cross along with Mercury slowing down getting ready to turn direct will challenge our patience and may keep us running around in circles if we are not careful.The challenge here is to stay centred, keep a sense of humour and remember to breathe! 

The Summer Solstice falls on December22 when the Sun reaches its maximum declination south of the equator and is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. Both the Solstice and New Moon charts brings the current big mover and shaker – the square from Uranus to Pluto – into focus once more. 

The December New Moon falls at 5.06am on Christmas Day at 2 Capricorn 34and contains both supportive and challenging aspects. Jupiter trines the New Moon conferring his blessings of abundance and joviality while Saturn, Neptune and Chiron all sextile the Sun and Moon, bringing patience and sensitivity to the celebrations. The Chiron /Neptuneconjunction suggest the potential for healing and forgiveness through staying open to our pain, dreams and emotions. 

The tension comes from the conjunction from Pluto and the square from Uranus, the two big players that will dominate the world scene over the next few years.The Uranus / Pluto square is the major configuration for 2012 to 2015 and this lunation as well as the Solstice are bringing it into focus. Pluto square Uranus is the first [waxing] square since Uranus and Pluto conjuncted in 1965 / 1966. We are being challenged to implement many of the changes that were seeded during the mid 60’s. 

Uranus square Pluto indicates conflict between the need for freedom and adventure [Uranus in Aries] and the need for stability, security and control [Pluto in Capricorn]. Pluto and Capricorn can both tend to fear and depression but the constructive use of this energy talks of the need to let go old fear based structures [internal and external] Both Capricorn and Aries are cardinal signs,and cardinal energy is all about action; getting things started and taking risks. Breakthrough and breakdown are both possible, and sometimes breakthrough cannot happen without the breakdown. The square energy symbolizes a conflict between these energies as they compete for dominance. 

Jupiter, the planetary symbol of the process of growth and expansion turnsdirect on December 26 at 0 Taurus 22,after completing its annual cycle of retrograde motion. As Jupiter slows down, stations and turns direct his energy becomes more focused and intensified. This can be a potent time to reflect on what / where you seek to expand in terms of both physical manifestation and spiritual/ psychological growth. 

Jupiter’s retrograde motion [July 23 to December 26] can mark a time of ego deflation and stagnant growth that forces us to see things from a new perspective. During the retrograde phase we are challenged to review our growth and examine our moral codes to see where:

1.     We may have been too inflated, impulsive, and arrogant or naïve – or

2.     Where we may sabotage our growth through fear and negativity. 

If you have felt frustrated in your attempts to move forwards and manifest your visions, Jupiter moving direct can assist you to move forward with renewed optimism, especially in the area of your life symbolized by the house where Jupiter is transiting. This is a supportive image for those of you planning to work on your New Year’s intentions. With Mercury and Jupiter both moving direct it could be worth creating a physical or mental vision [or vision board] for 2012. 

2. The Summer Solstice & 2012 

At 4.30pm on December 22 [Australian Eastern daylight time] the Sun will reach its maximum declination south as it moves into the sign of Capricorn. This marks the Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. 

The Capricorn Solstice currently marks the time each year when the Sun aligns with the dark band of sky near the centre of our galaxy. The peak of this cycle is December 21 2012. This event takes place once every 25,800 years [approximately] and is a 36 year process.The end of the Mayan Long Count seemed to be dated to coincide with this event, suggesting that the ancient Mayans had a very advanced knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. To the Mayans this area of the sky marked the original point of creation and was said to be the pathway of the Gods who dwelled in the Underworld; a place they called Xibalba.This dark band of sky near the Galactic Centre has been revered by many cultures and is often said to be the home of the Gods where the wisdom of the cosmos can be found. This is similar to the Buddhist concept of the emptiness from which all life in the Universe is birthed. 

The alignment of the Sun with this point has been taking place each December Solstice since 1994 and will continue to do so until 2030. This phenomenon occurs due to the 26,000 year cycle known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Sun measures ½ a degree width on the ecliptic [360 apparent path of the Sun through the zodiac] and moves backwards against this circle 1Òevery 72years. Hence it will take 36 years to move across this point. 

So the point behind the December Solstice is now aligned with the dark band at the centre of the Milky Way and has been every December since 1994. Potentially it symbolizes humanity gaining greater access to the wisdom of the cosmos symbolized by the dark band [home of the Gods, source of creation] at the centre of the Milky Way. Accessing this energy will require humanity to experience a collective and personal symbolic death and rebirth on many levels - spiritually, psychically, energetically and intellectually with advances science, technology, healing, communications all likely. 

But the point I want to make is that it is HAPPENING NOW. It is not an isolated event that occurs in 2012. This is the key astrological indicator [but by no means the only one] of what is often referred to as the Shift, the Awakening or Ascension process. 

3. The Summer Solstice 

The Summer Solstice marks the time of the longest days and shortest nights when the Sun reaches the mid-point of the cycle that began 6 months earlier at the Winter Solstice. The Solstice is a paradox that is well known to those who reach middle age – as soon as the Sun has reached the peak of His power the days begin to shorten and His power will soon wane even though the hottest days are still to come [Due to a seasonal lag in heating the surface of the Earth].  

The Summer Solstice is always a time of review as it mirrors the energy of the Full Moon, both being half way points in the cycle. Traditionally it was a time of rest and relaxation before the hard work of the autumn harvest.  

Christmas is a Winter Solstice celebration. The anniversary of the birth of Christ was placed close to the old pagan Sabbat that honoured the rebirth of the Sun God from the darkness of winter. It is important to find a way to honour the Spirit of Place here in the Southern Hemisphere by acknowledging the energy of summer.  

A Summer Solstice Ritual

[Ring Lucy on 0418 382 924 if you would like to participate in a Solstice Ritual in Melbourne] 

To honour the Spirit of Place you can have a special Solstice meal [this can be December 25] that includes seasonal produce – summer foods rather than heavy winter dishes we associate with Christmas. I light gold and silver candles to honour the Sun and the Moon. I then offer them my thanks for the abundance that Mother Earth and Father Sun have given me throughout the year and ask for their blessing for the harvest yet to come. 

If you would like something more reflective, even as part of your Christmas meal, you can invite everyone to share their hopes for the coming autumn harvest and light a candle in a colour that symbolizes the harvest. You could use one group candle or each person could have their own candle in a colour that is personally symbolic of the harvest they desire. As the candle[s] burns, see your desires manifesting and reflect on what may need to be done to ensure an abundant harvest.

For those of you who would prefer a more private ritual here is another offering. Ground and centre yourself then call to your guides and angels for their guidance and protection. Light a gold candle to honour the Summer Sun then close your eyes. Imagine that you are travelling in the lunar crescent with the Goddess. She invites you to reflect on what you are seeking to manifest in your life and what you need to achieve this. Allow yourself to receive whatever you need with her blessings and visualize your desires manifesting in the weeks and months ahead. 

May the Goddess & God Bless You All

Christine 

 

Blessings

Christine Rothwell