There has been much astrologizing going on in my life, but unfortunately none of it has taken the form of updating this blog. I hope to begin to make up for lost time as the year comes to a close (more likely, given the aspects, on a bang than a whimper).
A perfect planetary symbol of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is Jupiter--even though by December 25 we have entered the Capricorn period, the traditional excesses of food, drink, festivities, and shopping for presents mostly occur during the Sagittarius period, which may well be a reaction against the naughtier pleasures of Scorpio (which climaxes, so to speak, on Halloween). Tomorrow not only marks the Winter Solstice, but the exact Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius, a significant aspect that has been building for weeks. If Jupiter is an apt representation of the holidays, Neptune represents spirit--and presto, we have holiday spirit.
Yet the message of this particular Jupiter/Neptune conjunction is far from simple or placid. It is filtered through the lens of Aquarius, the most complex of the air signs: group-oriented, reform-minded, revolutionary, brilliant, stubborn. During a time that some are calling "Great Depression II," perhaps the most rewarding holiday spirit is to be found among friends, the family you make for yourself. Air is not material; friendship is a present you cannot put in a box and wrap. Compassionate or creative visions (Neptune) may very well hatch between friends or in larger groups of likeminded people uniting toward a common goal.
The health-care reform bill has been a topic of great controversy among people of all political (or apolitical) stripes, and although it now appears that the Democrats have their sixtieth vote in the Senate, the controversy is far from over. Many are also upset about the upshot of the climate talks. It will indeed be interesting to see if there are any mass protests or marches on Washington, especially as inner planets move into Aquarius. However, since this is also such a technologically oriented sign, protests may well have a greater presence online--in blogs, chat forums, petitions, and so on.
The Venus/Uranus square (exact yesterday at 8:52 p.m. EST) was marked by the Northeast's first blizzard of the season, but I read this square as less about the weather than about blowing hot and cold in matters of the heart...possibly not being able to decide whether a situation is platonic or more than a friendly hug goodnight. The far more harmonious Venus/Jupiter and Venus/Neptune sextiles, which are nearly exact at the time of this writing, should hopefully smooth out any lingering rough edges. It is also of interest that the Moon transiting Aquarius will create a pleasant emotional reverberation of the above sextiles early tomorrow morning (for Eastern Standard Timers). The Winter Solstice of 2009 will most definitely not be a boring one.
