Current Transits for December 2001 Current Transits for December 2001Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Ceres enters Aquarius, 12-5
Mars enters Pisces, 12-8
Chiron enters Capricorn, 12-11
New Moon / Annular Solar Eclipse at 22Sa56, 12-14
Vesta reenters Taurus, 12-21
The Juno Situation, 12-22 to 12-29
Full Moon / Appulse Lunar Eclipse at 8Cn48, 12-30
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
Except for the lingering effects of the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto grouping (the so-called "giant") we've been tracking all fall, December looks like a rather mild month. The only really notable events this month are the two eclipses, which tend to kick off long-term changes and don't always have immediate results. There are 3 periods when the energies build up to more intense levels (mid Koz Alert stuff), but it's nothing we haven't handled before. Perhaps this is a time to shift our gaze from the horrors of the past few months and start focusing on the future again, especially as those eclipses announce an end to the previous 6 months' influences and the start of something new. Granted, the giant is not done with us yet -- we're only halfway through this pattern. But we seem to be turning a corner. Things are looking up now.
Besides the two eclipses, there's not much earthshaking news this month. Juno is standing still and going retrograde on Christmas. There are also a lot of planets changing signs, notably Chiron moving into Capricorn on the 11th.
Ceres enters Aquarius on the 5th. This is an odd placement for Mother Ceres, as it denotes a form of "impersonal caring" that may seem contrary to her normal ways. It can also indicate a channeling of your caring through more institutional ways, such as the relief organizations active in this country and in Afghanistan. One of the truly amazing sub-plots in the chart for the World Trade Center bombing is the tight connection between our two countries and the position of Ceres. Further, at the time the bombing campaign commenced on 10-7, Ceres and Mars were conjunct. Given Ceres' traditional association with grains and food, this perfectly describes our strategy of "bombs and bread" in this war. In general, Ceres represents our connections with each other and how we must care for each other to support the common good. In Aquarius, there's a strong humanitarian streak, but it's not a very warm or personal connection. On the other hand, when there are large operations to carry out, we need to band together in groups to show our support. It may not feel like the most heartfelt of responses, but at least it's there. Ceres moves into Pisces on 2002-2-22.
Mars shifts into Pisces on the 8th for a 6 week retreat. This is another strange placement, putting the planet of willful ego expression in the zodiac sign of selfless inactivity. Needless to say, this is not a good time for any projects that focus solely on Numero Uno. In fact, you may feel fatigued or listless quite often, as though your energy reserves are drained. About the only way you're going to feel much drive at all is to concentrate on activities that benefit others instead of looking out for yourself. It's the holiday season anyway, so this may not be as hard as it sounds. Give yourself time alone to recharge your batteries if you feel overwhelmed, as others can be a big drain on you at times. Come to an insight about how your actions can support the bigger picture. Come Jan 18, Mars will move into Aries and he'll get to be his wonderful, blustery self once more.
Chiron crawls into Capricorn for a 3 year stay on the 11th. Capricorn represents the structures and organization that determine the shape and feel of our lives, as well as the authority and leadership needed to produce these forms. As always with Chiron, there is some area of life that has been left in the dark for a long time, because you feel a lack of acceptance or understanding for those traits. This placement can express itself in quite a number of ways. For starters, look for the parts of your life where things aren't going well due to lack of organization. We all have areas that are marked by chaos or lack of discipline -- see how you can clean up these parts. It may be a time to get serious about some chore or project that has been put off for many years. Another clue is to seek out where your sense of power and authority is being held back. It's likely that your personal power is being compromised somewhere out of a need to defer to someone who has control over you. This is a period for reclaiming your right to determine your own life and make your own decisions. On a broader basis, this is a time to question authority over us, especially at a governmental or business level, and work for a system that expresses the best we stand for, rather than protects us from our biggest fears at the expense of our freedom and dignity. We're going to be seeing these issues for a long time, so it may take awhile to become aware of the problem areas. Give yourself some time to explore these dilemmas. Chiron will move into Aquarius on 2005-2-21.
In an annular eclipse of the Sun, the Moon is too far away for the dark part of its shadow to touch the earth. There's a little ring of sunlight (the "annulus") that surrounds the dark image of the Moon. This eclipse starts in the Pacific, passes south of Hawaii, and briefly crosses Costa Rica and Nicaragua before the lunar shadow skips off into space again. Most of the USA will see at least a partial eclipse in the afternoon. Viewed astrologically, the eclipse chart is a lop-sided mess, with planets scattering their energies all over the zodiac. Except for the eclipse point itself, most planets produce little impact on us via aspects.
The bulk of this chart is in late Sagittarius (5 planets) and early Capricorn (2 more), with the eclipse point (22Sa56) near the Galactic Center (26Sa52), which was recently visited by Chiron all year. Such an overwhelming Sag emphasis produces a big appetite for freedom and flexibility. There's an urge to explore new worlds (physically, mentally, spiritually) and gather new experiences. Sag can also refer to belief systems and attempts to understand the world. With the long-term influence of Pluto in this sign, there's a harsh shrillness to beliefs and a tendency to ram it down the throats of nonbelievers, the essence of the "fundamentalist" mindset. I don't think we're out of the woods yet, especially in our so-called "war on terrorism", because the intolerant clash of worldviews hasn't been addressed yet on either side. There's a few nuggets of enlightened inspiration that are missing before real progress can be made. Even on the personal level, it's important to temper your own actions and desires with some compassion for the people around you that see things differently. The big T-square of Mars, Saturn and Pluto is just beginning to form, so there's still a window of opportunity open to us before egos check in and battlelines become entrenched. Stay focused on the big picture, because the small view just leads to more trouble. Explore alternative points of view instead of holding onto one story exclusively.
Vesta backs up from Gemini into Taurus as part of its retrograde cycle on the 21st. It only gets a few degrees into the sign, standing still at its direct station on 2002-1-14 at 27Ta47 (very near the Pleiades), before reentering Gemini on 2002-2-9. Vesta is about withdrawing into yourself to get in touch with your own power and integrity. She often has a "loner" tendency, pulling back from other people in order to find herself. In Gemini, there's a retreat from the normal communication and intellectual chatter that characterizes most relations in order to find out what's truly important to you on the mental level. It can indicate a withdrawal from the usual social interactions. However, Taurus works at a much more fundamental, physical level. Quite often, it's the level of the physical body itself and the wisdom it holds for us. As a fast-paced society, we are terribly prone to living in our heads, divorced from the needs of the body and the beauty of our senses. We ignore the wisdom and urgings of the body at our own peril, since Life has a way of nurturing itself. The biggest chunk of wisdom here is that we are Life itself and we need to honor the needs and rhythms of the body to prosper. A one-sided spirituality that extolls the "spiritual" while putting down the physical plane is only fooling itself. You can't cut yourself off from the physical without violating your wholeness and integrity. Pleasure is just as important as being holy. It's a time to look closely at how we cut ourselves into separate parts, how we put ourselves down. It's time to accept all of yourself and love it!
The situation with the asteroid Juno is pretty complicated this month. After spending the last 3 months in Leo, she moves into Virgo on the 22nd. However, she only gets her big toe over the line, since she stands still at 0Vi03 on Christmas day and backs up into Leo again on the 29th. Obviously, there's a highly changeable situation going on here. Except for this one week, Juno spends a full 9 months in Leo, so the Virgo overtone seems to be saying something special. Juno is about relationships, specifically partnerships between equals. Depending on whether her offer is honored or not, she can be devoutly loving and supportive or shrewish and backbiting. It all turns on whether she's accepted as an equal or not. Leo is the sign of the heart, indicating the need to love and be loved, as well as the need to acknowledge the self. Juno in Leo is a curious mixture of affectionate partner and someone who needs to be put on a pedestal and appreciated. Unlike most sign placements, she gets a bit wrapped up in herself here. Perhaps this brief Virgo fling is her way of reminding herself that the other person is still important. Virgo is about service, of putting the other person first. This week is a mid-course correction within the larger Leo theme, a hint to not get too carried away with yourself. All things in balance.
The final eclipse of December brings in the new year with a bang. The eclipse itself should be visible in the early morning hours across all of the country as a partial darkening of the full moon, especially the southern half. As you can tell by the waveform for this chart, this is a "heads up!" kind of influence, focused primarily at around 8 degrees of each. There are 5 planets in Capricorn. All the planets are divided into two camps at opposite ends of the zodiac, a pattern astrologers call a Seesaw.
The lunar eclipse chart is a study in contrasts and contradictions. With the full moon conjunct Jupiter in Cancer, there's a warm, optimistic mood with an emphasis on family and belonging. You may not feel completely open with the ones you love, as there's a tendency to withdraw into your shell at times, but they are still on your mind. On the opposite side of the Seesaw, there are all those Capricorn planets. Capricorn is disciplined and businesslike, kind of unemotional and just-the-facts. There's a need to just take care of things that need to be done without making a big fuss about it. You're not in the mood to be distracted by others or modify your plans to suit their demands. In fact, you can dig in your heels so much that people can lose their tempers with each other, so be flexible if you start to ruffle feathers. Clearcut communication that leaves your ego at the door can offset most of these problems. Realize that you are building for the long-term future, so be patient, especially if results seem to come slowly. We'll probably be seeing this eclipse become active early in 2002, particularly on the national or world level (I can see some sensitive connections to the USA chart already). So, take it slow and steady, be truthful to yourself, but listen to others -- Happy New Year!