by Robert Wilkinson
The Winter Solstice is the point in the year where the Sun reaches its maximum northward movement, and the days are the shortest of the year. It is a time often celebrated as the true beginning of the year, since after that point the Sun starts moving south in its arc, and the days begin to lengthen for the next 6 months. It marks the beginning of Winter, and it is said that the charts for the Summer and Winter Solstices indicate what we can expect for the 3 months that follow those points in time, just as the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox charts indicate the same. Today we will explore the Solstice chart so that we might understand the larger forces at work the next 90 days for all of us.
The Winter Solstice is the point in the year where the Sun reaches its maximum northward movement, and the days are the shortest of the year. It is a time often celebrated as the true beginning of the year, since after that point the Sun starts moving south in its arc, and the days begin to lengthen for the next 6 months. It marks the beginning of Winter, and it is said that the charts for the Summer and Winter Solstices indicate what we can expect for the 3 months that follow those points in time, just as the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox charts indicate the same. Today we will explore the Solstice chart so that we might understand the larger forces at work the next 90 days for all of us.
The Winter Solstice of 2005 occurs on December 21 at 10:35 am PST, 1:35 pm EST, and 6:35 pm GMT. Obviously the Ascendant will change depending on where in the world you are. For example, in Westwood, California, the chart has 2 degrees of Pisces rising. Washington DC shows 6 Taurus on the Ascendant, Vancouver BC has 13 Aquarius, Orlando Florida has 25 Aries, and London England has 4 Leo. As you can see, this shifts where the other planets fall in the chart, even though the planets themselves are always the same degree no matter where in the world you are.
The Moon will be 8 Virgo regardless of whether you're in the US, Australia, Africa, or Russia. The same is true for all the other planets. Only the house cusps change, which makes a huge difference in how you will experience the next 90 days. And of course, I also recommend you superimpose the Solstice chart on your own, since it shows how the Solstice energies will play upon your consciousness and life. (That's also the basis of synastry, or how another's chart works on your life, but that's another article for another time.)
The Solstice always shows the Sun at 0 degrees, 0 minutes Capricorn, but everything else changes year to year. This Solstice, as I said, has Moon at 8 Virgo, almost exactly opposition to Uranus at 8 Pisces, which would indicate some very unusual events to come these next 90 days, with some people showing extraordinary uniqueness and genius, while others will simply be eccentric or explosive. The challenge of this volatile aspect is we will all have to rise to unusual or unique opportunities that may come up unexpectedly, and take advantage of them the best we're able. It is a challenge to let go of daydreaming, worry, procrastination, needless criticism, and being nervously fussy. It requires decisiveness, bringing forth unique talents, and a simple, efficient alertness in knowing the larger individuating trends going on.
This opposition defines the Mutable T-square driven by Mercury at 11 Sagittarius, a degree of knowing through instinctive body-wisdom rather than the usual quantitative linear left brain rationality. I discussed this in this post due to Mercury hitting its station on that exact degree before it went retrograde in November. This T-square will challenge us all to learn to communicate, and juggle multiple tasks in good humor. We will have to use vision to bring forms of our genius or unique gifts down to practical, everyday usefulness, not get too theoretical, and move from merely wishing and hoping to actual accomplishments. It offers a great chance or two to understand how to prioritize the relative importance of things, develop a larger social sense, and tap unsuspected resources of life and bring them to others' attention. We will all move in pioneering directions over the next 3 months due to the influence of this aspect working in each of our charts.
There will be widespread unrest due to the 8 Gemini void point, this naturally leading to "new vistas of concrete development" and a renewed call for us to blaze new trails, or enter paths we haven't before now. It shows that there will be shifts and changes in the areas of our charts affected by these planets, so heads up in the Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces areas. Also, given the planets involved, it shows that the Cancer area of our chart will come into dynamic conflict and/or release with the Gemini and Virgo areas, with all of these in dynamic activity with our Aquarius area.
The other prominent configuration is of course the on-going Grand Fixed Cross involving Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune discussed in previous articles on this site. The Mars point shows many will actively embrace a new consecration to humanity, transcending old narrow loyalties and limiting relationships. Jupiter is on a degree of demonstrating a high degree of refinement in our interactions, as though we are all going to "an embassy ball" where we should not treat others with a casual attitude, or allow this to be done to us. Saturn will offer opportunities to play with ideas, and see the common "trunk" of interrelatedness in what is discovered. Neptune continues to offer opportunities to manage our energies wisely, especially relative to the collective unconscious.
What is most important about the Grand Fixed Cross at the Solstice is that the Mars-Jupiter opposition configures with the Moon-Uranus opposition to create a "Mystic Rectangle," a very powerful tool to resolve any opposition through multiple opportunities and understandings. There will be no opposition that does not provide several different ways to resolve the tension while expanding competence and understanding of how to deal with polarized forces, both inside us as well as in the outer world. While all rectangles offer this possibility, a Mystic Rectangle involves both forces beyond our control and our most intimate experience of our life and being.
We also have the added benefit of Mercury forming the sextile-trine to the Saturn-Neptune opposition, offering us ways to resolve the tensions indicated by that leg of the Grand Fixed Cross. So for the next 90 days, regardless of the polarizations indicated by the multiple oppositions, there will be no challenges that cannot be worked with productively using the forces I've just outlined.
Venus is on the degree of its impending retrograde station, "the unexpected thunderstorm" which will "liberate us from adverse conditions" through "spectacular developments" that will "galvanize us to action" as a result of a "cosmic visitation." Though challenging, we will all go through major changes in the Taurus and Libra areas of our lives involving the early Aquarius and late Capricorn sector of our charts that will free us in major ways, and heal us, even if it takes us out of known and familiar territory.
It is exactly biquintiled by the Solstice Moon, and decile (semi-quintile) Uranus. This set of aspects brings forth specialized gifts and qualities, and shows some very interesting interactive uniqueness and emergent gifts to come forth for each of us, even if they're subtle and not entirely perfectly developed. Blessings will be found through symbolic times of "quarantine" that will show us how to play when we are temporarily taken out of "the epidemic" that will be all around us.
On a final note, the North Node of the Moon, showing the line of greatest evolutionary development, is at 10 Aries, a degree of reevaluating past images and concepts, giving them a new application and relevance in an expanded social context. Each of us has the potential for tremendous growth through revising our attitude as we begin a new cycle of experience, and can see the wider context of the old forms in our lives we took for granted. It offers chances to discover new dimensions of experience, and "higher possibilities of experience and mental development." We are also told it is a degree of "abstract seership, integrating the inner and the outer," and an "interpretative gift."
So for the next season, move into newer, pioneering efforts despite the oppositions and conflicts of the recent past, since everything that's been bogged down will start moving forward, in some cases fairly dramatically. It will be a time to anticipate the seeds that are germinating, hear the "call" that galvanizes you to activity leading to dynamic individuation, and take your "first dancing lesson" so that you can be ready to perform a role that you have already declared you want to play.
The Moon will be 8 Virgo regardless of whether you're in the US, Australia, Africa, or Russia. The same is true for all the other planets. Only the house cusps change, which makes a huge difference in how you will experience the next 90 days. And of course, I also recommend you superimpose the Solstice chart on your own, since it shows how the Solstice energies will play upon your consciousness and life. (That's also the basis of synastry, or how another's chart works on your life, but that's another article for another time.)
The Solstice always shows the Sun at 0 degrees, 0 minutes Capricorn, but everything else changes year to year. This Solstice, as I said, has Moon at 8 Virgo, almost exactly opposition to Uranus at 8 Pisces, which would indicate some very unusual events to come these next 90 days, with some people showing extraordinary uniqueness and genius, while others will simply be eccentric or explosive. The challenge of this volatile aspect is we will all have to rise to unusual or unique opportunities that may come up unexpectedly, and take advantage of them the best we're able. It is a challenge to let go of daydreaming, worry, procrastination, needless criticism, and being nervously fussy. It requires decisiveness, bringing forth unique talents, and a simple, efficient alertness in knowing the larger individuating trends going on.
This opposition defines the Mutable T-square driven by Mercury at 11 Sagittarius, a degree of knowing through instinctive body-wisdom rather than the usual quantitative linear left brain rationality. I discussed this in this post due to Mercury hitting its station on that exact degree before it went retrograde in November. This T-square will challenge us all to learn to communicate, and juggle multiple tasks in good humor. We will have to use vision to bring forms of our genius or unique gifts down to practical, everyday usefulness, not get too theoretical, and move from merely wishing and hoping to actual accomplishments. It offers a great chance or two to understand how to prioritize the relative importance of things, develop a larger social sense, and tap unsuspected resources of life and bring them to others' attention. We will all move in pioneering directions over the next 3 months due to the influence of this aspect working in each of our charts.
There will be widespread unrest due to the 8 Gemini void point, this naturally leading to "new vistas of concrete development" and a renewed call for us to blaze new trails, or enter paths we haven't before now. It shows that there will be shifts and changes in the areas of our charts affected by these planets, so heads up in the Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces areas. Also, given the planets involved, it shows that the Cancer area of our chart will come into dynamic conflict and/or release with the Gemini and Virgo areas, with all of these in dynamic activity with our Aquarius area.
The other prominent configuration is of course the on-going Grand Fixed Cross involving Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune discussed in previous articles on this site. The Mars point shows many will actively embrace a new consecration to humanity, transcending old narrow loyalties and limiting relationships. Jupiter is on a degree of demonstrating a high degree of refinement in our interactions, as though we are all going to "an embassy ball" where we should not treat others with a casual attitude, or allow this to be done to us. Saturn will offer opportunities to play with ideas, and see the common "trunk" of interrelatedness in what is discovered. Neptune continues to offer opportunities to manage our energies wisely, especially relative to the collective unconscious.
What is most important about the Grand Fixed Cross at the Solstice is that the Mars-Jupiter opposition configures with the Moon-Uranus opposition to create a "Mystic Rectangle," a very powerful tool to resolve any opposition through multiple opportunities and understandings. There will be no opposition that does not provide several different ways to resolve the tension while expanding competence and understanding of how to deal with polarized forces, both inside us as well as in the outer world. While all rectangles offer this possibility, a Mystic Rectangle involves both forces beyond our control and our most intimate experience of our life and being.
We also have the added benefit of Mercury forming the sextile-trine to the Saturn-Neptune opposition, offering us ways to resolve the tensions indicated by that leg of the Grand Fixed Cross. So for the next 90 days, regardless of the polarizations indicated by the multiple oppositions, there will be no challenges that cannot be worked with productively using the forces I've just outlined.
Venus is on the degree of its impending retrograde station, "the unexpected thunderstorm" which will "liberate us from adverse conditions" through "spectacular developments" that will "galvanize us to action" as a result of a "cosmic visitation." Though challenging, we will all go through major changes in the Taurus and Libra areas of our lives involving the early Aquarius and late Capricorn sector of our charts that will free us in major ways, and heal us, even if it takes us out of known and familiar territory.
It is exactly biquintiled by the Solstice Moon, and decile (semi-quintile) Uranus. This set of aspects brings forth specialized gifts and qualities, and shows some very interesting interactive uniqueness and emergent gifts to come forth for each of us, even if they're subtle and not entirely perfectly developed. Blessings will be found through symbolic times of "quarantine" that will show us how to play when we are temporarily taken out of "the epidemic" that will be all around us.
On a final note, the North Node of the Moon, showing the line of greatest evolutionary development, is at 10 Aries, a degree of reevaluating past images and concepts, giving them a new application and relevance in an expanded social context. Each of us has the potential for tremendous growth through revising our attitude as we begin a new cycle of experience, and can see the wider context of the old forms in our lives we took for granted. It offers chances to discover new dimensions of experience, and "higher possibilities of experience and mental development." We are also told it is a degree of "abstract seership, integrating the inner and the outer," and an "interpretative gift."
So for the next season, move into newer, pioneering efforts despite the oppositions and conflicts of the recent past, since everything that's been bogged down will start moving forward, in some cases fairly dramatically. It will be a time to anticipate the seeds that are germinating, hear the "call" that galvanizes you to activity leading to dynamic individuation, and take your "first dancing lesson" so that you can be ready to perform a role that you have already declared you want to play.
Thank so much for shedding light on these powerful and tense times.
Posted by: victoria | December 18, 2005 at 11:10 PM