by Robert Wilkinson
Winter Solstice 2013 occurs at 9:11 am PST, 12:11 pm EST, 5:11 pm Greenwich, on Dec 21, 2013. This is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and from here the Solar force will get longer and stronger, a welcome relief for those of us who need lots of sunshine to keep our dispositions equally sunny. The Winter Solstice is a special time for me, where I do a specific ritual every year that yields great results. I’ll explain after we discuss the Solstice chart.
It has been put forth over the centuries that the charts done for the Solstices and Equinoxes give snapshots of what we can expect during that season. In this article, I’ll offer you some insights about the Solstice chart, and discuss how this Solstice relates to the very important past Winter Solstices that were conjunct Pluto at the Galactic Center, since those profoundly impacted how we will experience the major shifts happening at this Solstice.
Today is the beginning of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of Summer in the Southern. There is an old tradition that offers us two times when "the year begins," one at the Vernal Equinox, the other at the Autumnal. Perhaps that tradition came from explorers who saw the seasons flip between the Northern and Southern, going from the beginning of warm to the beginning of cold as they moved up and down the latitudes.
This is an excellent time for looking at what has ended, what is emerging, and making decisions about how we want to live in 2014. We up North have now reaped the harvest of what we've done and not done, and can figure out how we want to claim our power in 2014. In the Southern latitudes, you've finished your "Spring planting," and will now see how these labors will come to fulfillment over the next 90 days.
Whether North or South, keep following through on the emergent archetypes you've already begun to live, since this is the time to embrace personal power in some public way. Regardless of where we live, what follows explores elements we all can expect to experience over the next 13 weeks.
As mentioned, the charts for the Summer and Winter Solstices provide guideposts for what will follow in the 90 days after those points in time, just as charts for the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox each show what will follow in the period after those points in time. In this chart, one of the most important factors in play is Venus going stationary retrograde that I posted on this week. Please reference that article to find out more how Venus retrograde might factor into the next 90 days.
Obviously, since the Sun is the key to the Solstice, the aspects it makes are extremely important. In Solstice 2013, the Sun makes a few aspects, not as many close ones as in past Winter Solstice charts. This year, it is square Mars, too wide for a square to Uranus, and only makes a close sextile to Neptune along with a very wide conjunction to Pluto.
In a brief nod to what “brought us to this dance” in years past, the conjunction of the Sun with Pluto was exact or very close back when Pluto was exactly conjunct the Galactic Center between 2006-2009. This set some extremely long wave energies into play on our Earth, and marked a huge renewal for the next 250 years, mas or menos. We are now solidly launched into that new Era.
The Sun square Uranus was close or exact on Winter Solstice 2010, 2011 (exact!) and 2012. So the seed forms created by the Sun and Pluto when they powered up the Galactic Center energies for the next “season of the Millennium” were moved into revolutionary newness by Uranus in the first sign of the zodiac.
Due to the square energy from Capricorn to Aries, we have been constantly shown the greater collective need to bring forth positive Cancer and Libra energy, which is what we’ve been working on between Winter Solstice 2006 and now. Consider these 7 years as our metaphoric “6 Days of Creation,” with off-again, on-again Cardinal T-squares all along the way as testing points for how well we’ve mastered these energies.
The current Solstice chart puts the Grand Irrationality front and center, through Saturn septile Pluto and biseptile Neptune. This shows that during this time we’ve all hit a huge “fork in the road of destiny.” You can find more about this long wave influence by consulting any of several recent articles.
The Sun and Mercury both very close to the Galactic Center show that those past Galactic Center energies and how we decided to use them are again front and center for the next 90 days. The sextile to Neptune shows it’s a very productive time (and has been since 2011 till now) in aligning ourselves with a greater human ideal, an easier flow within our collective setup, and becoming more sensitive, compassionate, and forgiving as we and everyone we know stand collectively on the edge of this great evolutionary leap.
Choices, changes, and decisions will have to be made in areas where we have Aries, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. We’ve gotten here through the decisions we’ve made over the past 7 years, and now we get to restructure and redirect our Saturn energies accordingly. Some will eliminate, some will regenerate. Some will have major clearances, some will have major attractions. Some will have all of the above and more.
Wherever your emotional energy is stuck, that’s the point of the exercise and shows the need for mature patient restructuring. Be willing to “part the veil” and move into the unknown, getting beyond separateness and seeing clearly how to protect what needs protecting and strengthening what needs strengthening.
Saturn ruling the Sun shows this is a primary influence, and so Saturn plays a big part in the coming season. Of note is that the Moon is 17 Leo in square, indicating that we will all move into a time of critical decision related to a form of “rebirth.” This will help release Saturn’s energies, so keep it simple and friendly as you move slowly but surely into a bigger picture. Some will need protection, some will need to get it in gear; others will experience a form of ecstatic awareness by seeing which way the winds of destiny are blowing, and others will receive “gifts from Spirit.”
Due to Saturn septile Pluto and biseptile Neptune, the Grand Irrationality is front and center the next 90 days. The current “hot zones” of the Grand Irrationality are around 18-22 Scorpio, 9-13 Capricorn, 1-5 Pisces, 23-27 Aries, 15-19 Gemini, 6-10 Leo, and 27 Virgo-1 Libra. We’ll see significant developments each time any of these zones is transited, since Saturn will keep the configuration “hot” through the entire season.
That makes Dec 29-Jan 2 important (Sun and Mercury), Jan 31-Feb 13 (Mercury), Jan 27-Feb 5 (Venus), Feb 18-23 (Sun), and March 17-21 (Mercury), as well as every time the Moon transits any of these 7 zones. Expect significant worldly developments in each of these time spans just noted, so mark your calendars accordingly. What happens may not be personal, but things will be in motion in the world at large.
Other forming aspects of note (those showing future patterns; separating aspects show things past) are Moon quadranovile Venus, Mercury binovile Mars, biseptile Uranus, Venus quintile Uranus, Sun square Mars and sextile Neptune, Venus opposed Jupiter, Mars binovile Jupiter, opposed Uranus, biquintile Neptune and square Pluto, and the forming Uranus square Pluto, indicative of the massive upheaval and revolutionary transformation of our times.
Mercury biseptile Uranus puts us all at a critical point of self-dedication to an ideal. Those most affected have planets or angles near 24-28 Sagittarius, 16-20 Aquarius, 7-11 Aries, 28 Taurus-2 Gemini, 19-23 Cancer, 11-15 Virgo, and 2-6 Scorpio. Given the planets involved, anyone impacted by this septile series will find flashes of inspiration, brilliance, truth, broader futures, or an open path to a greater individualization.
Obviously, this series will be triggered by any Lunar transit to any of these spans. Times that will be triggered by the other planets during the coming season include Jan 20-23 (Mercury), February 3-8 (Sun), and Feb 22-Mar 5 (Mercury), along with any of the Lunar transits.
Of definite importance are that Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter create a novile series of active points. These 9 “spiritual sensitive” zones involve “realization points” at 6-8 of the Air signs, 16-18 degrees of the Water signs, and 26-28 of the Fire signs.
Given the planets involved, it will bring forth ideas and ideals that we can act on, with a high degree of emotion in glimpsing a new dedication, new ways of assuring our supply, and a new sense of what needs protecting and what needs strengthening. What we realize and have revealed over the next 90 days will play a huge part in the Saturn structures we set into motion beginning Summer 2014.
The novile series aspects between these planets show things going into or coming out of gestation, due to spiritual factors, to everything related to or ruled by these planets, and bring a spiritualizing energy to the extreme irrationality coming down the next 90 days indicated by the Grand Irrationality coupled with Mercury biseptile Uranus. So Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter are locked into a zone of spiritual realization after a long wait, with Mercury the critical hinge factor precipitating major decisions and shifts in the houses where we have Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius.
In a final reflection, the North Node in Scorpio shows us that our line of growth and development these next 90 days involve letting go of old emotional sludge, giving up whatever we need to in order to create a void that will attract exactly what we need and want at this point in our lives. Clearly we need to go deeper into the world of the subconscious, in order to understand forces “below the surface” of our mind and lives. This will test our spiritual strength, and enable us to do some heavyweight “deep sea diving.”
Enjoy digesting the information in this article, and I’ll post part two soon!
As "they" say, Mahalo, Aloha, Namaskarams, Aum Namah Shivaya, Happy and Merry Solstice, Happy Hanukkah (slight return!), Merry Christmastide, Joyous Christ Mass, and Happy New Year!
© Copyright 2013 Robert Wilkinson
Thank you, Robert. Complex and substantial food for thought here. I will read and reread again and begin a solstice contemplative journey.
Mahalo dear Teacher...
Posted by: Elah | December 20, 2013 at 02:00 PM
Thank you for another amazing article. I need to do some real honest purification myself!!!
Posted by: Micheline | December 20, 2013 at 06:42 PM