Happy Winter Solstice 2015 - Part 2 (And A Great Solstice Ritual For Cleaning Out the Old and Welcoming The New!)

by Robert Wilkinson

In this article we’re going to cover more significant factors in the Winter Solstice chart. As I promised, this article includes a ritual I do every year at this time that helps me let go of the old and welcome the new that I want to see in the next year! Yes, it’s fun!!

First, more on the Solstice chart. This sketch will be brief, since I’ll be going into the bigger picture in greater detail in the coming Full Moon chart articles.

The Sabian Symbol for the Ruler of the Solstice

Saturn, ruler of the Sun, Mercury, and Pluto, is at 11 Sagittarius. In the Astrological Mandala, Rudhyar states this degree symbolizes “the value of the ‘return to the body’ advocated by modern thinkers in order to balance the stress on intellectuality and objective consciousness.” This is a long way of saying it’s about balancing mind and body and being alert to the signals of both.

He continues by giving us a key phrase, “physical enlightenment.” Our body has a wisdom, just like our feelings, minds, and Souls. He states this degree is about “deconditioning a consciousness that (is) a prisoner of intellectual concepts (based in) quantitative values, objectivity and conformity” to cultural patterns.

In original Jones notes published in The Astrology of Personality, he says this is a degree of “influence of social mass upon the individual,” “Power of primordial images of Unconscious,” and “Activity dominated by fate.” Over the next 90 days Saturn will show us how to go deeper into the wisdom of our bodies, where we find new ways of referencing our world that doesn’t overly rely on mind.

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is "The lamp of physical enlightenment at the left temple.” Dr. Marc E. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, states that this symbol is one of “enlarged understanding which comes from an inner and spiritual outreaching, and of the rewards following on a ceaseless experiment with one or another mode of self-expression.”

He speaks of “self-orientation through a continual balancing of consequences and meanings in everyday activity and relationship, where “the world is seen as a laboratory for the soul, able to provide each individual with the reality” they seek for themselves. He says the keyword is RECONCILIATION, and when positive this degree is “personal effectiveness through an intelligent capitalization on past adventure.”

This implies that the ruler of the Light/Life of the next 90 days is telling us to get in touch with the wisdom in our body, where we can enlarge our understanding through seeing how the inner and the outer are connected. Take a look at the primal images that conditioned your view when you were younger, or take a new look at how collective imagery or the society you were raised in conditioned your beliefs. And by all means, begin to allow yourself a wider set of possible beliefs, since this degree will be highly activated next Summer!

As Saturn is in Sagittarius, we continue to learn to open to wider vistas of truth and understanding, and find ways to crystallize a new higher awareness of the interrelatedness of all things. This opens the doors to a more mature spiritual individuality. It takes on an added emphasis because it leads the Sun in this Solstice chart, showing us the way to fulfilling Dharma and expanding our Ring Pass Not.

As I mentioned, this chart will have much in common with the Christmas Day Full Moon chart at 4 Capricorn/Cancer, which I’ll try to have up before Christmas. You can also find out more about the larger patterns going on right now in the recent New Moon in Sagittarius articles posted on Dec 10-11.

The Moon is at 18 Taurus, making it a Gibbous Moon at the Solstice. This phase is on a quest to find associations and creative or constructive forms of expression. The questioning and questing, we search for revelations and illuminations that prepare us for what is to come. Because it’s in the Grand Earth Trine in its sign of exaltation, this should be an extremely solid stabilizing force over the next 13 weeks.

The Moon Sabian Symbol shows that we will get to clean out musty, dusty areas of perception, and stop being comfortable with what stirs our dissatisfaction. Open the windows of our mind, and let some fresh air and sunshine in! Allow the steady, at times pleasant self-transformation process to unfold organically, and you will harmonize your experience with your mind and your imagination.

Dr. Jones says this degree involves our Soul’s service in our purpose of Being and living, and our fulfillment as we further “the over-all ends” of others. This is about a “community realization,” and becoming “increasingly aware” of others and “encourage them in their daily routine.” He gives us the keyword FACILITATION, and says when this degree operates in a positive way, is one of “high personal effectiveness in commandeering the elements of experience for any particular purpose.”

Practicality will run very high this season, supported by the strong inspiration bridging the old and the new shown by Saturn trine Uranus. Venus helps us eliminate stagnant relationships and reflections within the stability of the Grand Earth Trine, and promises both productivity and interesting attractions to fill voids left from our long term withdrawals from irritable or annoying people. And it sets the Grand Irrationality into play for the next 90 days!

Mercury square Mars will give us opportunities to achieve a balance in how we coordinate things, releasing new potential forms, new opportunities, and new heart strengths helping us embrace a new mutation in our lives. Get over ambivalence and looking to others for direction! Find what motivates you, take the initiative, and don’t get lost in idle speculation or wishful thinking.

Don’t get distracted by superficial things, be realistic in your assessments, and recognize and develop tangible opportunities. Again, show some care, be precise in your outreach, and accelerate your growth by taking on things that used to be beyond your competence!

Given what’s happening in this Solstice chart and the fact that all of humanity confronts choices in each individual’s “forks in the road of destiny,” I will again offer you something I’ve given you in past Solstices. It’s a few lines from my favorite song, "Two Different Roads," (check it out when you're done here!) written by Capricorn legend and music pioneer Michael Nesmith:

You might think that I'll wait, but he who hesitates is lost, this is not just a game,
It's the problem of creation and only meditation can make your mind and age the same,
I know, 'cause this all happened once before....

So even as you open to new truths and life adventures, keep it grounded, stay in touch with what you’re experiencing on the deepest levels of your existence, and keep your information up to date. Get a new idea, a new vision, a new person to talk to, and let your ever-deepening awareness guide you back to your natural home. Learn ways to merge your inner nature with Nature, and you will begin to find freedom from fear.

Humanity continues on its voyage into unknown zones of human experience set into motion about 3 years ago. We may be living in a very volatile and conflicted era, but it’s also the birth contractions of a new era. The old ways do not yield easily or quickly, but the greater “Field of Collective Awareness” gets stronger by the day, and those who learn to tune into that collective Field can feel their separateness slipping down the time stream. Those who have trained are already accustomed to moving more easily through 4D and 5D reality, and so the transformation probably won’t be as jolting for some as for those who haven’t trained in spiritual practices up to now.

The collective field is becoming more dense, and we who have been striving to live in higher awareness of our Oneness and connection to All-That-Is are finally at the threshold of seeing the dawning of a new Age. It may take years or even decades to see the concretization of the New Era, the externalization of the Spiritual Fellowship of Brother and Sister Masters of the Wisdom, as well as know which part of the New Group of World Servers we’re here to work with and within, but make no mistake, the advent of the adventure in consciousness is NOW!

On a final note, in the Northern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice ushers in a season dedicated to "seeds in latency," those that will sprout in March when the light force is stronger, the ground is warmer, and Spring is on the way. Whether in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, the Solstices and Equinoxes are special points in the year cycle, marking the end of one season and the beginning of the next one. They are great for getting clear about our resolve, and what we want to see made manifest in times to come.

And now for the fun part!

This brings us to the ritual I mentioned at the beginning. Whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, there is a special ceremony I do each year that yields some fairly spectacular results. This is not a very elaborate ritual, but it's very powerful in its simplicity.

The Solstices mark points of transition from an old "half year" of the Sun moving South or North (depending on where you are on the Earth) into the opposite direction. In the Spirit of this "coming or going," I first take a moment to note what has left my life the past year while saying goodbye on deepest levels. This creates space for that which is more appropriate to my evolution and well-being.

Then I make a list of everything I want to leave my life in the coming year, and A) find a disposable object associated with each thing (or person, or personal habit) I want to see leave, or B) I draw a picture that represents those things, people, or habits. Then I burn each individual picture in a fire, one at a time, while saying goodbye to each of those. (I make a duplicate list to check the next year to remind me of what I wanted to see leave.)

I also make a list of things I want to see come into my life in the coming year. I try to make it realistic, but also allow my imagination to bring forth what might be or could be, even if improbable. After all, it's supposed to be fun! I play with possibilities, and write them down, without getting hung up on specific forms. This is about content more than form.

Then I draw pictures symbolizing those things, and burn them, one by one, in a fire, welcoming in those better things than I've known up to now, putting it up and out into the "Spiritual atmosphere" so that Divine Mother can bring it forth in the coming months. I also make a duplicate list to check the next year.

Over the years I've done this ritual, I find very often that every single thing I want to leave actually does leave. And, I usually see most if not all that I want to appear show up in the following year. Even when one or both lists falls short by a thing or two, overall I've seen great progress year after year.

It's also very interesting to note how my lists have changed over the years, with some concerns falling away and new things presenting themselves according to my intention. And sometimes, when I have not received what I thought I wanted, it became clear why it wasn't good or necessary for me to have that which I thought I wanted.

So in this time of transition from the old year into the Winter of the new, take a moment to note what has left your life the past year, thus creating space for that which is more appropriate to your evolution and well-being. And if you feel like doing a Solstice ritual, whether this one or another, open to your greatest good and highest possibility of happiness, and you just may find a measure of that in the coming year.

As "they" say, Mahalo, Aloha, Namaskarams, Aum Namah Shivaya, Happy and Merry Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmastide, Joyous Christ Mass, and Happy New Year!

© Copyright 2015 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Nic]

Thanks Robert. Very interesting and timely, at least for many things that I am experiencing now. Always of help.

Blessings be to all.

[Jo Garceau]

Hi, Robert. Suffice it to say that my natal Mercury I(chart ruler) is at 10 degrees Sag and all that you have written about Saturn at 11 Sag is pertinent to what I've been preparing for the last several years. What a year to look forward to!

Blessings to you and yours.

[Ann]

Thank you for the clarity Robert. This has enabled a lot to fall into place. Much appreciated.

[micheline]

Hi Robert is there anyway to do this without actually burning things. I have moved to a really old place and its tiny (to save money) and its a tinder box. Can you suggest another way?

[Robert]

Hi all - Thanks for checking in.

Hi Jo - Study, read, write, get a firm hold on the mind and speech, and by next Summer you're on your way!

Hi Micheline - Well, you could burn them or cast them off to sea. You could burn them in a pot and cast the ashes to the wind.

This year we burned ours in the kitchen, and then cast the ashes to the desert with prayers.

[Micheline]

Hi Robert not so close to the sea. But there's a river like 1 minute away but burning is the part I'm worried about. we live so close to each other and since I'm renting there's a smoke detector. my place is now really tiny. I think sending them into water might be okay maybe if it's not too weird I could burn them close to the river but this would have to be done very late at night
but thanks for the idea though.