by Robert Wilkinson
The 2016 Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice/Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice happens 2:45 am PST, 5:45 am EST, 10:45 am GMT on December 21, 2016. This is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the longest in the Southern! In the North the Solar force will begin to 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 which I'll explain in part 2. For now, let's 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 last day of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, the last day of Spring in the Southern. If you’re wondering how I reconcile the seemingly opposing energies between the hemispheres, when you’re done here please take a look at The Mirroring of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Year Cycles in Astrology. It may help readers “down under” see how the important points of seasonal change, though opposite in physical manifestation, actually have similar challenges at each point of shift.
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 2017. 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 2017. 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, the biggest factor involves the powerful Venus trine Jupiter with Moon conjunct Jupiter along with the exact Jupiter opposition Uranus and sextile Saturn, with Saturn exactly trine Uranus. This should provide a lot of solid inspiration and some very fortunate interpersonal contacts!
Obviously, since the Sun is the key to the Solstice, the aspects it makes are extremely important. In this December 2016 Solstice chart, the Sun makes many powerful aspects, including a productive sextile to Mars, a gifting quintile to Jupiter, a serendipitous tredecile to Uranus, and though wide, Mercury “collects the light” and forms a Sun conjunct Pluto.
This means major themes of the next 90 days involve extraordinary productivity if we learn to read the tides, and major gifts and blessings if we go for permanent rather than transitory or superficial knowledge. Because this is a VERY favorable configuration involving the Sun, Jupiter, and Uranus, unique interactive benefits will bless those with planets anywhere near 29 Sagittarius/Gemini through 1-5 Capricorn/Cancer, 7-11 Aquarius/Leo, 13-17 Pisces/Virgo, 19-23 Aries/Libra, and 25-29 Taurus/Scorpio.
There are a host of strong aspects in this chart! The outer aspects were already discussed in the recent Mercury stationary retrograde articles, so today we’ll only discuss the inner planet forming aspects in this Solstice chart.
The Moon is quadraelftile Venus, widely conjunct Jupiter, quintile Saturn, and triseptile Neptune, triggering the Grand Irrationality over these next 13 weeks. Big shifts in collective consciousness are on the way, and we shall be called to live our Truth and demonstrate the effectiveness of our spiritual wisdom and ideals.
Any time the Grand Irrationality is set into motion, the greater global destiny hits another fork in the road. The public mood will take a big turn, recalibrating according to local Libra conditions. Those who want to know more about this long term configuration bringing bizarre conditions these past 23 years, as well as which degrees of which signs are involved, can find more in the New or Full Moon article sections on the phenomenon.
Other aspects of note include Mercury retrograde quindecile Saturn, trielftile Uranus, and sextile Neptune, Venus in a very tight semi-square with the Sun, trine Jupiter, sextile Saturn and Uranus, and Mars sesquisquare Jupiter, quintile Saturn, conjunct Neptune, and exactly semisquare Pluto. The novile of Uranus to Neptune should be bringing us to long wave spiritual realizations and/or rebirth wherever they fall in our charts, while the quindeciles, quintiles, and tredecile will bring high specialization in the areas ruled by the planets in those aspects.
Since that involves Moon, Mercury, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto, you can see there’s going to be a lot of unique gifts and blessings to be had! Besides the Sun-Jupiter-Uranus zones listed above, other zones of specialization include the Moon-Mars-Saturn harmonic resonant voids of 5-9 Libra, 17-21 Sagittarius, 29 Aquarius-3 Pisces, 11-15 Taurus, and 23-27 Cancer.
So What’s Been Going On Before Now?
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” back in 2006-2009 were moved into revolutionary newness by Uranus in the first sign of the zodiac since then.
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 10 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.
Other Factors
This is the second and last December Solstice with Saturn in Sagittarius, since next year the Sun will conjunct Saturn at 1 Capricorn at the Solstice, shining a big light on the Galactic Center. Because Saturn is the ruler of the Sun, the next year will continue to help us open to Sagittarius energies where we have Sagittarius in our charts. 2016 was about the lessons of 11 Sag, while the coming year will be about 21 Sag. We continue to restructure wherever we have Sag in our charts. (Yes, you may find some interesting information by putting the Solstice chart on top of yours, and see where those transits fall.)
Saturn ruling the Sun is a primary dispositor influence, and so Saturn always plays a big part in the December through March season. Saturn leads the Sun, and disposits the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Pluto, making it a major player in how things become bright, and what “imitation games” we must play as a practice to a future state of living.
Saturn has five forming aspects; a quintile from the Moon, a sextile from Venus, a quintile from Mars, a sextile from Jupiter, and a trine to Uranus. Add two quindeciles from Mercury and to Pluto, and there a lot of productive specialization within unique conditions happening!
In a final reflection, the North Node in Virgo is now in its second change of seasons with it in that sign. It shows us that our line of growth and development these next 90 days involve finding ways to refine our expression while learning how to use skill effectively in social situations, or ride the ups and downs of the emotional life while still being in command of what to do and when. We continue to grow through our collective/redemptive “liberating ordeal,” with powers and protection waiting in the wings. Pay attention to details and cultivate Divine Discernment so you know what’s important and what’s not important.
Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend
Because Saturn plays such a large part in any December Solstice chart, if you haven’t gotten your copy already, please considering getting a copy of my new book, Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. We all need to make friends with our inner Saturn if we would claim our spiritual maturity and live in a way that fulfills our higher purpose for being alive as Spirits in the material world.
This book takes an entirely new look at our inner Saturn and the power it gives us to take command of our lives and destiny. If Saturn represents all that limits us and holds us back, it’s only because we must master those lessons so we may become spiritual adults and fulfill our purpose for being alive on Earth. By knowing our Saturnian strengths, we can overcome fear and any sense of victimization or powerlessness.
It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and gives the reader the power to understand why some things happened when they did. Throughout the book, it offers ways for us to “make friends” with this part of our existence and take command of our destiny. As you read each chapter, you’ll become more aware of all the factors assisting Soul growth through understanding how our Saturn lessons relate to Dharma (our Highest Spiritual Function) and various types of karma, both those we cause and those which are "Sacred Wounds" leading us to a greater compassion and understanding.
And as you've just sampled, we explore the concept of Saturn representing our Ring-Pass-Not, or that part of us which is limited while we learn certain lessons related to our understanding of who we are and why we can or cannot do certain things. As our Saturn expands its understanding and wisdom, then our Ring-Pass-Not expands so we can find purpose and meaning in each chapter of life. It is the secret to our power to guide our own evolution as we become conscious of the meaning of why we are on Earth.
The second part of the book examines how Saturn cycles mark major points of choice and change throughout life, and what we can expect when Saturn makes conjunctions, squares, and oppositions to our planets and Ascendant. There are tables assisting the reader to know when Saturn was in each sign, so even those with little or no understanding of astrology can track the timing on their major life changes. There is an entire chapter dedicated to the Saturn Return, perhaps the most important times in life when our decisions profoundly shape our future.
Part two closes with a chapter on one of the most crucial factors in our personal unfoldment: how the progressed Moon and transiting Saturn cycles track each other throughout life and relate to our emotional growth, and a chapter on a global phenomenon happening since 2003 impacting everyone on Earth. The Epilogue offers a few insights about living “the spiritual life,” and opens dimensions of higher and broader possibilities of personal evolution, regardless of which path to Truth we may be on.
This is a book you will reference many times for many reasons, and each time you pick it up you’re sure to find undiscovered gems of insight on each page. This book can help you throw off all the attitudes and memories which have held you back from finding and living the life and purpose you’ve been searching for since you were young. Welcome to the journey of self-discovery, and finding your power to live your life on your own terms, fulfilling your reason for being alive as an Eternal having human experiences!
Please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page and order your copy of either the paperback or the ebook. I’ve been told that people who live overseas can get their copy much faster by going through Amazon. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.
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 2016 Robert Wilkinson
Interesting how the world is coming into crucial situations these days and the Solstice and its energies and possibilities "appear in the sky". Nothing seems to be to permanent these days. The Solstice energies and what is at play in the heavens can bring some comfort and understanding. Certainly your book on Saturn is of great help too.
Ready for post 2 of the series.
Happy season to you and your Robert!
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | December 20, 2016 at 02:27 AM
Interesting although this is definitely not a happy time
Posted by: Tms | December 20, 2016 at 12:59 PM