by Robert Wilkinson
The 2018 Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice/Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice happens 2:23 pm PST, 5:23 pm EST, 10:23 pm GMT on December 21, 2018. 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 2019. 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 2019. 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 HUGE factor dominating the entire chart is the Sun conjunct Saturn, along with Mercury conjunct Jupiter and both biseptile Mars. As we have a Full Moon from 1 Cancer to the Sun at 1 Capricorn, it clearly indicates the coming season will be one of people coming to power, focused through changing allegiances!
Obviously, since the Sun is the key to the Solstice, the aspects it makes are extremely important. In this December 2018 Solstice chart, the Sun is semi-square Venus, binovile Mars, conjunct Saturn, and quintile Neptune.
This means major themes of the next 90 days involve a tremendous potential to cultivate a gift of intuition, or simply knowing how to “give the people what they want.” Relationships that move us will show us “the world of the 5 senses and the mind as the playground of God and Soul,” and help us claim the power to know what to do and when. With the Sun conjunct Saturn in Capricorn, it’s another year of claiming power through discipline, maturity, and patience.
There are a host of strong forming and closely partile separating aspects in this chart! The Moon is biquintile Venus, square Mars, quadranovile Saturn, septile Uranus, and quincunx Pluto. This will bring seed knowledge that will clarify our part in “the Cosmic Choir,” and when most aggravated, don’t create more aggravations through misdirected anger or frustration! Hard adjustments may be required to be more true to yourself and accept new energies, while shaking off old social rigidity and letting go of illusions of the ego mind will prove most productive to your heart and magnetism.
Other aspects show Mercury and Jupiter biseptile Mars, conjunct Jupiter, semisextile Saturn, square Neptune, and novile Pluto; Venus is pentelftile Uranus, trine Neptune, and bielftile Pluto; Mars is quintile Saturn, and decile Uranus; Saturn is tredecile Uranus, sextile Neptune, and conjunct Pluto; and Uranus is semisquare Neptune and trielftile Pluto.
So overall there’s a lot of specialization, forced growth, and strong energy releases promised by the biseptiles between Mercury and Jupiter with Mars, released by the square between the Moon and Mars. This promises radical emergences, reorientations, and we will see new faces come to power. Of course, expect power conflicts between the old and what is emerging. There will be meltdowns as well, with maximum stress on those with planets or power points near 9-15 and 18-25 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.
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. This particular Solstice will codify some of the Galactic energies because of the conjunction of the Sun and Saturn on the GC.
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.
Pluto offers us seeds to sprout or seeds of future weeds to be pulled before they grow, and so the years Pluto spent at the GC sent the world “galactic seeds” that have been hidden up to now. The 2017 Solstice brought those hidden seeds into manifestation via the Sun conjunct Saturn at the Galactic Center. We have now turned the corner as a planet and humanity relative to the Galactic Wisdom we have been learning to know in seed form these past 12 years, and are now entering the second year of this new Era.
Other Factors
This is the Second December Solstice with Saturn in Capricorn, so besides the Sun shining a big light on the Galactic Center, we also have Saturn dominating the stage by being in its home sign, now on the 11th degree of Capricorn. Because Saturn is the ruler of the Sun, the next year will open us to newer, more mature forms of Capricorn energy and expression in our lives wherever we have the second decan of Capricorn in our charts.
2016 was about the lessons of 11 Sag, while 2017 featured the themes of 21 Sag. Those years restructured wherever we have Sag in our charts. 2018 was about the lesson of 1 Capricorn. 2019 will feature the lessons of 11 Capricorn, so study up on them. (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. On this Solstice, Saturn has nothing but extraordinarily favorable aspects, so make the most of the next 90 days using Saturn’s virtues and strengths to guide your Light.
At this time, Mercury and Jupiter at 10 Sag lead the Sun, showing the fusion of the lower mind and the Higher Mind in the sign of the Higher Mind is the gateway to being led to the Light! Keep a sense of humor, vision, and dance into the greater life, willingly accepting what is offered that requires your forced growth. If you’re ambitious, you win the prize!
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 give yourself the timeless gift of my book, Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. We all need to make friends with our inner Saturn if we would claim our power to fulfill our higher purpose for being alive as Spirits in the material world.
This book shows you the way to take command of your power to steer your life in a conscious way, using Saturn’s strengths and skills to be led to mastering life on our own terms. By knowing how to become the best of Saturn in our world, we take command of our destiny and become the living purpose we were born to make manifest!
It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and will assist your understanding of how your life experiences assisted your Soul growth and power to turn away from unhelpful karmic cause and effect patterns. Each time you re-read any part of it you’re sure to find undiscovered gems of insight helping you throw off attitudes which frustrate your ability to live your higher Purpose on your own terms.
So if you don’t already have a copy, please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. 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 2018 Robert Wilkinson
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