As the Sun enters conservative Capricorn, a very special new moon stellium takes shape, Saturn prepares to change signs for the first time in over two years, and disruptive, rowdy Uranus comes out of retrograde. Things get underway at 4:03 P.M. on December 21st when the Sun enters the Cardinal earth sign. There it will meet up with Venus, Mercury and powerful Pluto. Two hours later, a new Capricorn moon strengthens this stellium. Themes of longevity, endurance and ambition are Capricorn’s hallmarks, so this is a five-star day to contemplate the year ahead and to make firm decisions, plans and commitments. Ceremony is also a excellent choice on this very special new Winter Solstice moon. What would you like to see happen most in the coming 365 days, personally and globally? What about the next three years?
With Capricorn’s ruling planet Saturn set for a Sagittarius transit that will last until December 2017, the dawning Sun cycle will open negotiations between optimism and realism. On December 23rd Saturn enters the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius. With the brief exception of a retrograde back into Scorpio from June to September in 2015, Saturn will remain in Sag until December 19, 2017. Where Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius is hopeful and expansive, sober Saturn is pragmatic and restrictive. Sagittarius has high-minded ideals and dreams big, and Saturn imposes form and accountability. Integrating these two forces won’t be easy. With Saturn, nothing ever is, and that’s kind of the point. The loftiest of aspirations require boots on the ground implementation. Saturn provides the discipline and structure to manifest the visionary.
The axiom “As above, so below” is a good one to keep in mind as we journey through this transit. Under global Sag, it will be applied to our stated principles, philosophies and ideals, Sag’s turf. If a cosmetics company says that it is against animal cruelty, but agrees to animal testing as a condition of doing business in China, it will be called out on it. Correspondingly, once we know about the unsavory business practices of our favorite brands, our personal ethics will be tested. If we say that we believe in clean oceans, we’ll continue to be confronted by data showing us how our use of plastics is clogging them up. If we say that everyone deserves access to clean water, Saturn will challenge us to create real mechanisms for delivering it. This cosmic imperative to quite literally “practice what we preach” will only strengthen in the coming three years. It aligns strongly with the Uranus Pluto squares that conclude next March and the ongoing Pluto journey through institutional Capricorn, from 2008-2024. Presently at twelve degrees, that transit is only now beginning to reach phase two in power and intensity. Remember, The American Revolution arose under the previous Capricorn through Pluto transit of 1760-1778, with the battle at Lexington not taking place until Pluto reached 26 degrees. Tensions steadily mounted for well over a decade as Pluto strengthened in the sign of government, systems and commerce. As Capricorn’s ruling planet, Saturn will support Pluto’s honesty and resolve to reform. Spirited, confident Sagittarius will provide, and fuel, the inspiration for change.
With Uranus in Aries and Jupiter in Leo, Saturn in Sag places a major planetary player in every fire sign. Together the three bodies form a loose Grand Fire Trine. Fire represents the element of spirit, and as such is the motivation behind everything that comes into form. This combination will be in place for the first six months of 2015, and a regular trine will be reignited between Saturn and Uranus in September. Sagittarius correlates to 9th house issues such as long-distance travel, religion and higher education. The last Saturn transit of Sag ended in late 1988, the year before the world wide web was invented. This will be the first time we’ll experience Saturn in Sag with a grid for global connectivity and communication firmly in place. This time revolutionary, electrifying Uranus is in audacious Aries. Under this Saturn Uranus combo, messages and movements can spread like wildfire on the grid and on the ground. Ideas like Heroic Imagination can be part of a substantive, sustainable solution. By the end of 2015 the North Node and Jupiter will be in Virgo, the sign of daily routines, details, health and service. This is a further call to fuse the micro into the macrocosm and the macro into the microcosm. Now, under austere Capricorn skies, we begin walking our talk.
