December 12th ~ 19th
“The Abysm of Time” by Edmund Dulac
Transitions
No, they whisper. You own nothing. You were a visitor, time after time climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming. We never belonged to you. You never found us. It was always the other way round. ~ Margaret Atwood
On Wednesday Neptune made its direct station in the last degree of the last sign of the zodiac, and like a water funnel forming around the drain of our lives we see many aspects of our lives dissolving, receding, slowly transitioning. All the outer planets are in the process of transitioning. Pluto entered Aquarius last year. Saturn and Neptune both entered Aries and then retrograded back to Pisces for some unfinished business. Same with Uranus after it entered Gemini, and now has returned to Taurus.
Neptune will re-enter Aries on January 26th as will Saturn on February 13th. Uranus will re-enter Gemini at the end of April. In the mean time we remain in this waiting area before finally crossing the threshold into the next era of our lives. A part of us may be clinging to the familiar, hesitant to let go of what we know. But until we are willing to do so, we will not reach the further shore.
The world is shifting, and as it does so, we are being brought along for the ride. And now we are going to be figuring out how and where we will be fitting into the new scheme that is emerging. Out of the ashes of the old a new world is emerging. And somewhere in each and everyone’s lives we will resonate with that shift, that change, that awareness of something new, something imminent waiting for us just around the corner.
What Neptune is asking of us now, is to take the very essence, the accumulation of all of our experiences, our lives, distilled to its most basic elements so that we may bring these with us into the next phase of our lives. And in this process of distillation we are also being asked to connect with our own inner Neptune, whether that be spirit, the heart of the matter, the very essence of our own being. It is this part of us that knows right from wrong, whether we call it conscience, the whisper of intuition, that transcendent voice of understanding. It is this that will serve as a guide as we enter this next phase of our lives. Hence the necessity to connect with our own inner Neptune.
Mars at the very last degrees of Sagittarius was square Saturn, and now Neptune. The Sun, also at these late degrees of Sagittarius is approaching its squares to both Saturn and Neptune culminating with the New Moon on the 19th. These squares are making us all too aware of the transitions that we are being presented with. It can feel like wading through quicksand. It can feel like sadness. It can feel like doubt.
Mars/Saturn and Sun/Saturn can be resistant, avoidant, and riddled with obstacles. Mars/Neptune feels drained, sometimes even defeated and deflated. So if you find it difficult to get things done over these weeks, these are the culprits. Whether you are beset with a bout of the flu. you need that extra nap at 3 pm, or you just don’t want to deal. Do things in increments. Take pauses. And realize it may take a little bit longer to accomplish tasks. This does not mean it cannot be done. It just may take a bit longer. Self-acceptance and patience are required. Let us all be kind to ourselves.
Thor’s Hammer
Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. ~ Margaret Atwood
Thor’s Hammer is a name given to a configuration of at least 3 planets that form what looks like a clunky spear. With two planets forming a 90º angle (square) aspect to one another, a 3rd one comes to the opposite midpoint of the two planets, making 135º angles to each. Stealthy and yet powerful, what was previously an aching conflict, suddenly becomes quite powerful, quite obvious and can no longer be denied.
This week on Wednesday Mercury insinuates itself into the lingering Jupiter/Chiron square, forming Thor’s Hammer. Quick and fleeting, this configuration will be most evident from Tuesday thru Thursday.
In order to overcome the discomfort of Thor’s hammer, we need to face it head on. This is not a configuration for the weak of heart. It requires a willingness to persist, even though it makes things harder. This is because the conflict we are presented with is so ingrained and so persistent, like an old habit, or something we have taken for granted, that when we try to change it, it keeps circling back. Because that’s the way things are or always have been. It’s what we had become accustomed to. But eventually, with effort, we can create radical, transformative and profound changes in our lives.
Just because we are accustomed to things being a certain way, doesn’t make them right. The old narratives, the guilt, the shame, the habits, the ancient wounds that rear their heads. Mercury is making us aware of our own undoing as it navigates the Jupiter/Chiron square which becomes exact next week on the 21st. Mercury brings awareness. So fleeting it may not be loud, but it could be life-changing, telling us this cannot go on as it has. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. We are needing to do the hard work of re-writing the narrative.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: