December 2012 & Winter Solstice Astrology

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As we enter December and the final few weeks of 2012 very few people remain unaware of this year’s approaching Winter Solstice date.

The 2012 winter Solstice as an Astrological event has been anticipated for decades and expectations are running high that it will either fulfill our greatest hopes for a transcendental experience or our dreaded fears of global disaster. The planetary dynamics for the date hold significant potential but not enough to suggest a major cataclysm or phenomena affecting the whole planet instantaneously. There is no doubt though that we are at the cusp of a new era with this date as a time marker recognised many thousands of years ago. The “old ways” are being phased out to make way for the new and what we are experiencing is a lot of chaos and disarray during the changeover. We can expect some quite dramatic events to take place during the next year but the greatest event is the one happening on a personal and spiritual level, so that is where our focus needs to be.

December 2012

During mid to late November, whilst Mercury was in retrograde motion, there was a need to do some soul searching and reconsider some of our long held beliefs, goals or attitudes. It may have become obvious, eventually, that continuing down a well worn path in your thinking or actions was simply causing further negativity or anxiety rather than providing a positive way forward. You likely also watched this play out in the lives of others or in global events. As the fast paced messenger planet turned to go forward once more you may have felt the release of tension and some kind of resolution will have occurred. Now, approaching the December New Moon on the 13th, keep in mind those events, thoughts and activities, personal or global, that were prevalent in those recent difficult days as they’ll come up for further investigation during mid to late December.
The New Moon in Sagittarius prompts us to reach further and accept the challenge of new ideas and attitudes. It could also mean adopting something that was was inconceivable or totally foreign to us previously. This urge to embrace something new is particularly strong as the planet Uranus turns to take it’s forward path, accelerating this impetus for change. Uranus represents our need to be break free from dependencies that hold us in old patterns of behaviour and conditioned thinking or restricts us through pressure to conform to social codes. When those restrictions are experienced as unnecessarily repressive, overly controlling or simply limiting personal freedoms, sooner or later, a rebellion occurs.
With Uranus in feisty Aries making a supportive trine angle to quick acting Mercury in Sagittarius we can expect to find ourselves doing whatever it takes to break out and try a different way. This is where the connection to the events and circumstances of mid November become apparent. If the limiting thoughts or repressive situations that had to be considered back then were not fully purged from our lives they will re-emerge to be dealt with now.

Winter Solstice – 21st December 2012

Personal experiences during the days around the winter Solstice on the 21st depends on how we deal with the required self examination, our attitude of heart and how determined we are to hold on to the status quo. There is an opportunity during these next few weeks to make choices about how we approach life, respond to others and generally relate to our world and all that’s around us. By responding to events as they unfold the evidence of our choices is made clear. If we can be flexible in our thinking, accept new possibilities and embrace others despite differences we can all pass into the new era with a joyful heart.

Finger of God

The planetary line up on the winter Solstice creates a pattern known as a Yod or “finger of god” and the combination of planets involved tell us about the possibilities and choices made available to us through this configuration.
A triangular shape is formed with one planet at the tip having greater emphasis. At one corner of the triangle base is Pluto in Capricorn. This describes the current destruction of our social, political, religious and economic systems in preparation for being rebuilt to better suit the new era. The other base planet is Saturn in Scorpio which describes the release from imposed limitations caused by unconscious conditioning. With Jupiter (expansion) in Gemini (cognition) at the tip creating the forward thrust we are given the opportunity to increase our self awareness. With Venus, planet of social values in truth seeking Sagittarius acting as a trigger there is also a strong personal desire to evolve to a higher perspective. The degree to which this can happen for any individual is dependent on how easily you can accept a change of perception and expand your understanding as events unfold. This alignment sets the tone for the following months and the new era that we are entering.