On Dec 19, at 7:43 pm CST, the Moon makes an exact conjunction with the Sun in the 29th degree of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is associated with expansiveness and adventure, both physically and intellectually. Like an archer's arrow in flight, Sagittarius creates connections across vast spans. Interactions with foreign people and cultures, and the exchange of philosophical ideas (by traveling abroad or at universities) are decidedly in the domain of Sagittarius.
The gas-giant Jupiter is the planetary ruler of Sagittarius, and fittingly embodies the expansive quality which the sign of mutable-fire has been known to express. There is optimism and a sense of benevolence, a willingness to reach-out and to grow, however that growth can also become exaggeration, reckless belief ("delulu", to borrow the modern parlance), or material excess. Jupiter, and the Sagittarian impulse, can bolster hope in trying times but can also increase unwanted phenomena. Undesired weight-gain, delusions of grandeur, doubling-down on a lie, gambling away resources to cover debts accrued through gambling. There is no shortage of potentially problematic expressions of this energy which is often portrayed as inherently positive.
Interestingly, at the time of this New Moon, both Neptune and Saturn are forming tense square aspects to the Sun and Moon from the sign of Pisces. Neptune is the planetary ruler of Pisces, and these two are associated with dreams and fantasies, illusions, delusions, and the ephemeral. Left to their most positive expressions, Jupiter and Neptune are powerful allies. Neptune giving glimpses of idyllic possibilities, and Jupiter providing the optimism and expansive striving to believe in them. Yet it is easy to see how this pairing could be problematic as well.
Enter Saturn, the most taciturn of the planets. Saturn has an affinity for restriction, restraint, and limitation. It is a decidedly pragmatic, realistic, and even fatalistic energy. It is, in many ways, the perfect complement or foil to the expansive and optimistic nature of Jupiter. Similarly, it is a natural counter to the Neptunian impulses. While Neptune may be intoxicating and ill-defined, Saturn is distinctly sober and painstakingly clear.
The squaring of these forces highlights the tension between our experiences of limitation and growth, our sense of in-groups and out-groups, and our capacity to balance being realistic or pessimistic with our capacity for maintaining hope or indulging in problematic excesses.
Adding to these dynamics is the arrival of the Winter Solstice on Dec 21 at 9:03 am CST. The Winter Solstice comes with the Sun entering the sign of Capricorn, the sign of cardinal-earth energy, which is ruled by none other than planet Saturn. It is fitting that Capricorn is associated with the most limited period of daylight annually, but also with the beginning of the persistent climb toward the longer days of Spring and Summer. Capricorn carries with it the qualities of industriousness, perseverance, and discipline, and is symbolized as a mountain goat with an aquatic tail. Capricorn is built for striving upward, for the long and arduous climb, yet it is also equipped for life below sea-level. The potentially oppressive quality of Saturn gives Capricorn the opportunity to swim, and the sturdy and firm quality of Saturn gives Capricorn the audacity to reach the summit.
Mars entered the sign of Capricorn on Dec 15, and Venus will follow suit on Dec 24, bringing a trifecta of Capricorn and Saturnian energy onto the scene for much of the Sun's sojourn through this tenth sign of the Zodiac. The shift from the exploratory and grandiose energy of Sagittarius to Capricorn can feel stifling, but can also be stabilizing and centering. The influence of Pisces and Neptune can both undermine efforts at consistency and tangible progress, but also may afford the opportunity to soften and dream, to give the Saturnian impulse something worth standing upon and striving for.
The movement of the Tao consists in returning. (40)
Without going out your door, you can know the ways of the world. (47)
Learning consists in daily accumulating;
the practice of Tao consists in daily diminishing. (48)
To know when to stop is to be preserved from perils. (44)
-Tao Te Ching
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