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Becca Tarnas
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Acyuta-bhava Das
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OVERVIEW
This month, some key things will begin to lead us into the new year. First, we have the final eclipse in the Sagittarius/Gemini cycle for awhile (about nine years before the eclipses fall in those signs again). As a new moon, solar eclipse in Sagittarius, on the surface it seems positive as a new beginning, but as the astrologers this month point out, the eclipse is falling close to the south node—which represents getting rid of something, and heading toward the North node (our future destiny as a collective). So our world community needs to let go of something, clear out things so we can move into a new phase (and in Sagittarius, it brings up international cultures). In the U.S., the eclipse falls on the ascendant of the country—it’s identity, how others see it, how it represents itself to others. So the issues of having to cleanse, let go of something, and begin a new long-term phase of how the country identifies and is seen by others is especially important to Americans. This, in light of the fact that Pluto will return to where it was on July 4, 1776, in February, representing the FIRST Pluto return (to its location in the US birth chart), adds not only to the focus on the US in upcoming months, but also to the fact that elements of the past may need to be addressed, let go of, and cleared away before we can move forward. Pluto destroys and rebuilds—so the return means it is time for a reboot, a reset on the government and authority of the country. In Capricorn, Pluto is a top-down authority, but it soon moves into Aquarius—a community-oriented, social justice-focused sign. Pluto there will give more power to the people, but in a new way from the change that occurred 246 years ago. And it is not just going to be in February that Pluto returns to that degree point. As Austin Coppock points out, “we are in for a series of five exact returns,” meaning we will be tunneling deeper in addressing and repairing the things that need to change.
Venus enters Capricorn and will stay there until March 6, since it goes retrograde right around the time it gets to the latter degrees and meets up with Pluto. So Venus will connect with Pluto three times, and will have us going back over some Venusian things. The first we think about is love, but Capricorn represents big business and big government, so the Venus meaning of money and things we own, or our values can be the things that we reflect on, and review, reassess, and revise. Pam Gregory points out that there could be themes of power over banking, organizations, governments, top-down structures, economic issues, as well as values that will be both personal and global. Mercury and the Sun will also join Venus in Capricorn before the end of the month, and add more depth and energy to the issues. Mercury is what we are thinking and discussing, and then Mercury will go retrograde in January, from Aquarius, but will head back into Capricorn and meet up with Pluto twice after it has already hit Pluto this month before heading into Aquarius in mid-December. Again, this means a review of ideas, talks, agreements, business practices (trade) and local travel, and it will hit that Pluto point that, by January will be very close to the U.S. Pluto return degree. We will likely be remembering and rethinking the way things were and where we go from here, by the time Pluto begins its ricochet over and over that degree throughout 2022 and 2023, and actually makes serious changes when it goes into Aquarius.
But Venus going retrograde and returning to a direct motion can often bring back old lovers or people from the past that we may decide to reconnect with and rekindle the old memories and friendships—until Venus leaves the path it traveled while heading backwards. That is when things get back to where we were before reliving the old times. And we may tire of that walk down memory lane, or decide to continue it in a new way. But be aware that Pluto can be obsession, and Venus as love, can bring on jealousy, possessiveness, and intensity that may not be welcome. That can happen not just with love, but with a desire to get a make-over (don’t do it while Venus is retrograde—not the best timing). Not feeling pretty enough and becoming obsessed with beauty-oriented themes, spending money, decorating, indulging in luxuries that may seem unnecessary by January. Pam reminds us to keep Venus themes in mind—pleasure, good food, warmth, comfy things—but in a retrograde period, “those things are harder for us to find, harder to find comfort and pleasure,” and with Pluto in the mix, it means we will be looking more inward, deeper, under the surface, to bring happiness, hope, values, and what we love and want. Austin says Venus retrograde is “an early stress test” for relationships, that come around every year-and-a-half. Pluto, however, will intensify it this time around. Venus retrograde also brings up the idea of women and government (Pluto), bringing up the old values and reassessing that to make some revisions or rebuild them.
Traditional Saturn, representing the established way of doing things, the conservative drive to keep things as they are, will meet up with Uranus in a final exact 90˚ square on or around Christmas eve, the 24th, which is a push-pull for status quo versus change, stability versus instability, and holding things together versus breaking the boundaries. The stress in Aquarius and Taurus brings stress to fixed signs. They are fixed signs and are at difficult angles to other fixed signs. In addition, beneficial Jupiter, in Aquarius, will move into Pisces again by the end of December—where it is happy and will connect with Neptune next year. But it takes that beneficial energy out of the fixed sign mix, leaving Saturn (and its challenging connection to Uranus). The eclipses, which bring major shifts –beginnings and endings—will now be in fixed signs Scorpio and Taurus. So those individuals and countries that have strong energy related to those signs—Scorpio, Taurus, Leo and Aquarius—could have challenges ahead.
And finally, Jupiter heading into Pisces happens at the end of December and it stays there through May, moving into Aries for a few months before backing up into Pisces again around election day and the holidays in 2022. We had a preview of Jupiter in Pisces from May through July 2021—which coincided with both the end of the mask mandate (in May—exactly on the same day), and the return of wearing masks at the end of July (again on the same day Jupiter returned to Aquarius). The vaccines began when Jupiter and Saturn went into Aquarius a year ago on the Solstice in December. So we may see issues surrounding vaccines and masks as Jupiter heads into Pisces, and we may see “big water” since Jupiter expands, and Pisces is water. But it also reflects compassion, spirituality and creativity—especially film and music. Next year we will see when Jupiter meets up with Neptune whether it is big confusion (and conspiracy theories with the idea of “over” –Jupiter—“imagining”—Neptune–things).
Below are the summaries of what these skilled astrologers have discussed about the month (and year) ahead, but to get so many more details, check out their videos and personal websites with the links above. They often have many other videos available with deeper dives into these topics, as well as other astrological themes. And don’t forget that these daily details are posted to Hungarian Aquarian’s Facebook page along with shared content from other astrology pages, and the other content from this website.
DAILY DETAILS:
DEC 1
Today, Neptune stops its retrograde motion and will begin moving in a forward motion again, meaning all the planets except Uranus are going forward until Venus goes retrograde on the 19th. As a result, Pam Gregory notes that we will have a very different feeling from a few months ago, as the direct motion of all the planets brings a sense of momentum, and “a lot of events start to unfold quite quickly.”
Rick Levine points out that when planets change direction it can take a long time for them to gain speed, so Neptune, which is a slow-moving planet anyway, will not move very far this month. And when planets change direction, their symbolism is amplified for several days on either side of that pivot, Pam Gregory notes, adding that Neptune’s symbolism relates to water, liquids, oil, leaks (of fluids or of information), toxicity or addiction or drugs, hypnosis, illusion, delusion, and confusion. Austin Coppock pointed out that dreams are another connection to Neptune adding that when you are in a dream, the things in the dream make sense. Once you wake up, it does not make sense.
Levine discusses the concept of confusion in relation to hypnosis, by saying “the more confused we become, the more susceptible we become”—because if we are confused, and there is a stable piece of information in the middle of that confusion, it becomes the focus, and because it appears stable in a state of confusion, it is sometimes seen as the truth. Though there are “true believers, it is not necessarily the truth,” Levine points out. And in that sense conspiracy theories are born and spread.
Pam Gregory adds that the positive side of Neptune is imagination, creativity, the spiritual, and unconditional love. If we know Neptune is strong, she advises, and are experiencing the less positive aspects, “you can know that it is Neptune [energy] and choose to express it as creativity, spirituality, at the highest level.”
On The Astrology Podcast Chris Brennan brought up that Neptune, which has been in Pisces for about a decade, has brought in a flourish of interest in astrology, as well as conspiracy theories. But he mentioned that with Neptune retrograde this year he saw some anti-astrology going on, and he suspects that when Neptune leaves Pisces, will there be an end point in the interest in astrology? Or will there be opposition to astrology?
Becca Tarnas agreed that there was “a turn toward astrology and magic and more esoteric paths that correlated to Neptune in Pisces,” but that at the same time there was a Uranus/Pluto square for several years, and that people were “brought forward in a new way” and that dialogues opened up to bring in new perspectives about formerly “repressed ways of knowing.” But, she said, Neptune is a “pervasive slippery element.”
Chris suggested that there may have been a “high water mark of the Neptune in Pisces transit and the explosion of the occult and other types of phenomena. But when you hit peak saturation, people start to get over it or it has gone too far?”
Austin Coppock responded that “Saturation is a good way of thinking about it—it is water based.” The last time Neptune was in Pisces, about 150 years ago, he noted was the séance craze, with everyone talking to the dead, and even “respectable drawing rooms filled with that.”
Becca added that Neptune is also connected to non-ordinary states of consciousness, whether they are substances, meditative visualization practices, techniques. They may be seen as divine or sacred truths or as total illusion or delusion.
DEC. 4
NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE
This eclipse is a pretty big deal. It is the last in the Sagittarius/Gemini eclipse cycle which began about 18 months ago, and after this the eclipses will be in Scorpio and Taurus (which we had in November for the Full Moon eclipse on the 19th), for another year and a half. This eclipse is falling in Sagittarius at 12˚ 21’ of Sagittarius, and it is a new moon, which normally means a new beginning, moving ahead, but as Pam Gregory explains, “an eclipse has to be close to the North Node or the South Node—the North node is the future destiny for the world, and the South Node is the past for the collective, or the ground we’ve already covered.” So This new moon, which is taking us to something new, is connected to the South Node—the past—which means we have to cleanse and clear the new, Pam says, and shed the past. Sagittarius is about beliefs, higher consciousness, and wisdom. So we need to look at our past beliefs, and “step into a new paradigm,” she explains.
Rick Levine points out that “solar eclipses in general stir up energy, they polarize energy,” and they are vortexes that distort time, create wormholes and can mix up the past and future.
Acyuta-bhava Das notes that the closer the eclipse is to the North or South Node, the stronger it is. He also points out that mercury is close to this eclipse and that this group – the sun, moon, and mercury—are “broadly square to Neptune” and “configured by whole sign sextile to Jupiter.” Neptune and Jupiter are each several degrees away from being exactly connected to the eclipse and mercury, but there is the idea that when you consider the distance between the signs of Sagittarius (eclipse and Mercury), Aquarius (Jupiter) and Pisces (Neptune), that is how he views the angles. This tells him that the angle to Jupiter does some good. He sees this new moon solar eclipse as being less problematic or “nasty” than the full moon eclipse in November, because Neptune and Jupiter can be uplifting. However, he does note that Jupiter can sometimes go too far, or be a bit grandiose or idealistic—even to the point of “righteous fervor,” but generally those two planets could bring imaginative inspiration and broad mindedness to the mix.
In addition, Pam points out that the sun and moon in Sagittarius are at an uncomfortable angle to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus represents “high level frequency energy, electromagnetic energy coming in bursts,” Pam says. While this fresh energy in Sagittarius is about truth, the higher mind, freedom (both Sagittarius and Uranus want freedom) and the future.
Rick Levine adds that not only will this new moon at this uncomfortable, annoying angle to Uranus likely bring about sudden changes that are progressive and futuristic, it might feel like too much for us to handle—a bit of an irritation. So while the eclipse may bring some progressive change, electric (maybe digital), the awkward angle to Uranus does not allow these changes to be integrated very easily, Levine says. However, the silver lining is that the eclipse is at a degree point that gives it some potentially positive energy from Saturn, which brings in stability and discipline. And there is the energy of Chiron in the mix, which is at a very harmonious degree to the sun and moon with Saturn in the middle at angles of potential to both Chiron and to the eclipse. This is forming a triangle of potential—Chiron brings healing and lessons, and Saturn brings stability to this sudden, electric powerful change in beliefs and philosophies, that could be too sudden for many to assimilate.
Pam brings up the fact that this solar eclipse is close to the degree point (14˚ of Sagittarius) where the “massive galactic anomaly” called “the great attractor” is located. “It sucks galaxies in its wake,” she notes. Like a giant cosmic vacuum cleaner, she says, it feels like a cleansing and clearing, and there can be a sense of precognition. “It is also massively downloading energy to create the new.” So we are getting much energy to clean up the past and begin anew with this eclipse. Though Pam suggests setting intentions at this time, other astrologers say eclipses are NOT the time to set intentions.
DEC 5-6
Rick Levine points out that interesting things are happening from the 5th to the 6th, a lot of which involves Pluto. Venus is already moving close to Pluto in Capricorn, which it will be doing until March of 2022. But other planets will be crossing the paths of these two. First we have the moon, which was just hanging out with the sun in Sagittarius, catching up to Venus and Pluto in Capricorn. This brings emotion to Venus (love, money and happiness), and to Pluto –what is felt deeply, or hidden.
Mars is connecting with Pluto in a way that brings up opportunity and that will be exact on the 6th. But before that, easily angered Mars was at a difficult angle to healer and teacher Chiron, which Levine says gives the energy that someone does not “want to have to be forgiven and don’t want to tell a jerk they are okay.” But now, Mars connecting with taking action related to (Pluto) things that are deep. In Capricorn it can be work and discipline. Levine says this could be people who are at odds with each other, going deep and working things out. “Mars is the god of war, Pluto lord of the underworld, and when they get along in [this angle] there is potential for some healing there,” he tells us. So maybe Mars is getting over things by Monday since the energy eases up and actions can happen to expose some things that have been hidden or buried for awhile.
DEC 7-8
Mars is in a challenging angle to Jupiter, and there is a sense of crusading, which Pam Gregory says is the energy of jumping on your horse to fight for the crusades,” adding that it is “wonderful, very positive.” But at the same time, combative Mars is in a very harmonious angle to fantasy-focused Neptune—which makes the fight an idealistic, imaginary quest—like a Don Quixote fighting the windmills.
Rick Levine adds that with Mars at a challenging angle to big, over-the-top Jupiter, the energy can be incredibly exuberant, overstated confidence. He reminds us that” confidence isn’t necessarily a good thing—it just depends on your point of view and how the events turn out afterwards” –and he gives the example of the January 6th attack on the Capitol, when Jupiter was connecting with similar energy of unpredictable and impatient Uranus. Jupiter adds the inflation of energy to bring things to the point of being overdone.
Pam Gregory supports that, indicating that Mars/Jupiter can be very positive, but warns about the Mars/Neptune connection, saying, “Just be sure of your facts, because with Neptune there can sometimes be a slippage of facts—things aren’t quite as they seem.” Mercury is also in a challenging angle to Neptune—which is great for creativity, imagination and dreams. But check in through intuition about what is true. Neptune is about dreams, she reminds us, and since it has just stopped its retrograde and moved to a direct motion, we should pay attention to our dreams.
The Astrology Podcast crew discusses these Mars connections to Pluto and Jupiter, with Becca describing the Mars/Pluto connection as intense drive, and Mars/Jupiter as being energizing but buoyant. “Jupiter lends confidence, and charisma coming forward.”
Chris Brennan, however, brings up the fact that logical Mercury is at a challenging angle to fantasy-driven Neptune, which can be “an undermining factor” that can distract people who have too much energy. “They can build a world that does not exist,” which Becca suggests is “giving voice to the imagination” so it is a good time to “write more poetry rather than trying to convince yourself you have a clear idea of what is going on.”
Acyuta-bhava Das adds that feisty Mars and expansive Jupiter can mean “big, grand, bold adventurous decisions being made or actions being taken,” or “point to an inflated sense of anger or machismo,” which he says is not fun to be around. They would be Cocky, domineering attitudes, pride, self-righteous perspectives. This combination can also become a “militaristic idealogical fervor.” With Jupiter in Aquarius—the planet of belief in the sign of the mind—at this challenging angle things can become dogmatic. He ends by looking at what positive things are.possible—a sense of pride, strength and confidence with the ability to accomplish and achieve a goal.
In addition, Acyuta-bhava likes the Mercury/Neptune connection, even though it is at a challenging 90˚ angle, since he finds Neptune to be inspiring, writing (with Mercury here) can see emotion pouring out, and meditation can be deeper. “Neptune,” he says, “is sometimes know for thinning the veil, bringing that sort of other worldly sense of communication,” and the connection with Mercury combines imaginative and intellectual energy.
The bad vs. the good in his assessment is that the Mercury/Neptune and Mars/Jupiter alignments bring up the need to “beware of people who get delusional and violent about things that they believe in,” and on the other hand, taking inspiration from this moment and getting a clearer vision about something that can lead to taking action. “It can go either way,” he summarizes.
DEC 10
Rick Levine talks about some aspects that are “less predominant”—talkative Mercury making a half-square to serious, restrictive Saturn, which he describes as being “like someone who has been overstating something gets caught.” He points out that it is like running into a wall and “Mercury gest called out for over-expressing or over-exaggerating.”
DEC 11-12
This weekend, Venus, the planet of what we value and what we want, makes its first exact connection to powerful, authoritative Pluto, where they come together in Capricorn. Rick Levine notes that the moon has just passed through this area at the beginning of the week, and as it did, it visits the “underworld” represented by Pluto. The things it finds there come to the surface this weekend, on the 11th and it is significant, he says. He notes that this alignment “gets to the bottom of things” that can be related to Venus things—money (and power—Pluto), and women.
Acyuta-bhava points out that Venus conjoining Pluto this weekend (and again on Christmas Day) can not only represent things “coming up from the unconscious or the subterranean realm of the psyche,” but it can also speak to major breakthroughs around themes of sexuality, love, relationships, women, gender, art, sensuality—and coming together with powers of the underworld. These connections can be destructive, purging, healing, restorative, and letting something be seen that needs to be seen. “What comes up needs to come up somehow for things to change in a healthier, positive way,” Acyuta-bhava explains.
Levine adds that on the 11th the Sun shines a challenging light on unclear Neptune which makes us feel that “something’s not right, we’re being lied to or we’re misleading someone else.” Something is off, Levine notes, adding that it could relate to the stuff coming out with the Venus/Pluto alignment.
It is important to note that this week the Ghislaine Maxwell trial—related to those who had power and wealth who are reported to have had secret involvement with young girls that was hidden, illegal, hurtful, and not dealt with by those in power in a way that protected the young girls. This conjunction between Venus and Pluto is the first of three conjunctions between now and March 6th. This energy could be bringing out the hidden aspects of the events related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s involvement in running this secret organization that reportedly provided illegal sexual encounters for wealthy men with girls who were minors and who were coerced to participate in these relationships. This could not only be “a moment of great insight and clarity,” Acyuta-bhava says, and it could be the energy that allows those events to be understood and seen clearly. It could also potentially be healing in helping the girls be heard and to get closure in having their experiences taken seriously.
This weekend, we see a potential opportunity related to a higher level of how to think about something or how to address something when logical Mercury in the sign ruled by Jupiter (Sagittarius) forms a sextile (60˚ angle) to Jupiter, planet of the higher mind. Acyuta-bhava says it could bring about a “yearning for the ideal images, wish, or hope, and be “filled with some almost like clairvoyant sense of purpose or meaning” as it works with the Sun/Neptune square. It also helps bring clarity to the subtle thoughts around the heart that may have been hard to see or understand, which Venus meeting Pluto brings to the party.
Jupiter is also related to the law, publishing, broadcasting, and international matters. Mercury is the news and speeches, documents, testimony—so the opportunity related to the legal matters happening now in the news is also of importance.
DEC 13
Today we see two planets changing signs that bring about an important change in the energy and focus of what is happening. Energetic, action-oriented, and combative Mars leaves its home in Scorpio, where its energy has been serious and a bit heavy, hanging out in the swamps and stirring things up, and it enters high-flying, adventurous, law-enforcing, and smart Sagittarius. When Mars moves into Sagittarius, Rick Levine points out that the moon—our emotions and feelings—is at a harmonious angle to Mars in its other home of Aries. So Mars is ready to take off and go somewhere new, Levine says.
Chris Brennan points out that Mars moving into Sagittarius will emphasize Sagittarius-related themes that Mars will heat up and help to speed up.
Pam Gregory points out that active Mars in farsighted Sagittarius brings “ a lot more hope and optimism,” and that we should be aware that it can also enhance the Sagittarius tendency toward strong opinions, judgment and a focus on belief systems. Overall, however, she sees the combination of Mars energy and the sign of Sagittarius as being a good, workable combination.
At the same time, logical, communicative Mercury leaves Sagittarius and moves into serious, hard-working Capricorn. Here, Levine says, Mercury is focused on finding the facts, getting down to the nitty gritty and no more guessing, dreaming and hypothesizing.
Acyuta-bhava Das points out, however, that “mercury is also a planet that is known as a trickster” and that it “sometimes appears when messages need to come to us through interesting experiences.” He explains that this can happen in a random way or when appear very random and sort of chaotic. “Yet, we trip and stumble through some kind of unexpected chaos to find that there’s a divine riddle or message at the heart of it so that kind of happenstance twists and turns of mercury can be very chaotic,” he says.
Chris Brennan adds that the 13th is one of the better days this month for starting a new venture, since Jupiter is still in Aquarius where Saturn is and the moon is in Aries. Not only does Chris talk about one electional chart each month in his Astrology Podcast discussions, but he and Leisa Schaim put together a year-ahead electional video for the best days each month for the coming year.
DEC 15-16
On December 15, Mars in Sagittarius bumps into the South Node of the moon, known in Vedic astrology as Keto, the tail of the dragon. Austin Coppock, who has a specialty in Vedic astrology, says that Mars/Keto connections are “intense,” related to “cleansing, purification, letting go forcefully.” Examples he gives are going too hard on a diet, or a cleanse, or a purification ritual. “Mars can fast-forward that,” he warns.
Pam Gregory points out that this connection happens every two years, roughly, and it can bring “huge, drastic events.” Historically, she notes, we had Mars conjunct the South node on 9/11. She explains that the south node is “our collective past, accumulated karma or deeds and Mars is very assertive energy.” She also points out that on the 16th, Mars will be opposite the moon in Gemini, which can bring angry people expressing assertive emotions. The moon in Gemini is leading up to its opposition to the Sun in Sagittarius for the Full Moon on the 18-19th.
Acyuta-bhava Das talks about Mars in Sagittarius saying that it not only conjoins the South Node of the moon, but it is in the sign ruled by Jupiter, so Jupiter (which will go into its happy place in Pisces at the end of the month) will affect Mars’ stay in Sagittarius. Acyuta-bhava says “we have an opportunity to look very carefully at what is motivating us. Mars is always telling us about what kinds of actions we’re taking or what kinds of things we’re fighting for, what kinds of struggles are worth struggling for or not.” He adds that we should look at where we find petty conflict in our lives, or what motivates us, what are we ambitious about or courageous about. Being in Sagittarius, means we will “get just lit with a new kind of ambition that is more reflective of Jupiter in the double-bodied feminine water sign of pisces.” Which means, he tells us, that, with Jupiter close to Neptune in Pisces, imagination will return to our lives.
DEC 17
The sun was at a 45˚ angle to Saturn on the 16th, Rick Levine pointed out, and on the 17th, it is 135˚ away from Uranus, which he explains is uncomfortable, “bringing things into the light that have to do with power struggles, the tension between the old and the new, and the status quo Saturn and the progressive Uranus.” These days are problematic, he warns.
DEC 18-19
FULL MOON IN GEMINI
The full moon in Gemini is at a perfect 120˚ harmonious trine to generous Jupiter. Austin Coppock says, “It’s jolly.” But the full moon is forming a T-square with Neptune in Pisces, and Chris Brennan points out that Jupiter’s connection to the full moon is “Neptunian,” adding that it will be restorative and supportive. “Not all fun and games necessarily, but not a super difficult lunation,” he said.
Pam Gregory notes that normally full moons bring things to a head, bring things to light, to culmination. Being in the sign of Gemini, this full moon is likely to be around facts and information, Pam said, because communicative, logical Mercury rules Gemini. Mercury, itself, plays a role, too, since it is exactly 90˚ square to healing teacher Chiron, which has just turned around to move to a direct motion, making its energy stronger. “So that’s really amplifying what this is about,” Pam said, noting that it is about facts, information, sickness, health, healing and healing protocols. Gemini also represents two sides of things, so it can be related to choices we make or have made around health, facts and information.
Pam also points out that the sun at the point of the full moon is at 27˚ of Sagittarius—the degree of the Galactic Center, a powerful point in the cosmos that brings “energy from further galaxies,” she explained, allowing us to access “higher consciousness information.”
Rick Levine says that “Chiron is holding a tremendous amount of power now more than usual,” and he says that there is more conflict or tension with the connection to Mercury, but that there is “more potential for it playing through in some sort of manner that has consequences—positive or negative.” He also comments on how close to the Galactic Center the sun falls(in Sagittarius), noting that “Sagittarius sun has its eyes set on that center of the galaxy, and that’s kind of where we’re heading.” He points out that Jupiter, which rules Sagittarius, is in a position called the Point of Thales, which causes Jupiter to act as a releasing energy point that Levine considers to be very positive for the full moon. The moon being in Gemini, he notes, can makes us feel scattered—“we’re kind of reflecting thoughts and ideas from everywhere,” so the Sagittarian connection to Jupiter’s position is mitigated to some degree.
By the 19th, Levine says, Venus in Capricorn has just passed Pluto, and it stops its movement forward and prepares to go retrograde, not even a degree past Pluto. Levine says that Venus is “still in bed with Pluto, still tied up energetically.”
DEC 20
Today the sun lights up an angle of potential in connection with generous, expansive Jupiter. This, Pam Gregory tells us, “brings a feeling of expansion and freedom and higher horizons” and it could mean “really looking out to the cosmos.”
Acyuta-bhava Das also points out it is a “kind of uplifting energy” which, amid the Plutonian chaos and difficulties, this is a “transit of understanding, a transit of illumination and transit of hope, along with Venus coming back to meet Pluto in a few days. He sees these as moving us forward while we may be going through something difficult, bringing inspiration, hope or a sense of emotional catharsis and bringing a silver lining behind things.
Rick Levine calls this connection between the sun and Jupiter “easy flowing energy” that is good news. He also points out that we also have intellectual, thoughtful Mercury coming into a harmonious 120˚ angle (trine) to progressive, freedom-loving Uranus, which he says is about innovation, getting ideas that blast our minds open. “We are thinking of new ways of doing things…we’re seeing the possibility,” and in our minds we are free, believing that “we can make the leap but we have not done it physically.” This happens just before the sun moves into Capricorn” on the 21st which changes the energy—because in Capricorn we have our feet firmly on the ground after the sun has been soaring through the heights of Sagittarius and beyond.
DEC 21
WINTER SOLSTICE
The sun moves into Capricorn beginning a new phase of energy not only for the month, but, as Pam Gregory points out, the solstice is like striking a tuning fork for the next three months. A year ago on the solstice, we had Saturn and Jupiter meeting up in Aquarius, and the vaccines were available at last. This year, we have four planets in Capricorn once the sun moves in, as it joins Mercury, Venus and Pluto. This, Rick Levine says, is “deep, dark stuff coming up—related to government, money, military, pandemic, or vaccination stuff, and may even involve women, with Venus retrograding over the Pluto degree point in the next few days. Watch the news, Levine says, to see what is significant along these lines. He adds, however, that Venus coming into the conjunction with Pluto by the 23-24th forms an angle to Chiron that brings the potential to “manifest something beautiful that has not been manifested before.”
Yet, he also says we “may be going through an instant replay of what happened on January 12, 2020, when the first COVID-related death was reported.” We have again in Capricorn, compression and tension. The year 2020 had a lot of challenging pile-ups in Capricorn, though that year it was with malefic planets—the “bad guys”—and here we have Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld, dancing with positive Venus, and malleable, talkative Mercury that takes on whichever energy it runs into, and the sun, shining a light on the hidden things Pluto is keeping secret; all of these now in Capricorn—the serious sign, representing government, big business, coldness, hard work and discipline.
Pam Gregory expects there to be a big surge of energy that could last from mid-December until January 11th, with potential physical symptoms of headaches, sleeplessness, tinnitus, aches and pains based on our needing to adapt to this energy.
DEC 23 – 24
Straddling the dates of what Rick Levine calls Christmas Eve eve and Christmas Eve, depending on which time zone you are in, we have the third exact square angle forming between status quo Saturn energy and rebellious, time-for-a-change Uranus energy, which Pam Gregory reminds us is about old vs. new, past vs. future, control vs. freedom, rules and regulations vs. individuality, autonomy and the maverick—conflicting energies in an unfriendly stance to each other. Pam tells us, “it says to me that governments will attempt to have greater control of their population, bring in more rules and regulations around that time, and that is echoed really by the second exact Venus/Pluto conjunction (meeting up) on Christmas Day.” She adds that Venus heading in a retrograde motion makes it hard to find comfort and pleasure. There is a sense, he says of hard times or austerity.
Becca Tarnas, who studies Saturn and Uranus connections in astrology, tells us, “it feels like a continual patching up in so many different areas”—and this is representative of the infrastructure bill, since Saturn is infrastructure. But, she notes we have the opportunity to rebuild, yet we may get less effective stuff and hope things don’t fall apart. It will be a stress test. Austin picks up on that theme describing the imagery as being “like an old car. You can probably do a few things to make a three-hour drive…but it is not sustainable….It falls apart again.”
Becca points out that there was a Saturn and Uranus conjunction in World War II, in which things had to change quickly and unexpectedly—factories made things for the war, women took the place of men in the work force. “This is the closing square of a Saturn/Uranus cycle that started in 1987. What is emerging under this is setting up” the third return of Uranus to Gemini, where it was July 4, 1776, when the US Declaration of Independence was signed. The first time Uranus returned after that date was 84 years later—after the Civil War ended, and the second time Uranus hit that degree point was during World War II—one war internally and one war all over the world.
Chris Brennan, however, looks at the connection between Uranus and the internet and he points out that there is the part of the infrastructure bill that relates to improving internet bandwidth across the country. He adds that “we have seen some wild tech stuff happening…that I am not sure is not going to be indicative of major trends in the future, but have potential to be.” He notes the new name Meta for Facebook, and Apple investing in virtual reality as the next major way of communicating and interacting.
DEC 25-26
Today nostalgic Venus heading retrograde bumps back into secretive, powerful Pluto, which Rick Levine says intensifies our feelings and demands that “we each do our shadow work, exploring the role of the unconscious and its impact on our emotions.”
He adds that as we get to the 26th, Mercury forms an angle of possibility (a sextile) with Neptune, which is about dreaming, that he explains means “instead of being misled, the Mercury sextile to Neptune is allowing us to tell a story, it is allowing us to fall into poetry, into music, into story rather than into truth, and as long as we can tell which is which, that will be fine.”
DEC 28
The energy shifts today as Jupiter leaves Aquarius and re-enters Pisces, where it was from May to July earlier this year, and where it is stronger in its ancient home. As Chris Brennan points out, “Jupiter in Pisces brought relief to many people” giving the sense that “things were over, at least it was enjoyable during that time.” When Jupiter went into Pisces in May, that same day, the mask mandate was dropped. People felt that the worst was behind us, but when Jupiter returned to Aquarius at the end of July, the masks came back. Austin Coppock points out that there is an “okay-ness, but not until we get over Mars into Aquarius from February into March. That will temporarily steal the spotlight from whatever soothing words Jupiter in Pisces whale songs it is singing.” Austin and Becca Tarnas give away a few 2022 hints pointing out that in April Jupiter and Neptune will come together after ambitious Mars meets up with restrictive Saturn in Aquarius. And when Jupiter meets Neptune, March, April and May could have a “dreamy, idealistic, rose-colored-glasses quality.” Venus joins that pair in late April, bringing an abundantly beautiful feeling, that may get to the point of have a “saccharin quality,” Becca notes.
Chris Brennan’s take on it. Is that Jupiter going into Pisces builds up subtly, but this day it is “good to pay attention to it as a starting point. People will see a shift.”
Rick Levine also mentions that Jupiter into Pisces is “speaking the same language as Neptune” even though they are not yet connecting. When they meet up in early April, Levine says, Jupiter will be “sweeping through Pisces really fast” and heading into Aries in May. This, he says, is the beginning of what is new. “We are moving away from this stuck place, where we have been, and whether it is good or bad really will depend upon whether you are open to change, and change will come, but not from the direction you expect or want.” It depends, he says on how comfortable you are with that particular change. But, we are changing.
Also today, Levine points out that Mars makes a 45˚ angle (a half square) with Pluto, which he describes as “rumblings deeper down that come back up to the surface—something within our awareness that this isn’t under cover.” It can be fighting and in-fighting. Mars also will be at an annoying angle to Uranus and then an angle of opportunity to Saturn. With Saturn and Uranus still in their challenging positions, Mars is feeling annoyed, with a sense of “this is not working” and yet, at the same time, Levine says, Saturn is stabilizing and supporting the situation. “Something is coming out of this that gives us some reason to believe there may be stability.”
Pam Gregory says that Jupiter moving into Pisces is about hope and optimism. “There’s a spiritual impetus to this big time which I think is going to help us enormously through the early months of next year,” she tells us. Pisces is a water sign, and it has no boundaries. Jupiter in Pisces is big water. It can link to flooding, she says, and it can link to a lot of emotion or tears.
Acyuta-bhava Das says when he sees a lot of Jupiter and Neptune in this time after the solstice, he thinks of the next cycle being one which brings “the potential for healing and for a larger whole…a signature of greater unity and understanding coming across this month.”
DEC 29 – DEC 30
Rick Levine points out that on the 29th, the light of the sun shines on healing Chiron but at a challenging angle. Healing is tough,” Levine says, “but there is movement here.” He notes that there will be bruises or hurts and that people “are not satisfied with the outcome that they seem to be getting, and that can be a bit of a struggle—salt on an open wound.”
But more importantly, Mercury meets up with Venus and Pluto in Capricorn as the 29th goes into the 30th. Austin Coppock tells us that “Mercury makes things thinkable, Venus/Pluto is feelings, and Mercury is the translator on how to talk about that to yourself and to another person.” Becca Tarnas says that Mercury can be the mediator. “Mercury can go into the underworld [where Pluto is Lord] and there Mercury negotiates Persephone’s return into the upper world,” noting that the Venus/Pluto myth has to do with Persephone being in Hades. Chris Brennan jokes that “Mercury was the first relationship counselor, and it is not a fun counseling session for Mercury.”
Acyuta-bhava Das says that this Mercury/Pluto moment can be “very powerful, where there’s some kind of mental or communicative moment of transformation.” Mercury and Venus together, he says, “tends to be very soothing and calming and harmonious.” The environment gest a little bit easier, he adds around words, conversation, and just the mental environment.
Rick Levine says that the Mercury/Pluto conjunction means that “things are being said that were not said before, in a way that they are coming to light…a bit like hearing the Nixon tapes during Watergate—people knew that they were there, but when they heard them, all of a sudden, things changed.” He sees this energy as people hearing about something that we already kind of knew about, but hearing it—becoming aware of it in a new way–will change things.
DEC 31
Rick Levine points out that Mercury, at a 45˚ angle to Mars in Sagittarius, is feeling pressure to “get things done, get things taken care of, and we may get caught up in a cyclone of new ideas.” He says that could change something quickly for the better…or for worse.
Pam Gregory notes that on the 30th and 31st, Mars comes to the degree point – 12˚ of Sagittarius—where the December 4th new moon solar eclipse occurred. She tells us that when Mars reactivates that previous eclipse degree point, there could be some kind of assertion or repeat of the themes of the solar eclipse, and it can be “quite assertive,” she says. Remember to stay peaceful.
Looking ahead…
Austin Coppock summed up 2021 as another “hell of a year.” And in the upcoming 2022/January Astrology Podcast video, he points out that “when people ask me to summarize 2022, I say it will be like 2021, except the good parts are better and bad parts are worse. It will be more polarized.”
Rick Levine notes that “there is a definite shift in movement, some of which is about Jupiter moving into Pisces and Aries, which is a very new and different flavor.” But the craziness of 2020 and 2021 has created waves, he says, that will continue to have ramifications. And as we are riding those waves, he says there is a new twist to the plot, and that is that “for some people, the closing of 2020 and 2021 was enough for them to change their life, their direction.” But for others, that happened in 2010 (when Jupiter was last in Aries). But, he points out, “the fact of the matter is that even though we are weeks away from being in 2022, Pluto leaves Capricorn in March of 2023, and we’re going to see more and more freaking out over what needs to be done.” Pluto entered Capricorn back in 2008, and Levine tells us that throughout 2022 up to the middle of March of 2023, “all those things that Pluto has started from 2008…when it first moved into Capricorn, these are all things that have to be put to rest.” It will be when Neptune moves into Aries, and Uranus moves into Gemini and Pluto moves into Aquarius that he sees us having the ability to put what happened from 2010 through 2021 to bed – and that is not going to be until late 2024 to 2025.
Pam Gregory, in looking toward 2022, sees that Saturn and Uranus will continue to be squaring off, though not at an angle as exact as they did this year. And, while this year traditional Saturn may have had the upper hand, on January 18th Uranus, which is still moving retrograde, will stop and begin moving in a forward motion again, which means, she says, “we will see more rebellious energy coming up….Uranus is the planet of awakening….” This makes Pam think next year will be one of “revelations and revolutions.” Pam sees secrets coming to light and more unstable energy, and because of this turbulence, she says, things could become unraveled. Uranus is the planet of the unexpected, and the planet of surprises, and it is up to us to anchor ourselves, or just accept that this is the nature of things coming up. Uranus could also speed things up, and be “hugely beneficial for where we’re headed.” She says that we should keep our eye on creating something beautiful because the coming weeks and months “won’t necessarily be comfortable but just keep your eye on the future.”
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