A few minutes shy of midnight on December 21st
(Eastern Standard Time) the Sun will enter Capricorn and thus begin the final
quarter of the astronomical/astrological year (which begins every March as the Sun
enters Aries at the Spring Equinox). While the Capricorn ingress is given less
predictive weight than the Aries one—often used to predict the general tenor of
the entire new astrological year—the winter solstice still holds considerable
importance as we close out the calendar year
and look forward to the first quarter of the following calendar year.
In ancient Rome, in fact, Saturn—the agricultural god and Lord
of Capricorn—was a deeply-venerated god whose “festival of light” spanned
several days leading up to the winter solstice. Deeply attuned to the cycles of nature, the
populace hailed the “return to light” marked by the solstice because—simply put—survival
depended upon it in their
agricultural society. Reportedly, December 25 was
celebrated by ancient Romans as the Dies
Natalis of Sol Invictus—the
“Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun.” Long before Christmas supplanted
Saturnalia as the winter festival, people reveled in the longer days and
shorter nights that would quickly follow each winter’s end.
People didn’t just revel politely, though—Saturnalia was
reportedly a raucous affair among ancient Roman partiers, “characterized by
role reversals and behavioral
license.” Slaves and masters reversed roles
symbolically for a day (with differing accounts of how far that went), class
hierarchies were turned upside down, free speech reigned without recrimination,
and so on. Saturn’s oversight of social structures and legal restrictions was suspended
as the Romans “let it all hang loose” in the god’s honor. By some accounts, war
couldn’t even be declared.
The tradition of an end-of-year “blow-out” has morphed over
the centuries, of course, but is the behavior of people during the ever-extending
Christmas period really any different? Employers typically treat their
employees a little more like equals during Christmas (maybe Saturnalia inspired
the first worker “bonuses?”), people routinely blow-out their diets, exceed their
budgets and max their credit cards, and those on a quest for hot ticket sale items
feel liberated to stampede over each other and brawl like street thugs on
“Black Friday.” And war, thankfully, couldn’t
be declared—Congress won’t be dragged back to Washington until January.
Astrologically, the winter solstice chart gives us a “sneak
preview” of conditions that will prevail during the final quarter of the
natural, astrological year. Not surprisingly, in this drama-filled year, the
coming winter solstice chart bears special consideration. Simply put, it’s a
pretty raucous chart as befits the season. Set for Washington, D.C., the chart is shown below:
The Sun falls in the 4th
house of “the homeland” and other lunar issues. At 0° Capricorn, the Sun only widely conjoins the
IC, but we might still view this final quarter as a symbolic “end” of
sorts—certainly, if Trump has anything to do with it, an end to “politics as
usual.” A great anxiety over security—a top priority for Cancer/4th
house—has overwhelmed us lately, and this anxiety is likely to persist through
the quarter. How we act out in the wake of this anxiety will be a matter of American
destiny and identity, with the Node falling in the 1st house of this
chart and the 10th house of the USA Sibly chart (also conjunct Sibly
Neptune).
The Ascendant falls in
Virgo; Jupiter and Node in Virgo rise, straddling the AS (12-1); MC (Gemini)
falls square Jupiter-AS-Node. As recently pointed out by astrologers
Theodore White and Terry MacKinnell, mutable signs are prominent during these
unstable-feeling times, and this chart certainly echoes that point. This
appears to be a “restrained growth” quarter—the focus of the growth being in
Virgoan pursuits such as military, healthcare and other service industries (12th
house), but with Jupiter turning retrograde in early January and remaining so
into May, frustration is likely to build over those potential areas of growth.
We’re already seeing the saber-rattling that precedes
military buildup, so that will probably proceed as expected, with the
inevitable Congressional scuffles reflecting Jupiter’s retrograde.
Healthcare.gov (Obamacare) may report record enrollments for 2016 (the deadline
passes before Jupiter’s retrograde). Human service organizations—especially
refugee- and minority-oriented ones—should feel more empowered once Jupiter
goes direct in May, however by that time the Aries ingress (equinox) chart will
be the guide.
Despite the impending retrograde, the solstice chart
indicates Jupiter (and thus Virgoan energy) will influence almost every facet
of life during the first quarter, through its complicated network of aspects in
the chart. Namely…
Jupiter sextiles Venus
(Scorpio); Mars (Libra) conjoins Jupiter/Venus midpoint. Opportunities in
the finance/employment sectors look positive here, but with Jupiter retrograde,
they may take longer to bear fruit than anticipated, which could stir some
frustration (Mars semi-sextile Jupiter).
Mars trines the MC and
is disposed by Scorpio Venus, which trines Chiron. Mars opposes Uranus (Aries).
This aspect supports the potential for aggressive actions and suggests that
a fair amount of pain and frustration will be released (Mars trine MC; Venus
trine Chiron). Uranus falls in the 7th, house of enemies, so we
can’t rule out the possibility of antagonistic events.
Jupiter opposes Chiron
and squares the MC; Chiron sextiles Mercury. An article posted here, dated November 20th,
discusses Jupiter opposite Chiron more thoroughly as it appeared in the November
13th Paris attack chart, but in the context of this solstice chart, these
points straddle the AS-DSC horizon (Jupiter 12-Chiron 6), with Jupiter squaring
the MC. This reinforces the point made in that earlier post that social/economic
discontent can promote extremist ideologies and actions. The MC square suggests
that discontent could happen within our national borders.
Chiron sextiles Pluto
in Capricorn as Mercury conjoins the same point. Mercury and Pluto form a grand
trine with the Moon (Taurus) and Jupiter. The public mindset and media
output may range from outright dreary to doggedly determined and antagonistic
this coming quarter. Falling as they do opposite the USA Sibly Sun (13°+Cancer), Mercury and Chiron
here are likely to fan the flames of anti-government feeling. On a more
positive note, the nation’s labor force (Mercury rules Virgo) may see more
tangible benefits from their efforts (Mercury trines the 8th house Moon
in Taurus). For instance, campaigns to raise the nation’s minimum wage may bear
fruit (although again, every improvement may take more time than hoped for with
Jupiter’s retrograde). The public mood should improve as these expected
improvements unfold.
Venus conjoins
Jupiter/Mercury midpoint. This aspect reinforces the importance of patience
and pragmatism (especially in light of the Jupiter retrograde); again, this
mindset (Mercury) should lead to eventual practical benefits (Venus).
Saturn (Sagittarius)
continues its square to Neptune (Pisces). For more about this ongoing aspect and its influence
on recent events, please see previous posts (November 15 and December 2). In
this chart the duo is placed in the 3rd and 6th houses
respectively. Interestingly, Saturn and Neptune form no other major aspects here,
but in mutable signs they will certainly enhance the influence those signs already
wield in this chart. It seems they may form a sort of background “hum” of
tension that will impact the mood of the nation via the media (Saturn in 3rd).
Jupiter disposes Saturn (which lacks strength in Sagittarius), but Neptune is
at its most powerful in Pisces and Jupiter co-rules Pisces with Neptune, so the
public could be overwhelmed with a flood of media hype that effectively
radiates the confusing influence of Saturn and Neptune throughout the entire
chart.
We can already anticipate this will be true as Election 2016
enters its last 12 months, but military enlistment (6th house
Neptune) will also be a focus—reinforced by this Neptune’s square to Sibly
Uranus (also in the 6th). Certain other 6th house occupational
fields such as healthcare could also be highlighted. It could be a tough flu season, as Neptune rules epidemics.
Of course, the public discourse regarding
immigration and refugees will continue to be confused and distorted by the Saturn-Neptune
square, which will make it difficult to settle upon coherent national policies. The
square will be separating over the course of the upcoming quarter, but will
still be within orb when the Sun enters Aries and ends this winter quarter. On
the upside, the 6th house Neptune in Pisces may point to a public
increase of compassion towards those struggling travelers (3rd house
Saturn in Sag) seeking asylum in our midst.
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2015. All rights reserved.