Winter Solstice 12.21.12

The Jupiter Yod of December 2012 is getting plenty of attention and discussion, but I feel that its anchoring framework is so solid and its strengthening energies are being missed. It seems like it’s going totally under the radar because it’s asteroid Circe that holds it all together, a minor asteroid usually never mentioned or considered at all.

The Jupiter Yod is of course emanating from Saturn and Pluto, sextile and in mutual reception.  Jupiter/Lilith in exact opposition to Venus/Mercury. (As they are inner planets, I placed their midpoint “inside” the Saturn-Pluto sextile.  Non trad, but it makes 100 times more sense to me that way.) But here is the anchoring framework as I see it: The Venus/Mercury midpoint forms a grand fire trine with the Aries moon and Circe in Leo.  The Moon is pulling away from a square to Pluto, and Circe in retrograde is pulling away from a square to Saturn, Moon and Circe squeezing the apex of the Yod with sizzling sextiles.

Pluto is of course square UR in a short four-degree orb, and square Moon in a long six-degree orb.  We’re being challenged to let go of our feelings regarding the profound destruction taking place in our lives represented by Pluto (in Saturn’s Capricorn: structured, businesslike, methodical eliminations).  Delusions are loved! And sometimes it’s not so hard to eliminate the delusion itself, but it’s so painful to detatch from the love of the delusion.  We fear grief and loss, and it binds us to our delusions.  If these fears are released, (which is nothing short of releasing the fear of death) delusions evaporate, or they simply become burdensome and we can chuck them with gusto.  At the moment of Solstice the Moon is guiding our feelings away from grief over what we must destroy of the old, towards the joy and expansion energy breathing into the new, represented by Jupiter.  Aries is inseminating the Moon- home base for all emotions- with the infinite springtime possibilities of new beginnings.

Which brings me to Circe, She Who Casts Spells And Bewitches.  In the Pacific Northwest, from where I draw my charts, Circe is conjunct midheaven at 12 Leo, square Saturn conjunct the ascendant in Scorpio.  My understanding of this square added a rich layer of meaning to this Solstice that inspired me to create this blog.  Circe shows us that we have the power and blessing to create our new lives (“outer life” as defined by midheaven- career or the type of activities we are known for in society) and it will seem like it’s happening magically.  A good motto for Leo is “be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”  We can literally focus our intentions for the future into bewitching spells that will absolutely work because they are supported by the cosmos.  BUT.  We must honor the challenge from Saturn- a legitimate mountain to climb for many of us- to employ logic, discipline, clear group-minded thinking and persistent hard work as it applies to creating our new selves (“inner self” as defined by the ascendant- our realest real face, the root of the personality) out of the ashes of the old, in Pluto’s Scorpio, the phoenix, the realm of death and rebirth.

I see the Saturn-Circe square as a perfect mirror image of the Pluto-UR square, not just geometrically but thematically as well.  Magic and wonder springing forth from hard work and painful loss.  Breakthrough and evolution amidst the rubble and ruins.

I can’t say enough about the Saturn-Circe square and what it means to me personally.  The Saturn and Pluto thing has been really difficult and painful for me; Saturn was in Libra for most of 2012, which was the end of my Saturn Return AND transited conjunct my natal Pluto AND opposite my natal Sun.  I have felt brutalized by Saturn this year, whittled down to the skeleton.  I have destroyed everything I have been asked to destroy, trusting fully in my faith in the cosmos.  Now here on the Solstice appears Circe, blessing me with the promise of previously unthinkable ability to create success in the new era, as a direct result of my obedience to Saturn.  I also have to mention that Mercury stationed retrograde at 12 Leo on July 15th of this year. Think back to where your mind was at from then to August 22nd. Any insights re: how you can do bold magic?  Maybe during that time you obliterated an important part of your life or a major belief and it resulted in mad blessings?

Last thing want to mention about this framework is the grand fire trine, which is totally perfect and useful on the simplest level: energy flowing freely between our emotional center (Moon), our magical powers (Circe) and that place where the intellect meets real love and beauty (Mercury/Venus). (Also Venus is pushing out of a recent trine to UR, extracting all the most positive things UR has to offer and radiating it back to Jupiter. Revolution–>Love–>Blossoming. Nice.)

Something that I found really baffling at first is that the Sun figures exactly nowhere in the Jupiter Yod configuration. With all those points betwwen 8 and 14 degrees, the Sun has no major aspects to anything AT ALL… EXCEPT NEPTUNE. A PERFECT SEXTILE. This is epic for me because Neptune has led me and schooled me and has been my deity and my strange companion throughout 2012, all the while retrograde at 00 Pisces, literally parked there all year. It’s as if Neptune was waiting for the New Long Count to begin, before sailing into his home seas of Pisces. Just kicking it at zero point of Pisces, waiting to sextile the Winter solstice Sun at zero point of Capricorn before moving on. A pure and untouched aspect. Chiron at 5 Pisces sort of squares Venus and Jupiter, but Neptune and the Sun have no major aspects whatsoever except their sextile. Like a secret business deal, a handshake behind closed doors. Or like a fun, wanton hookup in the back bedroom at a house party… That’s the funny thing about your gods. You worship them but it’s impossible to know what they’re really up to. I gleefully, reverently bow to the Mystery of Neptune.

I also wanted to discuss the Part of Fortune and Vertex, both mathematical points determined in part by the ascendant, so they vary pretty significantly at different latitudes. In Portland, Oregon, Part of Fortune is square to Eris, which gives me sort of the same feeling as Venus and Jupiter squaring Chiron. I can almost hear the shush. Our suffering and our warrior mentalities (which have served us well in 2012 and deserve honor where it is due) are on the back burner so to speak, if only for this moment, this joyful, epic moment where we can be safe with each other and say Yes to ourselves, Yes to life. Ok, HOWEVER… in San Diego, the Part of Fortune is at 29 Kataka, which is the apex of an entirely hypothetical yod from the Neptune-Sun sextile. Have no idea what I would make of that if I still lived down thataway. And in San Diego the Vertex is at the very not interesting 3 Kataka, whereas in Portland you can find the Solstice Vertex at ground zero of the Jupiter Yod, 11 Gemini. All I can say is Thank You Cosmos, for showing me that I am exactly where I should be right now.

Finally, there is a personal message to me from the planet Mars at 26 Capricorn, pretty much in exact square to my natal Mars (24 Aries) and my natal Sun (27 Aries). On the Solstice, Mars is sextile to the north node and asteroid Athena, in exact trine from 25 Scorpio to 25 Pisces, respectively. Wisdom is flowing freely from my dreams and intuitions, feeding the quest for karmic evolution (north node in Scorpio Rising!), but my mentality re: taking action towards my evolutionary goals should be methodical and logical, so the progress I make on my path will feed the source of my intuitive wisdom. It’s like showing me how to find the balance between Emperor and Empress. This mini-config is for everyone I guess, I mean I will share it with you, lol. Mars is moving towards my natal Mars in Aries, challenging me to action and bringing this amazing trine, which feels very personal and important to my life. Mars never asks nicely will you please go on this mission. Mars says I dare you! So Mars square Mars is a double dog dare. And square my Sun! Nevermind I’m not sharing, this thing is obviously mine. Anyway these trines with inner sextiles are always the neatest tools.

-=-=-=-=-

Did I say finally? LOL. P.S.

Since the Moon was mid-Aries on the Solstice, I knew it was time for another Moon transit conjunct my natal Sun at 27 Aries. I am sensetive to natal Sun transits because it’s so heavily- and symmetrically- aspected. So I found the chart with the Moon at 27 Aries, and for some reason… NO. I will no longer say “for some reason” and I will claim my intuition. I am in tune with my intuition and I received a message to check for the fixed stars Regulus and Aldebaran, the stars of Archangels Raphael and Michael, respectively, who I encountered (amongst others) for the first time on the Summer Solstice, and I felt that they stayed with me and protected me and blessed me during the darkest days of 2012. So I chose the option to put them into my chart, which I had never done before.

The first thing I noticed is that Aldebaran resides at 9 Gemini between Jupiter and Lilith at the apex of the Yod. This blanketed the entire meaning of the Solstice and the dawn of the new era with a thick layer of divine protection and strength, the cosmic angelic impenetrable shield and indestructible sword of Archangel Michael.

Of all the angels I pray to Raphael the most, Archangel Raphael, the healing hands of God. I pray as I am going to sleep at night, that he will cover me with a blanket of green light and rain gold light down upon me, and I open up every cell in my body to let the golden light sustain and heal me. Raphael kept me physically, functionally strong during a time where my body was a spiritual battlefield and I otherwise might have literally died. I guess I never checked for Raphael’s star Regulus before, because he was waiting for this exact moment- my first Moon conjunct natal Sun transit of the New Long Count calendar- to present me with this diamond.

Regulus sits at 00 Virgo in exact opposition to Neptune’s yearlong post of 00 Pisces- wow. Regulus forms a grand fire trine to the Moon on my natal Sun at 27 Aries and the Solstice Sun conjunct Juno now at 1 Capricorn. Mars at 27 Capricorn falls in exact square to Moon/natal Sun, and the midpoint between UR and Athena falls in exact square to the Sun/Juno. I would also be inclined to bundle my natal Venus at 00 Taurus with my natal Sun, being the point in exact aspect with Neptune and Regulus- for the majority of 2012 for that matter.

I find myself debating wether or not to interpret this diamond configuration here on this new blog. I feel as though I would I have to explain or reveal too much personal information to convey the beauty and intimate nature of Raphael’s gift to me. This is the beauty of astrology. It is global and pan-dimensional, and yet it is inside of you.

Regardless, I will continue to watch for Regulus and Aldebaran as they interact with the energies of our solar system in 2013, and pray to my angels for guidance and ever-increasing strength for my intuitive voice. I have personally experienced the truly terrifying experience of meeting angels here in the physical realm and am happy to know that these astonishing beings are an intimate part of our astrological moments, the epic and the sacred and the everyday.