Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a fabulous New Year in 2008!
I'll need a magic carpet to get out of this one.
Donald Davis
The power of thought - the magic of the mind!
Lord Byron
Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly.
Batman costume warning label.
The last week of December always brings with it a lot to do; housecleaning, shopping, cooking, accommodating the needs of family, etc - there's always a lot to get done.
This December's full moon is bound to bring up all kinds of mixed emotions, particularly as it's smack on Christmas Eve - a time when thoughts and emotions and resources are usually stretched to the limit. It's also a time when everything that hasn't been done is attempted at the last minute when a lot of people are under the same stress with things to do, places to go, things to buy, people to see. This is a particularly charged up full moon as it's conjunct (together with) Mars and exactly opposite Jupiter. This is what one could call an 'inflated' full moon; inflated with emotions, energy, expectations and desire, particularly a desire for expansion and the good things in life. Generosity of spirit is definitely on the cards with this line up - Pluto, Jupiter, Sun and Mercury all opposite the Moon and Mars... quite a chorus of main characters!
The Sabian Symbol for this full moon is Cancer 2: A Man on a Magic Carpet Observes Vast Vistas Below.
This degree often speaks of the need to raise your awareness, your expectations, your sense of reality, above the everyday life, in order to function well, cope, or to see what's really going on in the world around you. It can also point to escapism, feeling above everything and unaffected by situations or people, trying to avoid what's going on, not feeling responsible for anything, or trying to dodge the realities of everyday life that are imposed on us by society or the expectations of others.
A Cancer full moon at Christmas can be super-charged with Cancer-Capricorn issues such as: food, who eats, who serves, who buys, who cooks, who likes what or whom, who gets the biggest presents, who gets the most attention. Who gets invited and who doesn't, what can be afforded and what can't. A lot of waste is always on the agenda, but with a Cancer full moon, it's likely to be ramped up somewhat. I won't mention the desire to throw food at some relatives across the table :)
Mars is on Cancer 3: An Arctic Explorer Leads a Reindeer Through Icy Canyons. This is also the degree after the full moon - so this is a very important degree for this lunation.
The Keywords and Cautions from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom; Charting Your Destiny With the Sabian Oracle:
Keywords: Using animal instincts to get through tough times. Facing bad weather and hardship. Following the leader without knowing where one’s going. Unfamiliar surroundings. The point of no return. Being in a cul-de-sac. Being led around by the hand (or the nose). Treading carefully. Icebergs. Glaciers. Snow and ice. Risky ventures. The Titanic story.
The Caution: Taking those unfamiliar to the situation and unwittingly heading towards danger. Putting one’s self through hard times when it’s avoidable. Restrictive outlooks on life. Frozen responses. Frigidity. Feeling lost, alone, frozen with fear or forsaken. Willingly going the hard way. Lack of provisions.
Winston Churchill's quote seems to sum it up: If you're going through hell, keep going.
I certainly hope that you, dear reader, are not going through hell! However, this period of the year can feel like you're being pushed in one way or another (usually in many ways and in many directions). It seems to me that patience is a major keyword here.
As many of you know, on a full Moon, the Sun is always directly opposite the Moon. The Sun in Capricorn is exactly together with Jupiter on Capricorn 2: Three Stained Glass Windows in a Cathedral, One is Damaged by War.
This degree was highlighted on the day of 9/11, with Mars here. Mars on this degree was certainly strongly played out in reality with planes flying into the 'windows' of the 'cathedral' - the World Trade Center.
My commentary on this degree: ‘Three Stained-Glass Windows in a Cathedral, One Damaged by War’ pictures the need to stay strong on every level under the barrage of some type of bombardment. A ‘Church’ is normally a place of safety and refuge, but ‘War’ has broken through its divine barrier and caused ‘Damage’, or some injury, that is much bigger than just a broken ‘Window’. One of the three corners of unity, in this case the one of love, is ‘Damaged’ and compromised by the aggressive warring nature of mankind.
What struck me was the fact that the World Trade Center was on Trinity Place - with Trinity Church, a tiny edifice to faith and hope, right next door. Even in amongst the explosions, disintegration and debris and dust as the Towers fell, Trinity Church was largely unaffected - the only real damage being the destruction of the 100 year old giant sycamore tree that stood in its grounds. Interestingly, there's a story of the sycamore tree in Egyptian myth that states that two sycamore trees stood at the eastern gate of heaven from which the sun emerged each morning. The goddesses Nut and Hathor were often shown to reach out from the tree to offer the deceased food and water, giving sustenance to the dead.
The sycamore is also seen as a tree of protection and favors.The Persian King Xerxes (519-465 B.C.) found this tree "so beautiful that he presented it with golden ornaments and assigned it a personal bodyguard. He had a gold medal engraved with the image of this tree, which he wore ever after as an amulet."
I bring this up because I feel that we're in a very important period of having to regain faith, hope and trust in the future. We need to rebuild our 'stained-glass windows' - the light needs to shine again on beauty, love and our feelings for each other. Jupiter, the big boy of our solar system, on this degree brings a particularly strong focus to this issue.
Of course, through the agency of the Sun each year, the Stained Glass Windows degree is always highlighted at Christmas, as is the degree after (which is often the degree of the Sun on Christmas Day): Capricorn 3: The Human Soul, in it's Eagerness for New Experiences, Seeks Embodiment. This speaks very much to the desire to give birth to our selves, along with the obvious link to the birth of Jesus. "Seeks Embodiment" - being creative, writing, expressing ourselves, dropping into our bodies, feeling like a changed person - these things and more can help us to ground our visions of our lives.
The main issue, in amongst it all, is Pluto going into Capricorn. I will write up more about this in a separate blog very soon, but suffice to say that I feel that the degree of Capricorn 1 is the true key to standing strong and tall and enjoying this festive season. Capricorn 1 is An Indian Chief Claims Recognition and Power From the Assembled Tribe. This degree asks that we stand strong and tall within ourselves, that we feel connected to tribe and family, that we give and receive respect and admiration and acceptance. Most of all, that we belong!
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