Welcome to the longest night of the year, and the arrival of the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere.

In the southern hemisphere, it’s the Summer Solstice, the day of the year with the most hours of daylight.

The Moon is void-of-course until 2:32 PM PST. The 3rd Mars-Pluto square of the year powers the Aries Moon’s independence and courage to catapult us into an entirely new realm of insight and understanding as we reach the Winter Solstice. Of course, the intensity of the forming Mars-Pluto square can have us feeling as though there is a powder keg ready to blow from the slightest spark. This is a somewhat nebulous intensity that may be fraught with over-optimism, wild-expectations, and an outsized belief in our capabilities. However, there is also the potential for transcendent inspiration and powerful initiative to make major changes and healing transformations. With the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, also occurring on this day, the potential is extraordinary — but so is the need for responsibility and an overwhelming sense of burden. Despite the independent inclinations of the Aries Moon here, we should not expect that we must accomplish anything on our own or by ourselves. It is important that we seek to work through common efforts and shared goals in the broadest possible context.

THE WEEK AHEAD: The implications of the profound shifts that happen this week will likely take years to fully understand. A new, 20 year Jupiter-Saturn cycle (The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction) begins on Monday under the Winter Solstice — the point at which the Sun’s light begins to restore it’s power. This week also presents us with this year’s third Mars-Pluto square, an intensely potent, transformational crisis point all by itself. The burdens may feel quite overwhelming and the need for responsible action is paramount. However, as we move through the week, much of the energy and intensity feels extremely nebulous, unsteady, and sometimes potentially fraught with wild expectations and an overly optimistic assessment of our individual capabilities. All of this week’s shifts and initiatives are filtered through our underlying belief structures which are especially vulnerable under the South Node’s transit through Sagittarius. The broad context of innovation and new ideas being fostered by the transits of Jupiter and Saturn through Aquarius — and this week’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius — require a steady supply of effective communication and new information that can only come through interaction with others. Mercury arrives in Capricorn just before the Sun reaches the Solstice (the Sun’s arrival in Capricorn), and so our intellectual approach to this innovative new environment is especially cautious. We instinctively feel the need to keep the lines of communication open but may not fully trust or accept the information that we find. Our need to find verifiable, reliable lines of credible information keeps us from leaping fearlessly into this new environment. Nonetheless, the stirred up energy levels from the Mars-Pluto square have us looking for some way to express our individual independence and take actions that demonstrate our personal initiative. Of course, this creates a great deal of tension. The potential for breakdowns may offer the possibility of breakthroughs. Opportunities for tangible creative expression, especially on Thursday and Friday, offer important outlets for releasing the week’s tension. Nonetheless, the innovative initiatives that begin to emerge this week are bound to be challenged by skepticism and a cautious approach to the information that we find. The importance of finding common points of reference upon which we can build common effort can not be overstated.

The Winter Solstice on Monday is marked by the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius and will set the tone for the next year — and many years to come. The potent energy of the forming Mars-Pluto square creates an especially fraught atmosphere with multiple challenges. Energy continues to be tense on Tuesday, stirred by the Aries Moon. Identifying personal blind spots will help us to gain some sense of perspective. The Mars-Pluto square perfects on Wednesday. The crisis driven atmosphere demands change but Mercury’s position in Capricorn keeps us cautious and rather skeptical of new initiatives and new information. The importance of personal connections to others is paramount on Thursday. There are surprising and unexpected events that also bring innovative new solutions. However, without a connection to others, we may hot have the ability to communicate our ideas effectively. We are looking for something much more tangible on Friday. The focus shifts away from intellectual ideas and we are looking for something that we can see or touch. A desire for sensual satisfaction may lead us towards a somewhat dissolute desire to escape our responsibilities. Alternatively, tangible, creative solutions are also possible. By Saturday, we are challenged to shift our footing without entirely losing our balance. If our goals have lost their meaning to us personally, we may find ourselves completely lost.

ASTROLOGICAL SNAPSHOT

Today is the 356th day of 2020
40 days until Mercury retrograde
Today is the winter solstice
10 days until 2021

Sun is in Capricorn
Moon moves into Aries
Mercury is in Capricorn
Venus is in Sagittarius
Mars is in Aries
Jupiter is in Aquarius
Saturn is in Aquarius
Uranus is retrograde in Taurus
Neptune is in Pisces
Pluto is in Capricorn
Chiron is in Aries

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