Horoscope: December 17 to 23, 2018
Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.
Highlighted Aspects for This Week
All times listed are Pacific Standard Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 8 hours.
MON: Mercury semisquare Pluto
WED: Sun square Chiron
THU: Venus sesquiquadrate Chiron, Sun trine Uranus
FRI: Venus trine Neptune, Mercury conjunct Jupiter, Sun enters Capricorn 2:22 p.m. (Solstice)
SAT: Full Moon 9:48 a.m.
THIS WEEK, we have two events of significance, made even more influential by their close proximity in time: the December solstice, when the Sun enters Capricorn, occurs on Friday at 2:22 pm PST; and the Cancer Full Moon perfects at 9:48 a.m. PST on Saturday.
Most of the planetary aspects that occur during the week are likewise included in the chart for the solstice. This increases the longer-term impact of those aspects, since the chart for the solstice is the "birth chart" for the coming season, representing what we can expect over the next three months.
THAT BEING SAID, we begin the week with a Mercury-Pluto semisquare that is not a part of the solstice/Full Moon charts, due to Mercury moving fairly quickly right now. This is not a major aspect, but it is problematic, indicating conflicts of interest that can easily escalate into power struggles by the end of the day on Monday. With the Moon then aligned with Uranus in Aries late that night (11:20 p.m. PST), we'll need to watch out for a certain level of emotional volatility.
Our next aspect of import, the Sun-Chiron square that perfects on Wednesday, does appear in the solstice chart. With Chiron in Pisces, this aspect tells us that we are in the midst of a healing journey that will ultimately enable us to transcend victimization and passivity. And yet, since this is a challenging aspect, there are obstacles to be overcome -- most likely our own need to stay in charge and seemingly "in control," which can block our ability to soften and to allow the healing process to occur.
Venus, currently in Scorpio, is also in hard aspect to Chiron (a sesquiquadrate), exact on Thursday. This aspect tells us that relationship dynamics and the residues of old resentments play an integral role in both our awareness of the wound and in its cure.
THREE VERY HELPFUL aspects are also woven into the fabric of the coming season -- Hooray! The first, which perfects on Thursday, is a Sun-Uranus trine. This one holds a promise of liberation, if we will take the risk to be completely authentic and to release the constraints of the "should" mentality.
Also lovely is a Venus-Neptune trine, which is exact on Friday. Whereas the Venus-Chiron aspect just described makes us aware of old scars that have not yet healed, this Venus-Neptune link represents the softening of the scars, the allowing of the healing, the release of the darker emotions, and the reawakening of spiritual and emotional intimacy.
THE THIRD ASPECT on our list of positive influences is Friday's alignment between Mercury and Jupiter in Sagittarius. This one actually has a potential down side, but let's focus on the higher potentials first.
Jupiter is the Santa Claus of the planets -- the jolly energy of the Ghost of Christmas Present as he appeared in "Scrooge," the 1970 musical adaptation of Dicken's novella, A Christmas Carol. Whatever it touches, Jupiter magnifies. Where there is positive potential, the great planet increases the possibilities; but in all things, an overabundance can turn into a burden.
And so, we may enjoy a sweet treat after a healthy meal and live to tell the tale of our satisfaction -- but if we ate only sweets all day, every day, the story would end quite differently.
WITH THE ALIGNMENT of Mercury and Jupiter, optimism can abound. Our minds can be filled with great insights and understandings, and these can open the door to exciting adventures and opportunities. But we also risk leaping before we look -- we arrive at the airport, all packed for our trip to the Himalayas, only to find that in our excitement, we neglected to buy a ticket for the flight.
We must also consider the other areas of life that are "ruled" by Sagittarius, that could be either enhanced or over-exaggerated this week and in the coming months. These include belief systems and religions, spiritual and philosophical studies, foreign countries and international affairs, imports and tariffs, legal matters and judgments, writing and publishing. Also on the list are good humor, philanthropy, and ethics, but also self-righteousness, prejudices, cynicism, and moralism.
Overall, however, I feel (appropriately) optimistic about this alignment, and the fact that it will have influence over the next three months. We can encourage its higher-vibrational manifestations by living according to our highest values, by holding the vision of our greater potential, by embodying hope and faith in all of our words and actions, and by being willing to fully listen to others' ideas in equal measure to our eagerness to share our own wisdom.
AT THE TIME of the Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are at "the Aries point," the first degree of cardinal signs. The Moon will be at 00°49? Cancer, with the Sun at the same degree of Capricorn. When this Aries point is activated, it is said that what has been in process internally becomes manifest externally.
With an Aries point Full Moon, we are also more likely to see global events that involve large numbers of people. The Sun in Capricorn represents authority figures and governments, while the Moon in Cancer represents the public. These two planets are in opposition in a Full Moon chart, indicating polarizing influences coming into full manifestation.
THE MOON is aligned with the fixed star Yildun at the time of the lunation, activating that star's influence in our lives. Astrologer Roderick Kidston writes that Yildun:
" ... seems to be one of the 'clever' stars, helping to raise the IQ; but it activates the passions as well as the mind, and can be fiery or dazzling in a very extroverted way, impossible to ignore. [With Yildun], you have a big friendly bear beside you, supporting you when you are weary and boosting your vigor when you feel strong again. As long as you don't get so caught up in enthusiasms you get off track, or try too hard to be in charge, or come on too perfectionist or too strong, with Yildun guiding your life, you can become a sparkling guide to others in turn."
I always love when there are corroborating influences that appear in very different areas of a chart, whether it is a person's natal chart or an event horoscope such as the one for this Full Moon. What catches my eye in particular is Kidston's warning about "not getting so caught up in enthsiasms that you get off track." This is perfectly in sync with the cautions that go along with the Mercury-Jupiter alignment.
But, if we can stay in tune with the wisdom of moderation, it appears there are great potentials unfolding -- and that we can count on the support of "a big friendly bear," perhaps a guide on the spiritual planes or a mentor in our physical world.(Note -- Please see further below (after the author bio) for the announcement for my upcoming webinar covering the first six months of 2019!)
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This year, you have the capacity to move beyond old beliefs that have kept you feeling "less than" others in some way. You are healing the scars of the past, which have interfered with your ability to take on the great adventure that your life has the ability to be. As you release self-judgment, your world expands, and you find yourself more able to take risks, and to be your fully authentic, individualized self -- while still being receptive to the support and guidance of the wise and trusted beings that populate both your physical and spiritual realms.
About the Author
Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail
WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT!
The Two-Year Journey 2019-2020
Phase I: Into the Heart: Astrological Guidance for January through June 2019
With Pam Younghans
Airing LIVE on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 -- 4 p.m. PST, 5 p.m. MST, 6 p.m. CST, 7 p.m. EST
To register: https://pamjan2019update.eventbrite.com
As we enter 2019, we begin a powerful two-year evolutionary journey that will have great impact on both our inner and our outer worlds. Phase I of this sojourn, which I am calling “Into the Heart,” will take us from January through June 2019. During these months, our planetary guides will be pouring light on the path of the Divine Heart. As we attune our inner eyes to that luminessence, we also become aware of the music of the Heart, allowing the frequencies of cosmic light and sound to entrain our own energy.
Two eclipses in January provide the fanfare to start us on our journey. These eclipses, especially the SuperMoon Total Lunar Eclipse on January 21, will serve to shift our attention in powerful ways. Another highlight of the first half of 2019 is on March 6, when Uranus re-crosses the threshold into Taurus. When Uranus first entered Taurus in May 2018, the Earth responded volcanically – leaving us conjecturing what we can expect for this second crossing.
But the most potent time within this six-month period is likely to be in April and May, when a dance between Pluto, Saturn, and the karmic South Node brings society face-to-face with its materialistic tendencies, as a mechanism to catapult us into a more heart-centered future.
In this 90-minute webinar, I will begin by providing more details about this two-year journey that begins in January 2019 and completes in December 2020. I will then describe the most significant astrological events of the first six months of the new year, and their potential impact. During the last half of class, I will walk us through each month, providing guidance based on the planetary activity, which includes several powerful Full Moons and some significant retrograde periods.
I hope you can join us! And don’t worry if you can't attend live on January 15 -- the class is recorded, and all registrants receive an email afterward with a link to the replay and the pdf of the slideshow.
Everyone who registers for the webinar will also receive calendars for January through June beforehand. These calendars show all the important astrological events, and will make note-taking easier.
To register: https://pamjan2019update.eventbrite.com
Class fee is $33. Payment options and registration may be handled online or by check to Elsie Kerns, 2007 Rabbit Run Rd., Marlton, NJ 08053.
Questions about registering or payment? Contact Elsie at:
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