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Highlights for Dec. 9-15, 2019: All is bright

All is bright

Dates and times are given for U.S. Pacific Time zone. Click them to see the date and time where you are.

Jester on the sidelines

At first glance, Mercury in Sagittarius (Dec. 9, 1:41 am through Dec. 28) doesn’t seem like a bad fit. Both planet and sign are talkative, interested in the world and in communication. So why, in traditional astrology, is Mercury considered to be in his detriment in Sagittarius?

It’s Mercury’s job to gather information, which includes remaining open to new ideas. But it’s Sagittarius’ job to make sense of information and formulate opinions. The masters candidate has to stop researching (Mercury) at some point and present her thesis (Sagittarius). The author has to surrender the manuscript to his publisher. The employer, having interviewed the best candidates, has to decide which one is the right fit.

Mercury is happy to adopt Sagittarius’ vivid, enthusiastic, jovial communication style for a few weeks. But secretly, he feels sidelined in Sagittarius’ court, where the king has made up his mind and is not welcoming new information. Mercury in Sagittarius is a jester on the sidelines… too often allowed only to entertain, and not to inform.

Cafeteria

This week’s Full Moon (Dec. 11, 9:12 pm PST) falls on the Sabian Symbol for 20 Gemini: A cafeteria. The first image that comes to mind when we think of a cafeteria may be the dazzling array of choices available. You walk through with your little tray and pick whatever takes your fancy. Variety-loving Gemini is happy!

But what also comes to mind, for me at least, is the bright, lurid lighting in most cafeterias. It’s hard to hide the deficiencies of a drying pork chop or mound of congealed mashed potatoes in that kind of environment.

Full Moons are always important times for relationships, and especially so this month. The Sun and Moon are square Neptune; if you’ve been unsure where a relationship is really going, or who you’re really dealing with, this Full Moon should answer some of those questions. Information will be brought to light… but with Mercury in Sagittarius, beware of confirmation bias, and of bending over backward to rationalize damning information.

Grace for your struggle

When successful artists are asked to give advice to young people considering a career in their field, they usually say something like, “If you can be happy doing anything else, do that instead.” Success in certain fields is so unlikely, such a long shot, that you need be not just accomplished but tenacious and determined.

That’s the lesson of Venus conjoining Saturn (Dec. 11, 2:05 am). Sometimes, we only know what we truly value when are faced with adversity, self-doubt, and discouragement. If you truly desire something, you will stop at absolutely nothing in your pursuit of it.

But this quick transit of Venus with Saturn offers something else, too –  grace for your struggle. When you’ve been trying hard for so long, breaking your back, picking yourself up and dusting yourself off repeatedly, it can be easy to forget why you wanted to do something in the first place. You may be on the brink of giving up altogether. Until…

A word of encouragement comes your way. A good review, maybe, or some money. A kindly hug from someone older and wiser. A little touch of Venus to brighten the long, tiring days, and to remind you what you loved in the first place…about this career, or this project, or this person.

Brightening the darkness

A home in mourning is traditionally, sympathetically flooded with food and flowers. Of course, in such a situation, the bereaved doesn’t want either. They just want their loved one back.

But the food is practical. If you’ve lost someone, your house will be filled for days with family, friends, helpers, well-wishers; they have to eat something, even if you don’t feel like it. It’s good to have something to feed them. Flowers are utterly impractical, but they’re beautiful, and they represent vibrancy and life.

As we approach the holidays and take stock of the year that’s almost finished, a little Pluto can creep in around the edges. It’s so dark and cold here in the Norther Hemisphere. We think about what we’ve lost, even if it’s just another year of life that we can’t get back.

But as Venus, goddess of life’s goodness, makes a conjunction with Pluto (Dec. 13, 7:16 am PST), and Mars makes a trine to enchanting Neptune (Dec. 13, 3:56 am PST), there are also reminders of what’s lovely. Drive around your neighborhood and look at Christmas lights. Buy some flowers for the table and light a few candles. Treasure the odd smile from a stranger; see if you can coax a smile from the cashier at the grocery store. It’s dark and cold… but soon the light will be returning. And until it does, Venus can help us brighten the darkness.

Detours ahead

JJupiter in Capricorn has set us on a year-long path to pursue larger ambitions based on a good foundation and a well-thought-out strategy. But as Jupiter meets up in a trine aspect to Uranus (Dec. 15, 11:01 am PST), expect a detour – and don’t be afraid to embrace it

Singer Linda Ronstadt, born with Jupiter in the 10th house trine Uranus, has had one of the most eclectic careers in popular music. From her days as a barefoot folkie performing in Tucson coffee houses, Ronstadt became the highest-paid woman in rock music in the 1970s. Refusing to be pigeon-holed, she continued to challenge expectations by singing light opera on Broadway, performing traditional Mexican music, and recording jazz standards with acclaimed arranger Nelson Riddle.

Each step of the way, the death of her career was prematurely heralded by her label, the popular music press, and even her fans. She didn’t much care. She sang the music that made sense to her, took huge risks, and reinvented herself every few years.

Next week, Ronstadt will be recognized with a Kennedy Center Honors award, acknowledged as “the defining voice of a generation, spanning genres, languages and continents.” I honor her here as an example of living and creating fearlessly, in her own voice, and by her own rules – something Jupiter and Uranus urge each of us to do as much as we can.

Linda Ronstadt, 1977, by Craig Howell (Flickr)

© 2019 by April Elliott Kent

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