EPISODE 105 (Dec. 20, 2021)
The Solstice, a Capricorn New Moon, & Zooming into a New Year!
Listen to the episode and read show notes here
Jen: Welcome to the Big Sky Astrology podcast, with April Elliott Kent and me, producer and cohost Jen Braun. Hey friends, Jen here. Today is December 20th, 2021. And here with me, as we prepare to launch into a new year, is my friend, astrologer April Elliott Kent. Hi, April.
April: Hello, Jen. This is me imitating an airplane, ha, zooming into the new year.
Jen: That’s great.
April: I’m excited. This is one of my favorite times of year. As we’re getting to the very end of December and it’s Solstice time and it’s wintry, and things slow down and get quieter, at least here in the Northern hemisphere. Because it’s dark and it’s cold and people are taking time off work and just generally things slow down.
Jen: That’s nice.
April: Yes. And, you start to plot, you know, what you want to do in the coming year and your goals and your hopes and your dreams, it’s a very 11th house time of year. Isn’t it?
Jen: I have all those 11th house planets, and I do like looking ahead.
April: Yes. I’ve got a whole stack of planners and I’ve got a little collection of wall calendars that I get from the national parks and from all these different places.
Jen: Nice.
April: And, I just love collecting them all and they’re in a big stack on my desk, just waiting for me to tear into them and make little notes on them. Oh, it’s an exciting time of year.
Jen: Do you use different colored pens?
April: Yes. I have markers, and they have very specific purposes. So, we are wishing well to everyone as we’re looking down. I mean, it will happen in the course of this episode, we flip over to the new year.
Jen: Yes.
April: But for now my friends, we are going to let 2022 take care of itself and unfold as it wants to, and we are going to concentrate on the next two-week period. What do we have coming up in week one, Jen?
Jen: Week one begins Monday, December 20th. And the first transit that we’re going to talk about this week happens on Tuesday, the 21st. The Sun enters Capricorn heralding the solstice. It happens at 07:59 AM Pacific. April, what should folks know about the solstice?
April: We love the solstice. Well, first of all, we go into great and elaborate detail about the solstice in the special episode that we recorded for our podcast donors. If you have not donated to the podcast and you would like to get access to this special, super-secret, donors-only episode, just go to bigskyastropod.com, donate five bucks, we’ll put you on the list to get that episode.
Jen: Yes, we talk about the three months that are coming up in that episode. We talk about some things we don’t usually have time to talk about on the podcast, like out-of-bounds planets, and it gives you a little preview of what’s ahead over the next three months.
April: So true. And, we talk quite a lot about the solstice. But this solstice, as the Sun enters the sign of Capricorn, is the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and of course, summer in the Southern Hemisphere. When the Sun enters each of the Cardinal signs, so Capricorn, Aries, Cancer and Libra, it is the beginning of a new season of the year. And, they’re called Cardinal planets, they initiate, they begin. And, one of the things they begin are seasons of the year.
So, the solstice is the moment when the Sun appears to sort of stand still in its rising in the sky. It’s actually gotten to its lowest point in the Southern sky here in the Northern hemisphere. And, after a few days, it starts kind of like moving upward, ever so slightly each day at midday. And, I like the symbolism of this with Capricorn, because Capricorn is the sign that rises, that is always trying to set goals for itself, as we’re always doing it this time of year during the Capricorn season. We’re as low as we can go, and then gradual, we begin to ascend and that is symbolized by the Sun in Capricorn rising. Capricorn’s a very ambitious sign, it’s a very pragmatic and practical sign, and we tend to begin each new calendar year with specific, quantitative goals for the coming year. You know, usually it’s, “Oh, I’m going to lose some weight or I’m going to exercise more. I’m going to try to earn more money”, these very practical Capricorn ambitions.
But I think another way we can think of the solstice and of Capricorn is to say, “How do I wanna give back to the world in the coming year? And, how do I want to stand as a beacon for something that’s positive, and what does that look like?” What do you think, Jen?
Jen: I also think of the sign of Capricorn as of course, it’s the mountain goat. But doesn’t it have a fishtail, and so, it can also swim to the depths of the ocean?
April: Yes, it is. Sorry, I’m being the water sprite here, I was pouring some water.
Jen: Which would represent the Southern Hemisphere, which would bring that part into it.
April: Well, also it’s the aquatic part of Capricorn that we’re talking about as I’m pouring this water here, you see? So, we’re talking, yes, the sea goat Is one of the symbols for Capricorn. I think it is an extremely versatile sign. It can work in all situations. It always finds a way. Capricorn, I think is the most resourceful of all signs. And throw it in the middle of some prairie, some vast empty space in the middle of the country, it will find the things that it needs, build a shelter, get the food, and it usually is good at implementing step by step these things that it needs to do. So, that’s how we tend to approach a new calendar year. We say, “This is the year I’m going to do this, this, this, this”, and it’s very practical. And often, we fail a little bit in those goals.
So, I think it’s good to expand that out, and perhaps the sea goat part, the more Neptunian part, if you will, of Capricorn, is a part that says, well, what do I want to achieve on a more internal level or in terms of meaning, in terms of my why in the world? Why am I doing the things that I’m doing? Why are my ambitions, what they are? So, that’s a nice way to spend a little bit of the quiet solstice day. As you are, perhaps sitting in front of a fire or whatever you like to do to acknowledge the new season.
Jen: And, what’s coming up next?
April: Well, while we’re in the vicinity of Capricorn, we can say that its ruling planet, Saturn is making the last of its exact squares to Uranus on December 23rd at 11:16 PM Pacific Time. So, basically, December 24th most every place else. And this happens at 11° and five minutes of Aquarius and Taurus, respectively. So, this is the last exact aspect between these two, and the other two were on February 17th of this year, and then, on June 14th, 2021. We’ve talked about this on many episodes. Do you know any offhand?
Jen: Yes. Episode 69 and Episode 86.
April: Ah, terrific. So, people can go back and listen to our exhaustive examination of this very critical, very important planetary combination. And, the thing to remember too is although they will not make another exact square, they come very close on October 1st, 2022. They will be within 37 minutes of arc of an exact square. And, I like Saturn’s Sabian symbol then, which is 19 Aquarius, “A Forest Fire Quenched”.
There has been something of the mood of disaster around Saturn and Uranus all through 2021. And, I see that as hopefully a literal and very hopeful Sabian symbol for the conclusion of this contentious symbolism that we’ve had over 2021.
Jen: Yes, because although, this is the last exact one, it’s not like the story is done, right? Because they come so close to each other next year, October 1st. And, probably I would guess in September and then October, we’ll be seeing more of the story unfold, perhaps.
April: Right. And the reaction to it is something like “Haven’t we resolved this?”
Jen: Yes.
April: You know? “Haven’t we taken care of this already?” And it’s something that just a little flare up one more time. Like, if you’ve had a big forest fire and you think you’ve completely put it out and then suddenly you get some embers kind of flare up and then you need to do something about that. So, we’re not totally out of the woods. These big planetary combinations, like we had Saturn Pluto come together in a conjunction a couple of years ago, or a Saturn Uranus this year, they take a while to play out. And, just because they finish their exact aspects doesn’t mean that we’re not still sort of feeling the energy of it.
I was giving a explanation of someone the other day, I think on one of our YouTube videos where they were asking about approaching versus separating aspects. You know, when you have two planets that are coming together, especially big ones like this within, they could be about three degrees of apart say, and you’re really starting to feel that mounting tension. And then, the separating aspect on the other end, I was saying, it’s sort of like you’re having a party, you’re giving a party. And the approaching aspect is that tremendous push of energy sometimes for weeks ahead of time to get ready to buy your stuff and plan your menu and clean your house and do all the stuff you have to do, it’s the tremendous push. Then the day after, you’re sitting in a house’s complete disaster area, and you’re looking around saying, “Oh, I have to clean things up. I have to get reorganized. I have to follow up with whoever left their glasses here or whatever it is”.
So, the approaching aspects are really tremendously challenging, because we have to find the stamina to really push the energy out. But the separating ones, which is what we’re basically dealing with, with Saturn and Uranus throughout most of 2022, is that separating aspect where it says “The main event is over, but we’re still dealing with the aftermath”.
Jen: That’s a wonderful metaphor.
April: Thank you. So, that’s a big one. And then, we’ve got another big one this week, which is the Venus conjunction with Pluto. And we talked about that in Episode 104, “Venus Turns Retrograde, Cheez Food Sirens”. I very much like that title.
Jen: It was a good one. Yes.
April: So, this is the second of three conjunctions. The other one was on December 11th and the last one will be on March 3rd. And, just to recap quickly, some of the things we said about this in our last episode was that because this falls on the Sabian symbol, “A Water Sprite”, 26 Capricorn, I think it’s very much about being true to one’s nature. Because “A Water Sprite” is such a natural figure. Out there, I would picture kind of like a little nude figure under a waterfall and splashing around in the water. So, it’s about really being true to our own nature. Letting go of people in situations that are not right for you. As Michelle Gould says, “Burn away anything that doesn’t look like, love, get rid of possessions that no longer suit you”. It’s just a really good time to divest ourselves of things that aren’t ours that are not authentically ours.
Jen: Yes. It’s a charming symbol for a very complicated conjunction there.
April: Yes, it is. What do we have coming up next?
Jen: April, can you guess what we have coming up next?
April: Jen, could it possibly be Moonwatch…
Jen: Moonwatch…
April: Play it.
April: Yes, good friends, it’s time for Moonwatch. And this week we have a Libra Last Quarter Moon on December 26th at 06:23 PM Pacific Time, at 5° and 32 minutes of Libra for the Moon and Capricorn for the Sun.
Jen: What is a Last Quarter Moon?
April: Last Quarter Moon is the last critical moment in the lunar cycle that began at the New Moon. It’s when the Sun and Moon are exactly square each other, and the Moon is behind the Sun. That’s how you know it’s a Last Quarter rather than a First Quarter. And, it is the time when we have our last opportunity to resolve something that we initiated at the New Moon. This is our last push towards the finish line.
This is also, of course, associated with the lunar phase family that began with a New Moon back in September, on September 28th, 2019, a New Moon at 5° and 20 minutes Libra. So, in many ways we’re bringing something perhaps that was conceived at that time. And just looked to the house of your chart, where 5° and 20 minutes of Libra lies, to give you an idea of what that might have been for you personally. And now, is the time that it’s time to make the last push to realize the objectives that we formulated at that time.
Jen: So, this is the last phase of the New Moon from three weeks ago, and it also is finishing up a lunar phase that began from, gosh, can it be two years ago, April?
April: It’s two freaking years, Jen.
Jen: Wow!
April: I know. Yes, these lunar phase families play out over about two and a half years. And, every nine months, you get another critical moment in that cycle. We had the New Moon in September of 2019, nine months later, it would’ve been a First Quarter near this same degree of Libra, then a Full Moon nine months after that, and now we’re at the Last Quarter nine months later. And, the third quarter, like the First Quarter is an action-oriented phase. It says, “You must take action”. But at the First Quarter we’re taking action based on just instinct and hope. At the Last Quarter, we have been through the whole process, we’ve been through the Full Moon, things have been revealed, we see where we stand. And the Last Quarter Moon is about taking that and saying, “Okay, with everything I know now, what can I do? How much can I accomplish?” So, that is the Last Quarter.
The Moon’s Sabian symbol at this Last Quarter is “The Ideals Of A Man Abundantly Crystallized”, which just sounds great. I’m going to just take it literally and say that our ideals, perhaps beginning back with that New Moon in 2019 are finally realized, that there are dreams come true, basically.
Jen: Something’s clear.
April: Right. And, the Sabian symbol for the Sun at 6 Capricorn is “A Dark Archway And 10 Logs At The Bottom”, which is a very fascinating one. Because I look at that and I think, “Well, are these logs useful? Can we use them to build a house or something, it is the Sun in Capricorn? Or, are they obstacles, which is another way that we can experience Capricorn or it’s ruler Saturn?” So, I think we very much have a choice at this Last Quarter Moon, which is “Our dreams can come true, but we need to use what we have around us to build the structure that we want”.
Jen: That’s very helpful.
April: Thank you. I’m glad. So, Jen, what do we have coming up in week two?
Jen: Week two begins Monday, December 27th, and we have a big transit happening this week, which is Jupiter is entering the sign of Pisces on December 28th at 08:09 PM Pacific Time. Folks may recall that Jupiter was in Pisces for a preview period. When was that?
April: It was May 13th, 2021, and we talked about it on Episode 81, which was “Taurus New Moon and Jupiter in Pisces: A Whale Of A Show”. And…
Jen: Another great title.
April: Another great title. We love our titles. So, Jupiter turned retrograde then on June 20th and went back into Aquarius. It turned direct on October 17th and now it is reentering Pisces for good long time on December 28th. When we talked about it before we noted that Jupiter symbolizes where we want to grow and experience new things, take chances, and it’s very strong in Pisces, it rules Pisces. And, we want to feel that life has meaning and that we are growing spiritually, because that is very much what Pisces wants. Recent years that Jupiter was in Pisces were let’s see, it looks like 2010 and 2011, it kind of went back and forth. So, it might be helpful to look back to those years and say, “Where was I growing? And, how would I like to continue that growth now in that area of my life?” I don’t know. What do you think, Jen? What do you think about Jupiter? Jumpin’ Jupiter.
Jen: Well, one thing that we’ll be talking about as we move forward with the podcast in 2022 is that Jupiter is going to be joining up with Neptune in 2022. And, that will be a really big deal. So, we’ll be talking about that as the weeks and months approach. But I think it might be kind of a nice transit for folks. Pisces can be a very compassionate sign, Jupiter expands whatever it touches. And so, I think there’s an opportunity here to bring more spirituality, compassion, all of the lovely things that Pisces can represent.
April: Yes. I agree with you on that. And, I also think of Pisces as a particularly artistic sign. So, for people who are involved in creative of work or who want to be, who just want to have more lovely creative inspiration in their lives, this is going to be a nice transit for that. Now, Jupiter can also exaggerate things. And, you mentioned the conjunction, that’ll be coming up with Neptune. I think it’s in April that that’s happening.
Jen: Yes.
April: I think we only have one of exact pass of it. But it can amplify the negative qualities as well as the positive ones.
Jen: Sure. Yes.
April: So, coming together, especially with Neptune and both of them in Pisces, a sign they rule, again, it’s like a little bit of, if I’m baking bread and I have my sourdough starter going and I leave it on the counter and I sort of forget and go away and do something. I come back and it is overgrowing the bowl, it’s just like the blob or something. The more negative qualities of Pisces have to do with things like being a little bit foggy, not being able to make up your mind about things, having a hard time finding direction and being practical about things. I mean, you and I are both having that two transit, so we’re both smiling here. I see you laugh. And boy, we are both experiencing that. And Jupiter just kind of turns it up to 11, really.
But I think the best we can do, and Jupiter’s a sort of a more happy, a buoyant planet, so maybe we look at that and say, “Well, that’s sort of the kind of the year it is. It’s not the best year for really getting practical, down to it, you know, huge, ambitious, practical goals. This is about relating to the way we’re living our lives in a really different way.” More about, again, the why. What’s it about? So, okay. I increase my earnings this year by 28%. Well, what does that mean? Why is that important? And understanding why you’re motivated in that way. If you have a good reason for it, that’s great. But if you don’t have a good reason for the things that you’re going toward, this can be a not terribly happy transit. So, it’s getting down to the “Why?” and reconnecting to that. “Why do I have the goals I have? Why do I want to do the things with my life that I want to do?”
Hopefully, we can all travel a little more this year. Jupiter in Pisces loves to travel.
Jen: I guess we’ll see what happens.
April: I guess we will. Tune in.
Jen: Maybe we’ll meet in real life.
April: Oh Jen, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Jen: It would be! Yes.
April: We were talking about that before we started recording.
Jen: It’s ridiculous that we haven’t yet!
April: I know. It’ll happen someday.
Jen: Yes.
April: And, I’m sure you have too, because I know you have a good friend that lives far away, and I do too, and you might not see them more than every five years or something, but it’s just great when you do. We’ll get there, Jen. We’ll get there.
Jen: Yes, we will.
April: What do we have coming up next this week?
Jen: Well, Mercury’s doing a few things. Mercury’s joining up with Venus on December 29th at 02:27 AM Pacific at 24° 26’ of Capricorn. The next day, Mercury joins up with Pluto, that’s December 30th at 01:53 AM Pacific, Mercury moves about a degree and a half farther along and it’s at 25°, 53 minutes of Capricorn. April, fill us in.
April: Well, you know, we have that big Venus/Pluto conjunction on Christmas day and it’s like looking under the tree and opening your presents and saying, how good does this present feel? Is this more than my loved one could afford to spend on this? Is it purchased with a deep knowledge of me in mind? Or is it just something they grabbed off a shelf? So, reevaluate on that kind of level. Mercury is the faster moving planet. He’s the messenger planet. He’s the translator between the two. And, if the Venus and Pluto, parts of us are having a little bit of trouble communicating with each other, because they want very different things. Venus just wants what it wants and what’s pleasurable, and Pluto says, “Is that really right for you? Is that really good for you? Oh, here I’ll give it to you and you can decide if that’s right for you or not”.
And Mercury is that little factor that comes in and says, well, maybe think about that Venus thing that you wanted a little bit more. This is what Pluto’s trying to warn you of. And, at the same time, taking the message from Venus to Pluto and saying, “Would you stop being such a killjoy at all time, and just let us enjoy our Venus a little bit?”
Jen: That’s great.
April: So, next, we begin the new year on January 1st with the Sun making a lovely, trine to Uranus at 01:50 AM Pacific Time, 10°, 56’ of Capricorn and Taurus. The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 11 Capricorn is “A Large Group Of Pheasants”, and the Sabian symbol for Uranus is “A Woman Sprinkling Flowers”, which I absolutely love as the Sabian symbol for the new year, because we are going to water our little flowers and hopefully watch them grow throughout the year. The “large group of pheasants” is just, you know, they’re game birds. I believe they’re birds that people eat, aren’t they? Do people eat pheasants under glass?
Jen: I think some people do. I don’t, and you don’t. But some people might.
April: People might. Yes. So, we’re going to see them as sacrificial pheasants, perhaps under glass at this time. But it speaks of bounty to me of some prosperity of, well there’s plenty to eat and we have our little flowers that we are going to be watering through the new year. What a lovely aspect to begin 2022.
Jen: Totally. Yes.
April: What do we have coming up next, Jen?
Jen: Next, we have Mercury entering Aquarius, that happens also January 1st at 11:10 PM Pacific.
April: Oh right.
Jen: This can be nice for the new year. Don’t you think, April?
April: It’s perfect. It’s like turning on a light, brilliant insights, new ways of thinking about the year coming up. Now, Mercury will be retrograde in Aquarius between January 14th and February 4th, at which point it’ll station to turn direct at 24° 22’ of Capricorn, and then finally enter Pisces on March 11th.
Jen: Yes. Thanks for giving folks a heads up. That’s helpful.
April: You’re so welcome. Jen, do you know what’s next?
Jen: Tell me.
April: It’s Moonwatch…
Jen: Moonwatch… Moonwatch…
April: Moonwatch! Play it!
April: Oh, good friends, it is Moonwatch. And, this is a Capricorn New Moon on January 2nd, 2022 at 10:33 AM Pacific Time. This falls at 12°20’ of Capricorn on the Sabian symbol, “A Fire Worshiper”. So nice for this time of year when we’re welcoming the gradual return of the light and the longer days. And, the Sun and Moon are both trine Uranus in this chart. So, the Sun/Uranus aspect we were talking about a moment ago is also present in this New Moon chart, which we will carry through thanks to the lunar phase gestation cycle for the next two and a half years. This is really, I think very promising and encouraging in terms of reworking old patterns and giving ourselves over two new inspiration and just plain change. We don’t often think of Capricorn as a change-oriented planet, although it is a Cardinal sign, but in combination with Uranus here, it says on a real tangible quantifiable level, we can make change. That’s the Sun and Moon and Uranus all in earth signs.
To really finish out the configuration, see how you can amplify the Virgo part of your chart and of your life because that fill in a grand trine with the Sun and Moon in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus. So, that to this extent that you’re able to do that lean into the Virgo side and organizing things and spreadsheets and checklists, and also how to be of service, which is one of Virgos finer qualities. What else do you think about this New Moon, Jen?
Jen: I noticed that all of the planets are on one half of the chart.
April: Yes. They’re within a fairly tight space. They run from Mars in Sagittarius to Uranus in Taurus, really, and then if you count the north node that’s still down there in Gemini. So, yes, a lot of concentration in one half of everybody’s birth chart, it’s going to exhibit itself in this way. And, what will happen when we have a lot of concentration like that in one half of the chart will be particularly drawn to the other half of the chart. It’s this instinctive need we have to find balance to balance out extremity in a chart. Take a look at the houses of your chart that contain beginning with Sagittarius through the very beginning of Gemini and you’ll get a sense of, and the other half is where you’ll be trying to balance things out during this New Moon season. Does that make sense?
Jen: It does, because the oppositions are how we see that balance. Right? And so, it does make sense that if all of the planets are on one half of the chart, you may feel like you don’t have the balance that you need or want. And so, you would go outside of yourself to find that.
April: Well, it’s like you’re in a boat, you’re in a small rowboat, and if everybody gets on one end, then you’re going to be in trouble. So, it’s like, we look for some balance to put in the other side and we’ll draw in people who will play out those other areas of the chart or will seek out those areas of life, maybe a little bit more, especially from the next month, maybe the next six months until the Capricorn Full Moon in the summer and so on.
Jen: Awesome.
April: My friend, it is shocking, but we have made it to the end of yet another show sheet. Have we done it?
Jen: We’ve done it! And we’re bounding into the new year with vigor, vim, and…
April: Zest!
Jen: Veracity…
April: Veracity!
Jen: Zest. I like zest!
April: I like that. Yes. Zest! We’ll be zesting a lot. It’s fantastic. Happy 2022 to you Jen and to all of our fine listeners.
Jen: I echo that as well.
April: Hoping for all good things. Well, thanks to all of you for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to follow the show or leave us a rating or a review, and we hope that you’ll help us spread the word by a friend. You can read full show notes and transcripts and leave your comments about each and every episode at our website, bigskyastropod.com.
Jen: We’re very grateful to everyone who showed support during our Podathon in September. Of course, each episode we thank some of you by name. Who do we have this time, April?
April: We are giving a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout out to Stephanie Frogge, who works with me in Big Sky Astrology.
Jen: Yay Stephanie!
April: Yes. Thank you, Stephanie, for donating as well. Josia Smith and Katie Serda.
Jen:
April:
April: I don’t know about if I got Josia, do you think that’s how you pronounce it?
Jen: People can get their bingo cards out… because I don’t know if it’s Josia.
April: We’re going to say Josia and drop us a line if we’re wrong, so we get it right next time.
Jen: Yes.
April: Stephanie, Josia and Katie, we appreciate you so much. We thank you for listening to the podcast and for supporting us with your donations.
Jen: Thank you so much to you three. Now, if you missed the Podathon and you would like to support the show, please go to our website, bigskyastropod.com If you contribute $5 or more, we will send you the special episode that we’re putting together for the Capricorn solstice. And of course you will get that hilarious, rib-tickling bingo card.
April: It is both hilarious and rib-tickling.
Jen: It is both! Yes.
April: Well, that is it for us this episode, please join us again, bright and early in two weeks’ time. And, until then, keep your feet on the ground…
Jen: …and your eyes on the stars!
Thank you for listening! To learn more about April Elliott Kent, please check out her website, www.BigSkyAstrology.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, read her thought-provoking weekly essays, purchase her books, sign up for a personal astrology reading, and more.
That’s all for today. If you like what you’re listening to, please take a moment to rate and review this podcast and hit subscribe to stay current with new episodes.
You can follow Big Sky Astrology on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @BigSkyAstrology
To help support the Big Sky Astrology Podcast and to keep it going for as little as a dollar a month, please visit www.bigskyastropod.com.
Thanks again for joining us, and we’ll catch you next time!
© 2021 April Elliott Kent & Jen Braun
