DEC/JAN 2002
Thoughts
in the Presence of Fear
Wendell Berry
The
Prospect of Peace
Daisaku Ikeda
Reducing
Dependence On Oil Will Ensure America's National Security
US
Civil Rights in Serious Jeopardy
Michael Ratner
Engineering
Consent on the Domestic Front
Danny Schecter
The
Emperor is Naked
Don Kyhote
Green
View of Fundamentalism vs. Modernism
Kelpie Wilson
The
One Eternal Truth
John Darling
World
Trade Organization Continues to Fail
Danila Oder
McKenzie
River Gathering: Funding Change for 25 Years
Richard Seidman
Dreams
and Visions: The Fountain of Wisdom
Royal D. Alsup, Ph.D.
From
Survival to Serenity
Ianna Bredal, MBA
Environmental
Film Festival Coming to Ashland
Barry Snitkin
Herbal
Help for Winter Weather
Chanchal Cabrera, MNIMH, AHG
How
to Make the Most Out of Your Therapy
Julie Weber, MSW
Taking
Aim at Blame
Peter Moore, MFCC, CGP
Understanding
Problem Behaviors of Animals
Jocelyn Y. Whidden
The
Christmas Presence
Peter Melton
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Cosmic Calendar
By Salina Rain
As the year 2001 races seemingly with lightening speed toward its conclusion, we encounter the beginning of an already intense December on the heels of the November 30th Gemini Full Moon at 9 degrees. An unusually busy lunation has unfolded as Mercury and relentless Pluto both joined the Sun in opposition to Vesta and Saturn joined with the Moon. By Dec. 1st we’re still reeling from the size of the project before us, laden with responsibility to persist through it’s culmination, paying very careful attention to every detail.
Writing and studying, organizing our thoughts and the available information in articulate form is what we’re called upon to accomplish, or achieve mastery of whatever skills we’re learning. Stay with your lessons now and there’ll be great rewards down the road. Mars and Venus have stirred up some splits in relationships and other mayhem around finances, creativity and male-female connections in general.
December will bring some important shifts in how and where we focus our energies, as well as more transformation in the areas of travel, international trade, law, education and more problems arising from religious zealousness. Families are undergoing major processing as the patterns that have been in place forever are beginning to break up, and we’re figuring out what new ones to put in place. Sun conjunct Pluto, then Mercury, on the 6th and 7th will be especially volatile with many acting out incredibly pushy and greedy scenarios, and with potential for natural or man-made disasters. Careful on the road and in any other travel situations as this transformational energy will be expressed, one way or another. It may be best to lay low and be mindful of how you can turn a disaster into an adventure, or an enemy into an ally.
The 11th marks the shift of multi-dimensional healer/guru/teacher Chiron from the firey blaze of Sagittarius into earthy, crystallized Capricorn for the next four years. Healing elements from the Earth herself, along with bodywork techniques, will be much more prominent now, including uses of rocks and crystals, and all forms of healing with minerals, clays, mud baths. It will be easier for most of us to comprehend the need for these healing modalities, used for millennia by most cultures, and especially necessary now. New professional organizations will be formed during this period that legitimize alternatives further, encouraging us to take more responsibility for our state of well-being. All planets and points in early Capricorn will be touched by Chiron’s awareness of where and why it hurts over the coming months, so pay attention to its transits in your chart as its shamanistic magic is also more available in the impacted areas. Chiron’s insistence on making choices between allowing old wounds to fester, inflicting new ones, or taking action toward healing will undoubtedly highlight the need for changes in our most established institutions, especially government.
The Solar Eclipse New Moon on the 14th at 23 degrees Sagittarius joins the Moon’s South Node and Mercury within a few degrees, and marks a shift into a more serious territory for the remainder of the month. Venus conjunct Pluto brings on further power struggles and manipulations that characterize the first half of December, but also presents an opportunity to see through the power games in order to let them go. Relationships seem to be up and down and on and off, along with the highs and lows of the financial realms. This eclipse will release a huge amount of dangerous, but creative, energy. Let’s be prepared to meet the situation with clarity, hope for the future, and a sense of high adventure.
On the 17th the Sun will join the degree of the Galactic Center at 26 Sagittarius, a yearly momentous event, especially the last few years as we are near the end of a 26,000 year galactic cycle. Tune into the Milky way tonight, to the heart of that magical stream of stars that comprises our immediate cosmic neighborhood, and allow yourself a much larger perspective on the whole scene we’ve created down here on Earth. There are other worlds and other beings and so many other ways to approach life. Winter Solstice follows on the 21st for another sacred moment as winter officially arrives. Chiron joins the Capricorn Solstice Sun, a potent degree, giving this winter a particularly “Chirotic” quality as we become more aware of our need to get organized and serious around the work ahead of us.
The Cancer Full Moon on the 30th of December is also a Lunar Eclipse at 9 degrees, joined by Jupiter and opposing Chiron, Venus, Sun, and Pallas. This is the Moon’s “home” sign for an especially powerful spectrum of Full Moon emotions, and the eclipse submerges Luna only partially. Family situations may be primary, with lots of love and nurturing available to heal the pain and general security needs emphasized. We can be more attuned to the practical possibilities to improve our closest connections. Food issues and children and their caretakers may be of great concern now. With Mars square Pluto there’s bound to be some anger, irritation, frustration surfacing that cannot be further contained. Mars in Pisces can be rather passive-aggressive in expression, so be mindful.
January 2002 begins with a hefty line-up of planets in Capricorn, with Sun, Mercury, Venus, Chiron and Asteroid Pallas, a rather serious mood to initiate the New Year. We’re having to come “down to earth” in areas of life where we’ve over-stretched the limits, and the good news is we’re supported in this by the heavens. Sun and Venus together run a pretty smooth show over the first half of the month, with Mars and Venus also in supportive aspects to each other.
On the 13th the Capricorn New Moon arrives at 23 degrees in an easy sextile to Mars in Pisces. Both Venus and Pallas join the earthy Sun and Moon conference to help make our work go well and strategize about what comes next. Relationships benefit from these aspects. If we do the work before us we can ensure more enduring connections.
The 18th Mars enters Aries, its own sign, the self-directed, warrior archetype, the skillful martial artist, the disciplined athlete. Ego is strong here, so we must work harder through this passage on subjugating the ego to the higher self, especially for Aries types and those with a strong natal Mars. Great courage is also prominent with Mars in its own sign. Mercury pivots to retrograde motion today at 14 degrees Aquarius, through February 8th. Get ready for some extra quirky retrograde fun with the Aquarius passage, and stay flexible. Sun enters air sign Aquarius on the 19th, as part of a larger shift into the element air, for a month of communitarian focus, group involvements, and more activity in our friendships. The 23rd Saturn exactly trines Neptune encouraging us to work on materializing our dreams.
Full Moon on the 28th at 9 degrees Leo opposes the Sun and Neptune, with Mercury and Venus in a wider arc of opposition. The creative arts and affairs of the heart are strong with this lunation, as the more rational air planets hit the heat of the firey Moon. Play, create, be in love, and affirm the joy of being alive.
Salina Rain is a resident of Humboldt County California and has been a student of metaphysics for the last thirty years. Salina can be reached at (707) 668-5408; astro@salinarain.com; or PO Box 571, Arcata, CA 95518.
