Planet Weather for the Week of December 17, 2006

(Next Planet Weather published for 12/31/06).                                                                                                               

SkyWatch – Moon Phase of the week: 12/20 -- The Moon enters a new cycle at 9:01 AM EDT, at 28 degrees of Sagittarius. Skywatching events of the week: 12/21 -- Because the Moon turned New early the previous day, you may get a first glimpse of her new cycle on the following evening. On this and succeeding days, look for the thin sliver of the New and Crescent Moons just after sunset when the Moon will be a few degrees above the southwestern horizon, with Venus a few degrees to the right. Also on this date, the December Solstice occurs at 7:22 PM EDT, when the Sun enters the astrological sign of Capricorn. This is the moment when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the Sun. On a clear day, you can actually, in a sense, "see" the solstice by noting that the midday Sun is the lowest of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (marking the official start of Winter) or the highest in the Southern Hemisphere (marking the official start of summer). Space news of the week: The Space Shuttle Discovery completed a successful check for damage after launch into orbit last week and rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS). Shuttle astronauts then began a series of spacewalks (more accurately, "spacefloats") aimed at rewiring the major power grid of the ISS to prepare for completion of the structure during the next few years. One of the astronauts described the spacewalks as "quite risky," which SkyWatch can well believe! Go out! Look up!

This week Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are the most active and potentially most productive energy days. The longest Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon time, during the day, is Thursday 12/21/06 – in Capricorn, from 11:05AM EST to 4:49PM EST, the next day, 12/22/06. (This is very long for a VOC Moon and includes the December Solstice!)  VOC is best for less outcome-oriented activity, since VOC often means detours, distractions, or delays. If you want specific outcomes, or if timeliness is critical, choose another time. VOC is best for processing, imagining, and open-ended activities, like parties, for instance!

Sun in mutable, fire Sagittarius conjunct Pluto/Sagittarius on Monday, December 18, 2006 @ 9:37AM EST. This annual conjunction between the Sun and Pluto reinforces what we have accumulated over the past year – in terms of material, emotional and spiritual resources. Where have we grown in wisdom and where are we still holding on to beliefs that have proven themselves to no longer work to our advantage and positive growth? We may experience a burst of conscious awareness about the political state of things in the world or with regard to our own psychological processes and patterns. Allow for this enlightenment – in fact, look for it around you.

Mercury/Sagittarius sextile (60deg.) Neptune in fixed, air Aquarius @ 17deg. on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 @ 6:44PM EST. Mercury is invited into the imaginative and magical world of Neptune, complete with smoke and mirrors, which isn’t all that bad – showing us that life is definitely an illusion at times and perhaps we shouldn’t take things quite so seriously. Daydreaming is encouraged and imagining how the impossible can become possible after all. Take a pause, relax, and enjoy the magic that is always around you.

Venus in cardinal, earth Capricorn sextile Uranus in mutable, water Pisces @ 11deg. on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 @ 10:30PM. You could be in for a surprise! In any case, that is what this aspect wants and needs – something beyond your normal routine, something to bring the spark of life back, along with some excitement and renewed sparkle. Can you manage that?

Mars/Sagittarius square (90deg.) Uranus/Pisces @ 11deg. on Thursday, December 21, 2006 @ 7:11PM EST. This tricky aspect can easily become explosive and suddenly aggressive with all the typical meanings of that statement. The intent of the energies is to examine situations and actions for the truth, and if the truth is obscured, this aspect finds ways to point it out. The danger with these energies is to jump to conclusions. By getting some perspective, the situation may become clearer. In this respect, there is the need to separate in order to get that distance and greater clarity. It is a revolutionary energy that will topple structures and ideas that are untenable, unworkable, or go against humanitarian and egalitarian values. Rebelliousness is present, but so are creative improvements and advanced methods or solutions for old problems.

Sun enters Capricorn announcing the Winter Solstice and the return of the light! Thursday, December 21, 2006 @ 7:23PM EST. We welcome the shift in light, representing consciousness. In Capricorn, we are always asking, what is the “right” thing to do and what is the “responsible” thing to do? This measured and controlled sign will ask us to evaluate the road we have traveled this past year and how me may wish to make adjustments as we continue our journey. As we move onward in time from this date, the days become longer and we are called upon to look at the foundation of our lives and make plans to achieve our goals in methodical and ethical ways. There are so many ways in which the cultures of the world celebrate the light of consciousness. In our own lives, we can choose how to honor this continual and ever-evolving cycle and light our candles in the darkness.

Mercury enters cardinal, earth Capricorn on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 @ 3:55PM EST until 1/15/07. This Mercury position is serious, as well as practical, so get ready for some reality checks in various areas of your life. Make sure you follow the rules in all the bureaucratic areas. Slip-ups are likely to happen with timing and credibility issues. Don’t make promises you can’t keep and remember the ones you already made. It’s a perfect Mercury to take us into the New Year, since it promotes planning and organizing, which is always a natural activity in the first month of 2007!

NewsBits:  Barak Obama Phenomena! Let’s explore the excitement around Barak Obama. We have a birthdate of 8/4/1961, for Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii; no birth time has surfaced yet. What stands out in his chart is the Grand Trine in Earth signs – involving Moon/Taurus, Saturn/Capricorn and Mars/Virgo. A Grand Trine consists of at least three or more planets, usually in the same element – one in each of the three possible fire, earth, air or water, signs, forming a link and flow of energy between them, 120 degrees apart and covering the circle of space (120X3=360) forming a large triangle if you connect them point to point. This pattern gives dominance and ease or talent in the element it defines. In the case of Obama, the Earth trine gives him a sense of stability and credibility, as well as a natural dose of practicality and common sense. In addition, one of the planets in his Earth Grand Trine is Saturn, strong in its own sign of Capricorn – giving him a mission involving proving his worth in the marketplace, or in shaping the status quo. Obama shares Sun/Leo and Moon/Taurus with former President Bill Clinton and he shares his Mars/Virgo with G.W. Bush! Of course, how all the planets are arranged and work together in Obama’s chart is a pattern that is all his own! The man’s somewhat self-effacing quality comes from a Mercury square Neptune and a Venus trine Neptune, which gives him the insight to know how words affect others and a compassionate understanding of human nature. He doesn’t mind being in the limelight and is at ease on stage, the product of his Sun and two other planets in Leo, the ultimate showman! His Jupiter in Aquarius allows him a far-reaching sensibility and a vision that is broad, wide, and idealistic. He is a visionary with a strong practical base, who can inspire others. Once we have his birthtime, it will be easier to track the influences affecting his chart. Watch this man – his future is bright and he could easily be President, if not in 2008, then possibly in 2012.