Highlighted Aspects this Week
OUR FULL MOON on Tuesday is the last lunation of the 2013 calendar year, making it both a culmination and a release point. And, just about eight hours after the Full Moon is exact, Uranus reaches the end of its retrograde period — another indicator that we have completed a significant developmental phase and are ready to embark on the next leg of our journey.The symbolic images associated with the 26th degree of Gemini, where the Full Moon occurs, reinforce our awareness of the importance of this transition time. The traditional Sabian symbol for this degree reads:
“Frost-covered trees against winter skies: The revelation of archetypal form and essential rhythm of existence.”
Astrologer Dane Rudhyar’s interpretation of this symbol provides guidelines for further understanding:
“A contact with archetypes and pure forms of individual selfhood is to be sought. Externals are left behind. This is a step beyond ‘pruning’; it is rather a process of removal of all superficialities of existence. Cyclically, nature helps us to reach this state of bare reality. It is not that we experience the Buddhist’s void (sunya), but rather that we reach the essence of our individual being, the form of pure selfhood which is the structuring power underneath all external features.”
AS WE COMPLETE this transitional “Zero Year” and anticipate the future that lies ahead, it is fitting and helpful to remember our essential Self, that part of our being that is consistent (and consistently high-flying), no matter what we are experiencing emotionally and physically in our current reality.
When so many things on the physical plane are in flux — a manifestation of the ongoing Pluto-Uranus square — we benefit from finding stronger connection with that consistent, core, essential self. “Essential” is the key word here, in that it carries two meanings: that of being “fundamental,” the basis of all else; and that of being “imperative and necessary.”
WHILE RETROGRADE, a planet pulls our attention inward, so that we might achieve greater self-understanding. The awareness that we gain during the retrograde phase can then be more fully utilized when the planet is once again moving direct.
Uranus has been retrograde since July 17, providing us with opportunities over these past five months to more fully understand our needs for personal freedom and self-expression. Astrologer Bil Tierney writes that during the Uranus retrograde period,
“We may reach a level of self-truth that can jolt us from ego inertia or mundane stagnation in the area (natal house) that Uranus is transiting. Usually, outer situations seem to operate beyond the dictates of our self-will, for we are now being conditioned to attune ourselves with universal will, and to view such matters in the light of pure truth and objectivity.”
PERHAPS YOU, like me, can think of times over the past few months when a change occurred that we at first resisted — but that, over time, proved to be beneficial in ways we had not originally seen. I think this is one of the lessons of Uranus’ retrograde phase, that we need to reserve judgment and reaction until we have the objectivity and perspective that comes when we release our attachment to everything going “according to plan.”
As Uranus begins to slowly move forward this week, and gradually picks up speed in the weeks and months ahead, we will have opportunities to build upon our knowing that a Greater Plan exists, and to find ways to become more conscious partners in the fulfillment of that Plan.
VENUS GOES RETROGRADE on Saturday, just about five hours after the Capricorn Solstice. This retrograde phase lasts until January 31, and provides the environment for us to do some soul-searching regarding our needs in the areas of life ruled by Venus: relationships, attractions, personal values, and finances.
Going back to my expert on retrograde planets, here’s what Bil Tierney writes about Venus retrograde:
“We are pressured to modify our evaluation of a person or a situation in our lives. This is a time of emotionally mulling things over in an attempt to feel more comfortable and balanced with affairs emphasized at this period. We are advised to carefully deliberate and weigh all sides before making firm commitments, as the true value of any desired object is harder to assess. What is needed is to look below the surface of apparent beauty, charm, or value and more cautiously appraise an attraction’s real worth. This is also a marvelous opportunity for going back and completing artistic/creative works previously left unfinished, before venturing into new projects.”
A CHART drawn for the moment of a solstice or equinox is said to provide insights into the energies for the next three months. The chart for the Capricorn Solstice on Saturday is notable for the growing connections between Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars, the four planets that will form our Cardinal Grand Cross throughout the first half of 2014.
Cardinal signs are about taking the initiative, and yet the squares and oppositions that comprise a grand cross indicate that some obstacles will most likely arise to challenge the expected forward motion. Part of the requirement for success is in utilizing the highest vibrational qualities of each of the signs involved: integrity, focus, and objectivity (Capricorn); courage, leadership, and enterprise (Aries); sensitivity, sympathy, and emotional intelligence (Cancer); and fairness, willingness to work in partnership, and the ability to find common ground (Libra).
