My destination is no longer a place,
but a new way of seeing.
Marcel Proust
The Full Moon on December 18/19 at 27 Gemini shines a light on our thinking processes and the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
The last weeks of December are packed with multiple astrological dynamics that will propel us to discover, re-evaluate, learn, grow, and heal so we are better aligned with what we will meet in 2022. The Gemini Full Moon in the middle of the month assists us in being objective, flexible, curious, and open to growth.
The Full Moon is conjoined with the North Star, Polaris. This star is the one fixed point in the sky that doesn’t move or change position. All other stars and planets rotate around it. We find our orientation in relation to Polaris. The Full Moon reminds us to keep our eye on our personal North Star, the values and goals that are fixed and unchanging, so that we successfully navigate circumstance and decisions that need to be made.
Gemini is rational and wants the facts. We seek reliable information. Our thought processes are emphasized. Our minds have been shaped by the environment, culture and families we grew up in. As much as The Full Moon invites us to welcome new information, it also invites us to question how we perceive and process information, and to become aware of where unexamined ways of thinking may have distorted understanding.
Gemini governs travel and we may find ourselves running more errands, driving here or there, and moving about more. Curiosity and the desire for new experiences can propel us to trying new things or interacting more with others.
Healing from False Beliefs we have Adopted - Chiron Square the Gemini Moon
The process of socialization shapes a child's mind to see the world in the way their family and community does. We are being encouraged to question and be curious about the ways we see the world and ourselves and where these perceptions originated. This inquiry can unravel our mind’s rigidity and open us to greater mental health and well-being. We can heal thought patterns and ways we were told to think, and open more to our natural way of perceiving truth and a more authentic way of speaking. Full Moons bring issues to a head and so we may feel a crisis in our beliefs or trust in our thoughts as an integral part of the shift in thinking that is taking place.
There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing
that you are not the voice of the mind -
you are the one who hears it.
Michael A. Singer
Chiron, the Wounded Healer has stationed and will turn direct the day after the Full Moon. As it is traveling through Aries, we are looking at healing our confidence in ourselves, our ability to be spontaneous and to trust our impulses. One of the key things we are looking to heal is how we talk to ourselves and how we can lesson the potential for our self-talk to hurt us and diminish our self-worth. We have a greater ability at this time to identify how our thoughts and way of thinking have been colored by unhealed wounds, and we can then become open to perceiving circumstance without the filter of the past getting in the way. By identifying where we are stuck in feeling like victims of our life, we can turn this into a story where we are the hero on a heroic journey that offers many challenges, setbacks and learnings as we move towards the treasure we seek.
There can be a sudden change in perception that may come from a sudden change in our plans (Uranus trine Chiron). We can be curious and open to what wants to happen rather than what we have decided will happen. This may be especially true when it comes to travel plans.
We don’t see things as they are.
We see things as we are.
Rabbi Shemuel ben Nachmani
The Mind Expands - Jupiter Trine the Gemini Moon
There is a general feeling of optimism. Our mind can more readily open to the bigger picture of who we are, what we are doing here, and where we are going. There is perspective on life’s disappointments, seeing them more as learning opportunities rather than failures. We can rise above the fray and the negative self-talk and see our circumstances within the larger scheme of our soul's path and trajectory.
Our Thinking is Sobered - Mercury, ruler of the Full Moon, in Capricorn
Beneath the surface of our actions and communications, there is a seriousness to our thinking and an inclination to give ourselves to reflection. We are likely to ponder and think through an issue, making sure we have all the facts and have received all the information that may be available as we way our options. Our mind is slowed down so we can better connect the dots and observe the process that leads to discernment and the way we make a decision.
What you end up experiencing is really
a personal presentation of the world according to you,
rather than the stark, unfiltered experience of what is really out there.
This mental manipulation of the outer experience
allows you to buffer reality as it comes in.
Michael A. Singer
End of December: Multiple Striking Dynamics to Shift our Consciousness
December 19, 2021– January 28, 2022 Venus stations Retrograde
Are deepest desires, fears and longing are amplified so we can see them for what they are. There is a tendency to become obsessive about something we desire, with less willingness to accept what is happening as we long for something else. The hidden becomes revealed and secrets that have been lurking beneath the surface may be exposed. (Venus conjunct Pluto).
We are entering a 6-week period where we will mull over our values and how they are or are not expressed in relation to those we love and to matters of money. This process includes consideration of our self-value and how we might be more courageous or forthright if we valued ourselves a bit more.
Inevitably we will feel inclined to take a step back from immersing ourselves in activity to contemplate how to better have our values expressed in our life and relationships. It is interesting to note that this retrograde is happening over the holiday season when we engage more with those we love. We, or others around us, may beg off attending a gathering or dinner. We are needing some distance in order to have some perspective. Even if when we are with others, we will be observing and reflecting on dynamics, contemplating how might create a shift in ways we relate.
With Venus in Capricorn, we are taking a close look at where we have assumed responsibility that may not be ours to assume. Likewise, we will look at what we need to be accountable for that we have let slide. We are looking to making changes that will enhance self-value. Capricorn is a sign of stability and what can be built over a long-term commitment. We are looking at where we want to step up and assume responsibility for what we want to see happen in our relationships and in what we want to stabilize.
Within the realm of relationships it is best to not end a relationship or cement one during Venus Retrograde, as there can be unforeseen circumstances or some twist of fate that may emerge before the retrograde is over. Likewise, If we meet someone new, or someone reappears from our past, it is best to take it slow. Again, we have to watch that we don’t get caught in obsessive attachment to a relationship
December 19 Chiron stations Direct
We have the opportunity to move beyond the wounds that have shaped our thought patterns which in turn have shaped the way we perceive and interpret circumstance (see above for a fuller description).
December 20 – Solstice
The energy of the Solstice sets an underlying tone for the next several months. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the winter solstice, when the new light dawns. It is the moment when something new emerges to be nurtured over the coming months.
Working with the pitfalls and potentials of rational mind continues to be a central theme at the solstice. There can be a sudden revelation, an awakening to a deep truth, or just a new sense of freedom to entertain ideas that were previously blocked from our consciousness (Mercury trine Uranus).
There is an optimism that encourage us to dream bigger. Utilizing what we have learned in 2021, we may now feel a renewed freedom and confidence to reach for the stars. (Jupiter square the nodal axis). Likewise, we may not yet comprehend all the steps and time it will take to make our vision a reality, so we need to anticipate that there may be a complexity to the steps involved that are not readily seen and allow a generous timeline for putting a plan into action.
December 23 - The final and 3rd Exact Square between Saturn and Uranus
Throughout 2021, there has been a tug of war tension between Saturn and Uranus, a tension between
Rules and Individual Freedom
Tradition and Progress
Old Ways of Operating and New Approaches
The Authority and the Innovator
In essence, Saturn values tradition, what has worked and has a conservative approach around change and new ways of doing things. Saturn looks to reinforce the structures to maintain what we already have and Uranus is inclined to blow it up in favor of something that offers more freedom. Uranus’ momentum to instigate change is fueled by suppressed energy that has been trapped or restrained within existing structures. Over time, the pressure builds and as it seeks release, it will bust through the structures that hold it captive. Perhaps we can each feel a pressure building inside of us, looking for release.
2021 has been a year where we are reaching for new ways of living and yet feel entrenched or attached to the familiarity of the life we have been living. We may desire change, but when it is upon us it is human nature to hesitate and retreat. The change Uranus brings is not something we can control, but something we can trust. Saturn values control and Uranus values freedom. The freeing up of energy is desirable, but not necessarily within our control and so we need to be willing to be surprised at how it emerges and trust in the shape that it takes.
On December 23, the tension that has been building all year with the Saturn/Uranus square may break open in a substantive way. The friction set off by the square may impact financial systems, the economy, or reveal secrets that have been kept under wraps. The establishment and those who benefit most from structures that have outworn their usefulness, may impose mandates that assert their right to control and further curb individual freedoms.
Ultimately, the square will result in new directions and potentials becoming available. To open to the possibilities emerging will also require that we examine our attachments to what has become familiar and habitual. The Saturn/Uranus square will slowly dissipate but not disappear next year, so we can expect a continued breakdown of what has been built as we reach for a new way of approaching life.
December 25 – Venus Retrograde in an exact conjunction with Pluto.
We may feel obsessive about some desire or longing. Deep feelings may be stirred. We can be curious about the root of the desire rather than just trying to fulfill the desire. It is a matter of holding the reins of our desire and not letting the desire reign over us.
December 29 – Jupiter re-enters Pisces
Jupiter dipped into Pisces this past spring for a couple months. It will now be in Pisces from now until May and then again from November through the middle of December.
Jupiter's sojourn through Pisces is sensitizing us, deepening our intuitive capacities, and opening us to enhancing our spiritual connection and desire to serve. On the shadow side, we may have some difficulty in setting and keeping boundaries, using substance as a shortcut to subduing pain, or we may have overextended ourselves to meet a need someone had. Yet, overall, Jupiter in Pisces offers us the opportunity for exponential growth of our compassion and kindness towards ourselves and others. Strengthening the link to our intuition will serve give us the confidence to harness the Jupiter in Aries energies this spring to be bold in our actions, words and initiatives we undertake.
Some people could be given an entire field of roses and only see the thorns in it.
Others could be given a single weed and only see the wildflower in it.
Perception is a key component to gratitude.
And gratitude is a key component to joy.
Amy Weatherly
In Summary
From the Gemini Full Moon through the end of December, we can be mindful of the stories we tell ourselves and make strides to have our self-talk enliven and not diminish our self worth and well-being. We can revise the stories we tell so that we take part in weaving a story that inspires, uplifts and provides pathways to the world we wish to live in.
We have the opportunity to think of our lives within a larger context, one that has us rise above the story of paying bills, dealing with difficult relatives, or handling work deadlines. We can more readily begin to see and speak of our life within the story of our soul’s purpose, humanity’s evolution and the great unfolding of creation. By doing this, we can remember who we are and what we our life is truly about. We can more easily discern what has value and what does not, and what we will nurture with our energy, time and words.
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