Driving home from a day in Telluride, I happened to catch the magnificent winter solstice Sun setting on the wild, west-end horizon of San Miguel County. Open spaces, magic places and the official season of ice and snow begins. Merry Christmas and may the grace of...
December 18 to 25, 2008
Visible Planets: Morning: Saturn Evening: Venus and Jupiter
Celestial Phenomena: Winter Solstice takes place this year on Dec. 21st at 5:04 a.m. MST, when the Sun enters the cardinal earth sign Capricorn. This is a powerful turning point when forces gather, intentions manifest and plans for the coming year begin to crystallize. As we approach and experience the shortest day and longest night of the year, we enter a portal that both separates and merges dark and light. We stand in an arch of metaphysical magic. The Mother Earth has reached her most distant point on the journey away from Grandfather Sun and, on this day, is magnetically pulled back toward her ancestral home. For millennia, people on our planet have celebrated the “return of the Sun” with fire and light, rejoiced in ancient rituals and reflected upon life in the flickering flames of blazing bonfires or, in more modern times, been enchanted by the artistry of electricity. The word solstice is literally translated as ‘sun-stops’ or ‘sun-stands-still,’ and the day of solstice stands as a metaphorical and cosmic time for us to also stand and be still, take a moment to honor our primal star and awaken to the sun-fueled fire of spirit within. Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas and may the glowing embers of love, peace and joy illuminate your holiday path.
December 11 to 18, 2008
Visible Planets:
Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
Celestial Phenomena: With all planets moving in forward direction in predominantly "collective" signs, a Sagittarius Full Moon that is both at perigee (its closest approach to Earth) and syzygy (directly aligned with the Sun and Earth), and a mutable Grand Cross involving the Sun, Moon, Mars, Saturn and Uranus blazing across the cosmos, we are feeling the powerful pulse of our shape-shifting Universe as it morphs, expands and grows. Never before have we been presented so many multi-faceted options and possibilities. Potential is limitless and creation is eternal. If you're feeling a little unstable and uncertain, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. It's par for the course. Just remain positive, grateful and keep your eyes to the skies. Simply do the next right thing and stay on the path. Peace, love and joy, happy holidays and may you see and become a part of the great, good fortune of these changing times!
The magnificently beautiful conjunction of a slender crescent Moon, dazzling Venus and brilliant Jupiter over Thanksgiving weekend gave my heart pause and literally stopped me in my tracks. As an astrologer, I live for these moments and am greatly humbled when I happen to be the grateful recipient of such stunning celestial events. I only hope that others are so fortunate and blessed. Living on a faraway mesa in southwestern Colorado, in a place with virtually no city lights or atmospheric pollution, I am gifted with the crystalline blue-black night skies upon which stars sparkle and comets sail. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Happy Holidays!
November 27 to December 4, 2008
Visible Planets:
Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
Happy Thanksgiving to All. Don't forget to check out Venus and Jupiter in the southwestern sky at dusk and early evening as they move toward a magnificent, beautiful conjunction with the Moon over the next few days. May your week be filled with kindness, gratitude, joy, peace and love. God bless.
November 20 to 27, 2008
Visible Planets:
Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
Giving thanks and feeling grateful are gifts of grace. In our ever-changing world and apparently faltering global economy, it’s easy to fall victim to fear, anxiety and insecurity. And yet, we all have so much to be thankful for. Abundance is key to the Sagittarian ethic, and ‘tis the season of the Archer.
Finding comfort and discovering the joy in life’s most simple pleasures - fresh air, clean water, solar warmth and food on the table are just a few – bring us to a place of celestial harmony and open the doors of divinity. The cosmic essence of any particular time is constellated in the heavens and can be experienced via the energetic expression of the tropical zodiac sign in orb at the time.
As the Sun moves into mutable fire and the holiday season begins, it’s both our job and our mission to open our hearts and put our minds to work on exploring the multi-faceted realms of gratitude. Change negative thoughts into positive thinking and become a co-creator of magic and miracles. And keep your eyes to the skies at twilight and early evening, as magnificent planet Jupiter – the Sagittarian ruler – and dazzling Venus move ever closer toward conjunction on Dec. 1st. Happy, happy and may the force of these two great benefics carry you through the holidays with love, grace and beauty.
November 13 to 20, 2008
Visible Planets: Morning: Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
The magnificent lunar fruition of Nov. 12th has passed, and with that passing comes the increasingly dark skies of a waning Moon, the very best time for stargazing. The constellations of autumn – Pleiades, Orion the Hunter, Taurus the Bull and the Twins of Gemini – are now rising in the east and traveling across the blue-black canvas of deep space, creating a celestial masterpiece of stunning beauty and extraordinary sparkle. In the west, Venus and Jupiter dance together in early darkness, moving ever-closer as November ends. And mark your calendars for Dec. 1st, when these two legendary “evening stars” shimmer, shine and shape-shift with a delicate crescent Moon for the most striking planetary conjunction of the year. Look for a blazing triangle of stellar brilliance against the backdrop of turquoise twilight, low above the southwestern horizon at dusk, following sunset. What a fine opportunity for us all to bless the heavens and touch the stars!
November 7 to 14, 2008
Visible Planets:
Morning: Mercury through the 10th, and Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
The first of three impactful Saturn/Uranus oppositions took place on Nov. 4th, Election Day, and it was a celestial hit of phenomenal proportion. Barack Obama was elected President of the U.S.A. and throughout our country and around the world people were dancing in the streets, celebrating change and embracing the dawn of an exciting new era. A longstanding glass ceiling had been shattered, a divisive, invisible barrier had exploded. A biracial American man of Caucasian and African blood was chosen, by a convincing margin, to take the reins and rule as one of the most powerful leaders in history. The people had spoken.
The last time Saturn opposed Uranus was in 1965-67, a period of tremendous social, political and cultural turmoil, as well as extraordinary creative impulse. We experienced massive civil rights and anti-war demonstrations, spacewalks, the Beatles and the introduction of Eastern spiritual traditions into the Western world view. Saturn represents government, positions of power, social constraints, rules, regulations and the status quo. It is finite reality and the building blocks of society. It is where we are challenged to achieve, work toward goals and strive for recognition. Uranus represents radical change, revolution, individual and collective freedom, liberty, uncharted territory and the excitement of the new. It is idealistic, ingenious, inventive and - above all - humanitarian. Draw the lines and connect the dots. This is an incredible new era of hope and creative change, a time when individual efforts send ripples throughout the Universe and join force with shooting stars. Join the movement, journey the path, ride the wave and manifest the dream.
Onward Cosmic Travelers!
October 31 to November 7, 2008
Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Saturn
Evening: Venus and Jupiter
Outside, raking leaves, I am stunned by the magnificence of the day. Deep blue, cerulean skies, warm-hot sun and air so fresh, it sparkles. But then, it’s the legendary season of Indian Summer in Colorado, when natural law defies gravity and we float, weightless, upon a magic carpet of glimmering gold and shimmering silver. We are suspended in time, dancing with the seductive devas of summer heat and yet expecting the snowy face of Old Man Winter to pop in at any moment. Everywhere I look, I see beauty. Fields are gleaming and blonde, mountain peaks are dusted with white and brilliant broadleaf cottonwoods flutter orange and crimson in the canyons. Halloween marks the end of harvest and hearkens the months of darkness. Fires are kindled and spirits cross in the night. Witches fly and ghouls gather as pumpkins glow and ghosts rise from the grave. Throughout the American southwest and the Americas, Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead – celebrates the mysterious cycle of life and death with candy skulls, colorful parades and cemetery parties. May we each find the magic, mystery and magnificence of this metaphysical season and shape-shift our reality to one of love, peace and joy. Happy Halloween!
Alacazem
By Cynthia Hansen Zehm
October 23 to 30, 2008
Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury and Saturn
Evening: Mars and Jupiter
As October draws to a close, we walk on fallen leaves and watch them swirl as winds whip and the air grows colder. Some gather firewood for winter, kindle fires and indulge in the cozy warmth of flickering flames and crackling logs. For others, heaters are turned on and pilots ignited. For some, passive solar applications help warm houses and reduce heating costs. It feels good to partner up with our good, old Father Sun, who, by the way, joins up with Grandmother Moon @ 05°54′ Scorpio on Oct. 28th at 5:14 p.m. MDT to initiate a new lunar cycle and month. It’s time for mystery and magic. Have fun and watch out for witches!
