It has been put forth over the centuries that the charts done for the Solstices and Equinoxes give snapshots of what we can expect during that season. In this article, I’ll offer you some insights about the Solstice chart, and discuss how this Solstice relates to the very important past Winter Solstices which were conjunct Pluto (and in both 2017 and 2018, Saturn!) at the Galactic Center, since those profoundly impacted how we will experience the major shifts happening at this Solstice.

We are now at the end of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the end of Spring in the Southern. If you’re wondering how I reconcile the seemingly opposing energies between the hemispheres, when you’re done here please take a look at The Mirroring of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Year Cycles in Astrology. It may help readers “down under” see how the important points of seasonal change, though opposite in physical manifestation, actually have similar challenges at each point of shift.

There is an old tradition that offers us two times when "the year begins," one at the Vernal Equinox, the other at the Autumnal. Perhaps that tradition came from explorers who saw the seasons flip between the Northern and Southern, going from the beginning of warm to the beginning of cold as they moved up and down the latitudes.

This is an excellent time for looking at what has ended, what is emerging, and making decisions about how we want to live in 2020. We up North have now reaped the harvest of what we've done and not done, and can figure out how we want to express our power in 2020. In the Southern latitudes, you've finished your "Spring planting," and will now see how these labors will come to fulfillment over the next 90 days.

Whether North or South, keep following through on the emergent archetypes you've already begun to live, since this is the time to embrace personal power in some public way. Regardless of where we live, what follows explores elements we all can expect to experience over the next 13 weeks.

As mentioned, the charts for the Summer and Winter Solstices provide guideposts for what will follow in the 90 days after those points in time, just as charts for the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox each show what will follow in the period after those points in time. In this chart, the HUGE factor dominating the entire chart is the Sun conjunct Jupiter, promising the expansion of the structures created the past two years by the Sun conjunct Saturn in the 2017 and 2018 Winter Solstices.

This year we also have numerous quintiles involving Moon, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune, indicating unique and highly specialized events and gifts in those sectors of our chart. Add the coming Solar Eclipse at 5 Capricorn in a few days, and it clearly indicates the coming season will be one of radical endings and beginnings, especially related to people coming to power focused on doing needed “repair work.”

Obviously, since the Sun is the key to the Solstice, the aspects it makes are extremely important. In this December 2019 Solstice chart, the Sun is septiled by the Moon, novile Mars, conjunct Jupiter, vigintile Saturn, trine Uranus, and like the last couple of years, quintile Neptune.

This means major themes of the next 90 days involve a tremendous potential to continue to cultivate a gift of intuition, as well as seeing how our individual self-expression has grown since the Summer of 2018. This is an extraordinarily mobilizing season, activating major growth which begins almost immediately with the coming Solar Eclipse! That Eclipse will begin the removal of all which would block our embrace of Destiny, so begin to finish up whatever you need to of your old duties and responsibilities, since new ones are on the way!

With the Sun conjunct Jupiter, it’s a year of growth using the structures built since Winter Solstice 2018. Be honest, be adventurous, see greater possibilities of expansion in practice ways than you have before, and the power you’ve cultivated this past year through discipline, maturity, and patience will yield excellent growth trajectories. This Solstice is totally future oriented based in our training throughout 2019.

There are a host of strong forming and closely partile separating aspects in this chart! The Moon is novile Mercury, septile Sun, conjunct Mars, quintile Saturn, trine Neptune, and quintile Pluto. This will bring penetrating insights into what needs to be repaired or corrected, as well as gifts to be expressed in group situations. Again, the intuitive potential of the next season is tremendous, due to the Moon trine and the Sun conjunct Jupiter quintile Neptune!

Other aspects show Mercury semisextile both Mars and Saturn, sesquisquare Uranus and elftile Pluto; Venus is elftile the Sun, quintile Mars, semisextile Jupiter, square Uranus, and semisquare trine Neptune; Mars is novile Jupiter, sextile Saturn, quadranovile Uranus, and sextile Pluto; Jupiter is trine Uranus and quintile Neptune; Saturn is biseptile Uranus and conjunct Pluto; and Uranus is semisquare Neptune.

With so many semisextiles, it’s clear we’re at the end of the end and beginning of the beginning of several cycles. With so many quintiles, there will be a lot of specialization and unique gifts and situations for those affected. Specific zones related to the Sun and Jupiter quintile Neptune are 1-7 Capricorn, 13-19 Pisces, 25 Taurus-1 Gemini, 7-13 Leo, and 19-25 Libra. If you have anything in these zones, you will have some “quintessential” experiences directly related to the Solstice conjunct Jupiter themes!

Venus quintile Mars and square Uranus indicates some very unique interpersonal experiences! This is about being socialized in specialized forms perfect for who we are through turning away from old social roles to claim our individuality. Be willing to join others in any “building” exercise, remembering the value and power of your mature experience. This indicates unique relationships which help us turn the corner on old forms of self-expression. Gifts are to be found in areas related to 1-6 Aquarius, 13-18 Aries, 25-30 Gemini, 7-12 Virgo, and 19-24 Scorpio.

Due to Venus square Uranus, releases and challenges will come in the 1-5 Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius sectors. As Venus is also semisquare Neptune, it generates the “Rhombus Diamond” cutting, grinding, and polishing effect, which will lead us to radical changes in our relationships, fulfilling old patterns at the threshold of a new life era.

The Lights in septile indicates the next 90 days are a giant fork in the road in taking responsibility to reverse some sort of “decay” using the Light of Galactic Center energies. This will create magnetic “bridge forms” for the next 3 months which will express as new group intentions in April. This “fork in the road” will most impact those with planets or points near 7-11 Scorpio, 29 Sagittarius – 3 Capricorn, 20-24 Aquarius, 12-16 Aries, 3-7 Gemini, 24-28 Cancer, and 16-20 Virgo. As you can see from these paragraphs, there is a lot of action going on all over the zodiac!

So What’s Been Going On Before Now?

In a brief nod to what “brought us to this dance” in years past, the conjunction of the Sun with Pluto was exact or very close when Pluto was exactly conjunct the Galactic Center between 2006-2009. This set some extremely long wave energies into play on our Earth, and marked a huge renewal for the next 250 years, mas or menos. We are now solidly launched into that new Era.

This is act three in a 3 year December Solstice play which have been extremely important in setting long terms structures into play. As noted, the 2017 and 2018 Solstices codified some of the Galactic energies because of the conjunctions of the Sun and Saturn on the GC. In December 2017 Saturn was exactly 1 Capricorn, and in December 2018 it was 11 Capricorn. This year’s conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter has Jupiter at 5 Capricorn, indicating our Saturn response to the new GC outpouring of 2018 and 2019 will open many doors in 2020 based in how willing we are to accept Jupiter’s adventure into opportunity.

The Sun square Uranus was close or exact on Winter Solstice 2010, 2011 (exact!) and 2012. So the seed forms created by the Sun and Pluto when they powered up the Galactic Center energies for the next “season of the Millennium” back in 2006-2009 were moved into revolutionary newness by Uranus in the first sign of the zodiac in the years after that Plutonic once-in-250 years event.

Pluto offers us seeds to sprout or seeds of future weeds to be pulled before they grow, and so the years Pluto spent at the GC sent the world “galactic seeds” that were hidden until 2017. The 2017 Solstice brought those hidden seeds into manifestation via the Sun conjunct Saturn at the Galactic Center; those structures began to be modified at the 2018 Solstice. We have now turned the corner as a planet and humanity relative to the Galactic Wisdom we have been learning to know in seed form these past 13 years, and are now entering the third year of this new Era.

Other Factors

This is the third December Solstice with Saturn in Capricorn, so besides the Sun shining a big light on the Galactic Center, we also have Saturn dominating the stage by being in its home sign, now on the 21st degree of Capricorn. Because Saturn is the ruler of the Sun, the next year will open us to newer, more mature forms of Capricorn energy and expression in our lives wherever we have the third decan of Capricorn in our charts. Because this year Saturn is conjunct Pluto, we can expect major transformational events in that sector of our charts.

2016 was about the lessons of 11 Sag, while 2017 featured the themes of 21 Sag. Those years restructured wherever we have Sag in our charts. 2018 was about the lesson of 1 Capricorn. 2019 was about the lessons of 11 Capricorn, and 2020 will feature lessons related to 21 Capricorn, so study up on them. (Yes, you may find some interesting information by putting the Solstice chart on top of yours, and see where those transits fall.)

Saturn ruling the Sun is a primary dispositor influence, and so Saturn always plays a big part in the December through March season. On this Solstice, Saturn has nothing but favorable aspects, so make the most of the next 90 days using Saturn’s virtues and strengths to guide your Light.

At this time, Mercury at 19 Sag leads the Sun, indicating this is a time to prepare for the future, planning for some need down the road. An open mind “thinking in the future” is the gateway to being led to the Light! Keep a sense of humor, vision, and dance into the greater life, willingly accepting what is offered that requires you to join a group effort. This period may bring disruptions in some relationships, but also allows us to step outside of bondage to obsolete social rolls and claim our individuality apart from what society has forced on us in the past.

Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend

Because Saturn plays such a large part in any December Solstice chart, if you haven’t gotten your copy already, please give yourself the timeless gift of my book, Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. We all need to make friends with our inner Saturn if we would claim our power to fulfill our higher purpose for being alive as Spirits in the material world.

This book shows you the way to take command of your power to steer your life in a conscious way, using Saturn’s strengths and skills to be led to mastering life on our own terms. By knowing how to become the best of Saturn in our world, we take command of our destiny and become the living purpose we were born to make manifest!

It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and will assist your understanding of how your life experiences assisted your Soul growth and power to turn away from unhelpful karmic cause and effect patterns. Each time you re-read any part of it you’re sure to find undiscovered gems of insight helping you throw off attitudes which frustrate your ability to live your higher Purpose on your own terms.

So if you don’t already have a copy, please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.

Enjoy digesting the information in this article, and I’ll post part two soon!

As "they" say, Mahalo, Aloha, Namaskarams, Aum Namah Shivaya, Happy and Merry Solstice, Happy Hanukkah (slight return!), Merry Christmastide, Joyous Christ Mass, and Happy New Year!