First, more on the Solstice chart. This sketch will be brief, since this Solstice falls just before the Christmas day Solar Eclipse, where I go extensively into the various astrological factors in play. You already have two articles on Solar Eclipses in general, and there are more to come in the next few days.

The Sabian Symbol for the Ruler of the Solstice

Saturn, ruler of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto, is at the 21st degree of Capricorn, “A relay race.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class originally published in The Astrology of Personality, this degree is one of "extreme of cooperation and give-and-take in life relationships,” “full surrender of self to service,” and “planned group behavior.”

In The Astrological Mandala he states this is a symbol of “the value of competition in developing group consciousness,” where cooperative striving between “group of individuals who take turns successively in order to maximize the group effort” may yield “outstanding results.” He offers that “the whole of civilization is a vast kind of relay race” which generates form of progress across generations.

He goes further to state this symbol “emphasizes the value of group cooperation and of necessary give-and-take,” where we must adjust our responses “to the challenges presented by competitors in dynamic interchange.” Rudhyar says it falls in the span of Dependence in the Process of Collectivization, Act of Capitalization and the Scene of Group Performance on Emotional-Cultural level.

Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of “an inevitable culmination for group opportunity,” where our skills and talents are “enhanced” by our “thoroughgoing cooperation with others in some vital phase of experience.” He states “human values are established as they become the coin of effective relationship” between people, and by dramatizing them we find the means to discover and refine our latent potentials.

He closes offering us that our importance to others is our “certainty of self-continuance.” He says the keyword is FITNESS, and when positive, this degree is “exceptional skill in bringing the elements of any given situation to a functional wholeness.”

So Saturn, backdrop for the Light/Life of the next 90 days, rules from its own sign, and adds to the Light of Capricorn the quality of surrendering to some sort of service or group work where we cooperate in creating excellent results. In the coming season, be practical, organized, mature, and you will see the light of your understanding coming into play in your world. As this is the same degree as Saturn’s retrograde station earlier this year, the next season will bring us the results of how we prepared to use Saturn’s virtues wisely over the year.

Also, as I mentioned in the article on that stationary retrograde point, the review we’ve done since April was directly related to the Sun conjunct Pluto on that same degree in January 2019. That promised the entire year would reveal the light of Pluto’s seeds and/or purification process related to the theme of group performance, give and take in cooperative endeavors, and maybe some sort of “surrender to service” where we express our values in relationship and find our means of “self-continuance.” The Capricorn seeds which were vitalized last January will be related to duties we take on in the coming season.

The Moon

The Moon is at 9 Scorpio, making it a Third Quarter Moon at the Solstice. This phase is future oriented and intent on building structures which serve the unfoldment of what is to come. It can be too forceful, but knows how to apply universal and spiritual principles to practical everyday affairs. This phase shows us the spiritual principles behind social processes.

The Lunar Sabian Symbol for the 9th degree of Scorpio is "Dental work.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of Rudhyar states this degree symbolizes the “mechanical inventiveness and control over nature needed to balance man’s emphasis on mind and self” and “applied creativity.”

In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves “overcoming the negative results of social practices and ego-cravings” implying the need to reverse some form of decay or damage resulting from our worldly living habits. He states this degree is about inventiveness resulting from “social needs.” He says it falls in the span of Retention, and it’s the technical degree of the emotional, social, and cultural level of the Scene of Communion in the Act of Group Integration.

Dr. Marc E. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, states that here we can find “self-renewal through a continuous and conscientious attention to the needs of the being on all planes of effort,” and our ‘stewardship of an inner and divine spark through which individuality sustains its spiritual citizenship” among our Brothers and Sisters.

We are told there are great personal rewards when we show a proper concern over our potentials and possessions, and we can fulfill our highest mission as we dramatize ourselves and our excellent gifts for others. He gives us the keyword PRACTICALITY, and we are told when operating in a positive manner, this degree indicates “creative ingenuity brought to a real service for others.”

So the specific focus of the next 90 days involves some kind of repair work, as well as a deeper communion with our Divine Self as well as others. Open to a newer, deeper social or emotional connectedness to repair something that has decayed; repair or reconstruct whatever decayed due to past unhealthy habits, and forge a deeper relationship with yourself and others to achieve a cleaner and clearer focus.

Coincidentally, this was Saturn’s degree at the fateful 2012 December Solstice, which ended one Mayan Calendar and marked a point when humanity entered “time out of time” and made an evolutionary leap, whether they knew it or not. I wrote about that extensively 7 years ago, so please consult the archives if you want to know more about that fateful moment in time. This also implies that we’ve had 7 years of lessons around the themes of this degree in this transitional era, and the coming season will put a specific focus on using our skills to drill deep, remove decay, and patch up whatever was damaged in self or another by socialized living.

Other Factors

Because Saturn rules the Light of the Season, efficiency and pragmatic thinking and planning will yield great results. The biggest friction of the season comes from Venus square Uranus, challenging all of us to keep things focused so we can get a handle on them, and not jump to conclusions nor respond in erratic ways. The biggest harmony of the season comes from the many trines and quintiles, which I spoke about yesterday. And the biggest influence of the season comes from the septile of the Lights, indicating destiny is on the move for those who have planets in the affected zones, which I gave you yesterday.

This is an extraordinarily Earthy and Watery Solstice due to 8 planets in those elements, 7 of which are in Scorpio and Capricorn! Use those sign energies wisely and you’ll do well in the coming season. As I reminded you in the last Full Moon article, just remember that with so much Earth and Water, this combo makes either mud or bricks, depending on how you work with the material. So while some will find a greater focus in a self-organized “enlightened self-interest,” others will find themselves “stuck in the mud” of defensive calculations.

Given what’s happening in this Solstice chart and the fact that many will confront very important choices at a major “fork in the road of destiny” because of the Moon in waning septile to the Sun, I will again offer you something I’ve given you in past Solstices. It’s a few lines from my favorite song, 

You might think that I'll wait, but he who hesitates is lost, this is not just a game,
It's the problem of creation and only meditation can make your mind and age the same,
I know, 'cause this all happened once before....

So even as you open to new opportunities to mobilize toward new elements of your destiny thanks to Jupiter in Capricorn, keep it organized and grounded, go deeper into your experience of life on the deepest levels of your existence, and learn to “think in the future.” Use your knowledge and vision to do what you have to do, but remember to check in with your feelings to make sure they’re flowing and now bogged down or dammed up.

Humanity continues on its voyage into unknown zones of human experience set into motion about 7 years ago, and this Solstice puts the focus on our growth since then. We may be living in a very volatile and conflicted era, but it’s also the birth contractions of a new era. The old ways do not yield easily or quickly, but the greater “Field of Collective Awareness” gets stronger by the day, and by tuning into that collective Field we can feel any sense of separateness slipping down the time stream. Those who have trained are already accustomed to moving more easily through 4D and 5D reality, and so the transformation process is not as jolting for them as for those who don’t have a spiritual practice to keep them in the groove.

The collective field is becoming more dense, and we who have been striving to live in higher awareness of our Oneness and connection to All-That-Is are finally at the threshold of seeing the dawning of a new Age. It may take years or even decades to see the concretization of the New Era, the externalization of the Spiritual Fellowship of Brother and Sister Masters of the Wisdom, as well as know which part of the New Group of World Servers we’re here to work with and within, but make no mistake, the advent of the adventure in consciousness is NOW!

On a final note, in the Northern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice ushers in a season dedicated to "seeds in latency," those that will sprout in March when the light force is stronger, the ground is warmer, and Spring is on the way. Whether in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, the Solstices and Equinoxes are special points in the year cycle, marking the end of one season and the beginning of the next one. They are great for getting clear about our resolve, and what we want to see made manifest in times to come. And now for the ritual, after a message from our sponsor!

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 get your copy of my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. By making friends with our inner Saturn, we are led to a greater spiritual maturity and effectiveness in our world which fulfills our higher purpose for being alive as Spirits in the material world.

Saturn gives us the power to take command of our lives and destiny. If Saturn represents all that limits us and holds us back, it’s only because we must master those lessons so we may become spiritual adults and fulfill our purpose for being alive on Earth and come out of fear and any sense of victimization or powerlessness.

It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and as you read each chapter, you’ll understand how your life lessons gave you the power to steer your destiny as you moved through karmic experiences and turned the patterns from negative to positive. There are chapters helping you understand major points of choices and change, both past and future, and use the crucial points of transition in your life to steer your life into your Higher Purpose and destiny.

This is a book you will reference many times, and each time you re-read it you’ll find undiscovered gems of insight. Over time you will throw off everything which holds you back from becoming your Higher Self, fulfilling your purpose for being alive on Earth! If you don’t have a copy, please consider ordering one 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.

Now for the fun part!

This brings us to the ritual I mentioned at the beginning. Whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, there is a special ceremony I do each year that yields some fairly spectacular results. This is not a very elaborate ritual, but it's very powerful in its simplicity.

The Solstices mark points of transition from an old "half year" of the Sun moving South or North (depending on where you are on the Earth) into the opposite direction. In the Spirit of this "coming or going," I first take a moment to note what has left my life the past year while saying goodbye on deepest levels. This creates space for that which is more appropriate to my evolution and well-being.

Then I make a list of everything I want to leave my life in the coming year, and A) find a disposable object associated with each thing (or person, or personal habit) I want to see leave, or B) I draw a picture that represents those things, people, or habits. Then I burn each individual picture in a fire, one at a time, while saying goodbye to each of those. (I make a duplicate list to check the next year to remind me of what I wanted to see leave.)

I also make a list of things I want to see come into my life in the coming year. I try to make it realistic, but also allow my imagination to bring forth what might be or could be, even if improbable. After all, it's supposed to be fun! I play with possibilities, and write them down, without getting hung up on specific forms. This is about content more than form.

Then I draw pictures symbolizing those things, and burn them, one by one, in a fire, welcoming in those better things than I've known up to now, putting it up and out into the "Spiritual atmosphere" so that Divine Mother can bring it forth in the coming months. I also make a duplicate list to check the next year.

Over the years I've done this ritual, I find very often that every single thing I want to leave actually does leave. And, I usually see most if not all that I want to appear show up in the following year. Even when one or both lists falls short by a thing or two, overall I've seen great progress year after year.

It's also very interesting to note how my lists have changed over the years, with some concerns falling away and new things presenting themselves according to my intention. And sometimes, when I have not received what I thought I wanted, it became clear why it wasn't good or necessary for me to have that which I thought I wanted.

To answer a question asked in previous Solstices, yes, you can do this ritual at any point before, during, or after the Solstice. Even if you can't do it on December 21, just find a time, clear your head space, make your lists, and offer your burnt sacrifices to Father Time and Mother Earth. A sincere desire to eliminate the old or welcome the new is sure to be heard by the Cosmos, since you and Cosmos are inextricably linked through all time.

So in this time of transition from the old year into the Winter of the new, take a moment to note what has left your life the past year, thus creating space for that which is more appropriate to your evolution and well-being. And if you feel like doing a Solstice ritual, whether this one or another, open to your greatest good and highest possibility of happiness, and you just may find a measure of that in the coming year.

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

Part 1 Here