The powerfully important Jupiter-Pluto-Galactic Center conjunction in Sagittarius brought with it major world conferences in Bali (climate accords) and two nearly simultaneous ones in Lisbon (European/African accords and the reconstitution of the European Union). Many men and women of good will were out in force shooting the idealistic and visionary arrows of the Centaur. Jupiter entered Capricorn on December 20th, while Pluto transits into this earthy sign on January 26th. It will be through the Mountain Goat that these agreements and discussions will have to take form in practical reality. How this is accomplished and if this is accomplished will be the major world test in 2008 and beyond. One thing is sure, there will be major shifts in world power structures in the New Year. I will have more to write on this factor in next month’s Newsletter.

The Sun enters Capricorn at 06.08am (GMT) on December 22nd with the exact square of Venus to Neptune just a few hours later. Capricorn tells us to be wise in our spending and aware of our financial limitations. A Venus/Neptune square tells us to indulge our senses without limit even though we will eventually pay for it! Nothing like a bit of romantic fixation coupled with a bit of denial to really bring confusion (and debt!) into one’s life. The square takes place at 19º of Scorpio/Aquarius, so those of you with any planets or major points in your chart around 19º of the fixed signs, would do well to heed the voice of Saturn via Capricorn and spend and eat modestly on the 22nd. As for any romantic projections regarding the Holidays, well if I had contacts with these degrees, I would place my order with “Headquarters” and let Santa Claus deliver the goods without any expectations.

The Sun conjoins Jupiter on the 23rd, officially welcoming the Big One into Capricorn. If you have anything around 1º of the earthy signs, you might find yourself with a very pleasant early Christmas present. Jupiter and the Sun conjoined in Capricorn sound like the archetype of Father Christmas himself, so if this gift is from a larger, older man then you can really say that the heavens have “come alive” for you. If 0-2º of Cancer, Libra, or Aries figure strongly in your chart, you may still be in for a good and beneficial time on the 23rd, but take care not to incur unnecessary debts nor to expect the impossible.

The day before Christmas shows an opposition between the Sun and Mars. This can be highly energizing but also very much a tension producer. On the world scene, it can easily produce bombings and acts of war. Used wisely, it can direct a great deal of force into positive directions under the leadership of a clear mind and a good heart. Should 1-3º of the cardinal signs figure importantly in your chart, you may easily find yourself in a touchy mood to say the least, and will not “suffer fools lightly.” Look for the house positions where Mars and the Sun “touch down” in your natal chart to see where possible areas of conflict will arise. The 24th also brings the Full Moon in the same degree as the Sun Mars opposition in Cancer/Capricorn, so……watch out for tense family issues that may have been buried to come right out into the open. Somehow the Sun and Jupiter conjoined in Capricorn in opposition to the Moon conjunct to Mars in Cancer on Christmas Eve tells me that greeting all family situations with loving detachment and consciousness rather than instinctive response is definitely the way to go. There will be a tendency to exaggerate emotional slights and “tender issues.” Anyway you look at it, I think that for many households around the world, this will not exactly be a “Silent Night”—but it still can be “Holy.” Christmas Day shows Mercury trine to Saturn in 8º of Capricorn and Virgo respectively. This is great day for communicating with older people, fulfilling one’s responsibilities, and bringing order out of chaos. It certainly can be a lot more peaceful than the day before.

The Sun is trine Saturn on the 30th, so this is a very good day to organize your New Year’s party plans as well as the time to make those annual resolutions. Venus enters Sagittarius on the 30th as well and is a far more festive position for the Love Goddess than her stay in intense and jealous Scorpio. Mars reaches 0º of Cancer on New Year’s Eve. In Rudyar’s book on the Sabian Symbols, we can note that this degree augurs: “Sailors pulling down an old flag and hoisting up a new one.” A nice symbol for a New Year except that Mars is retrograde, so we have to take care not to bring our “old flags” into the “new year.” Aries and Aries rising will be happy to note that even though he is going backwards, Mars at least occupies the more active sign of the Twins. It has been really sloooow going for the Ram over the past three months. Of course Mars “smashes” into Pluto on January 2nd, as the two make an opposition at 29º of Gemini/Sagittarius. If you have anything around this degree, find a safe spot to hold up so that you may do your “transformational” process in peace—if I can use “peace” whenever speaking about these two guys when they are together by aspect. It will be interesting to watch the world scene around last few days of December and the first few of January. My feelings are that things could get explosive especially in terms of domestic violence on many levels. Time for the Light Workers of the World to increase holding that Light!

The rest of January looks a lot milder with few aspects between the planets. A sextile between the Sun and Uranus on the 6th is great for meeting up with groups of friends. I believe that the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches celebrate on this day. The Moon will be in Sagittarius, so this can be a fine time for men and women of these faiths to enjoy their special day.

The New Moon occurs at 17º Capricorn on the 8th and Mercury enters Aquarius as well. This is a fine day for communicating with friends and dealing with computers and other forms of technological linking devices. (Personally, I am very grateful for skype, that’s www.skype.com for those of you yet to discover this great way to communicate). Venus and Uranus square at 15º of Sagittarius and Pisces respectively on the 12th, so if these degrees figure strongly in your chart, you might find yourself suddenly thrust into an unusual interpersonal relationship—it can happen, it often does (but your astrologer friend in Lisbon has Venus square Uranus natally so this is “common ground,” so to speak)!

The 20th shows the Sun entering Aquarius with an exact opposition between Venus and Mars taking place a few hours before. This opposition is at 25º Sagittarius/Gemini, so if this area of your chart is sensitive, take care about your personal relationships as some important factors within them come up for examination.