The primary configuration is the sky is of course the Saturn/Uranus opposition (see last month’s Lisbon Letter for details). We are seeing some of the benefits from Jupiter’s trine and sextile to that aspect in terms of the international financial meetings that have been and will continue to be held. Well at least the “powers that be” are talking (but who knows what they are really saying!). There will be some other high level talks for sure after January 20th!

The next major area for global “discussions” (as in an international “grab it while you can”) is the Arctic which possesses an estimated 22% of the world's unexplored/unexploited gas and oil resources. Heads up: the Arctic is melting and Canada, Norway, Denmark, Russia, and the USA among others, are working at redefining not only the extent of their territorial waters but also in redefining the extent of their respective “continental shelves.” So there is a “bit” of remapping of the earth going on. How Uranus in water/Saturn in earth, Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn is that?!? Uranus opposed Saturn always serves to redefine/ reinvent/invent social systems and boundaries. Pluto in Capricorn is under the influence of Saturn’s “shelf” as the latter is its dispositior. We are watching the unfolding of planetary power through the reshaping of control over resources as well as the reshaping of the physical planet! Uranus brings new archetypes into the collective consciousness that challenge Saturn’s status quo. Of course everything is on very shaky ground (and water!) as both these guys are in mutable signs.

November 21: The Sun enters Sagittarius at 10.45 pm and Jupiter is trine to Saturn at 20.19 Capricorn/Virgo. The influence of the fiery Sagittarius Sun (as well as the Moon, Mars and Mercury while they are in this sign), is totally tempered by the earthy position of Jupiter and the rulership over the Big One by Saturn. Major talks/conferences/meetings about earth boundaries and resources on international levels continue. On a personal level, this is a great time to temper the ideal with the real, integrate aspiration within some practical rules of application, and bring lofty ideas down to earth.

November 23: Mercury enters Sagittarius at 07.09 am.

November 25: Mercury and the Sun conjoin at 03.48 Sagittarius. An exact Sun/Mercury conjunction is not always the best as everyone will think that his or her own truth is the Truth! Actually these two bodies are pretty close together until the 29th of the month. There will be a lot of international conferences as well as a great deal of information coming out of religious and philosophical organizations and sources. A definite intensity is present in the collective urge to communicate. If you are a Sagittarian you will find that you have a lot to say during these days and since you always have a lot to say, this will be a time when you will be able to really appreciate the tolerance your friends have towards you.

November 27: New Moon at 05.49 Sagittarius at 04.56 pm; Pluto reenters Capricorn and remains their until 2024; Uranus turns direct at 18.44 Pisces. Quite a day for international affairs, travels, speeches, and philosophical pronouncements! Mercury and Mars are at 7º and 8º of Sagittarius respectively, so a very tight conjunction exists between the luminaries and these two other globes. If you have strong positions in the first decanate of the fiery signs, this is an indication of abundant creative opportunities. (You are welcome to go to this link where you can find some brief comments about Pluto in Capricorn in the January 2008 Lisbon Letter. I cover this topic much more extensively in the Pluto workshop CD that is available through Project Global Vision. )

November 29: Mercury and Mars conjoin at 09.13 Sagittarius. The beat goes on!

November 30: Venus and Saturn trine at 20.52 Capricorn/Virgo. A very good day for financial planning; for many of us this could be a good time to be clear about our Holiday Season spending budget. This is also an auspicious time to be very clear about financial dealings with other people, especially if these degrees fall in prominent places to your natal chart.

December 1: Venus and Jupiter conjoin at 22.15 Capricorn. Nothing like a little temptation to move outside the spending boundaries we just created. If you have to splurge today, it might as well be on chocolate. (As a person with natal Jupiter in Leo trine a 5th house Sun and Venus in Pisces inconjunct to Jupiter, chocolate splurging sort of comes naturally!).

December 5: Sun conjunct Mars at 14.09 Sagittarius; Mercury square Uranus at 18.46 Sagittarius/Pisces. OK, buckle up everyone! This may just be a bumpy ride not only today but for the next couple of weeks. The Sun and Mars are together in a sign they both like—they get very adventuresome when riding atop the Centaur. This adventure will take them right into making a mutable Grand Cross with Saturn and Uranus! There is a lot of world violence and earthy/weather turbulence I fear before the Prince of Peace is reborn in our hearts this year.

December 6: Mercury square Saturn at 21.12 Sagittarius/Virgo. This is part of a consistent set of aspects occurring between the 5th and 15th of December that create a Grand Cross in mutable signs. On a personal level, should you have planets or important points in mutables between 18º and 22º these transits will strongly affect your life, depending of course upon where they are placed in your map. It is hard to make generic comments about such things but here goes: mutability when challenged scatters our forces and pulls us into too many directions simultaneously resulting in overwork at its best, and total chaos at its worst. In either case, take plenty of the B vitamins for the nervous system.

December 7: Venus enters Aquarius at 11.37 pm. December 10: Sun square Uranus at 18.49 Sagittarius/Pisces. See comments for December 5th and December 13th.

December 12: Full Moon at 21.02 Gemini at 04.38 pm; Mars square Uranus at 18.50 Sagittarius/Pisces; Mercury enters Capricorn and conjoins Pluto at 00.33 Capricorn. See comments for December 13th.

December 13: Sun squares Saturn at 21.27 Sagittarius/Virgo. The entire period from the 10th to the 15th of December is fraught with political/religious difficulties as a Grand Cross is made in the mutable signs with the Saturn/Uranus opposition. This cross is implemented by the Sun and Mars in fire (Sagittarius). These days will tend to be quite chaotic in terms of the world scene and there is likely to be some very difficult weather patterns. People will tend to move out in many conflicting directions both in thoughts and actions.

December 15: Mars square Saturn at 21.32 Sagittarius/Virgo. This is the final exact square in the mutable Grand Cross pattern and should signal an end to the intense chaos emerging during these past five days. There are no major exact aspects in the heavens during the rest of the period under discussion this month.