Dear all,
In the wee hours of this Sunday morning — December 3rd at 2:24 AM Eastern US time — Mercury pauses at 29 degrees Sagittarius, pivots, and heads backward till December 22nd. Then, just eight hours later — on December 3rd at 10:47 AM Eastern US time — the Sun and Moon roll through their monthly opposition: creating a rich, potent, revelatory Full Moon at 11 degrees, 40 minutes on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis. (Scroll down for an image of the chart.)
When planets station, we feel their resonance on earth. When planets station on top of a Full Moon, the celestial lights magnify and spotlight the stationing planet. Mercury rules communication and NEWS. All eyes on him, until further notice!
His importance now is heightened by the fact that he is WAY out-of-bounds, shooting past the Sun at 24 degrees of declination. Out-of-bounds also means out-of-control. The Sun cannot reach him, to keep him in line; prohibited (OUT OF BOUNDS) knowledge is flying your way. And Mercury is currently in Sadge, the famously-untactful truth-telling sign. In fact, he’s at the very last degree of Sagittarius: the intensest and Sadgiest degree of them all.
He’s also right next to Saturn, who is one degree away at 28 Sadge. And as of Sunday morning, Saturn is JUST beginning to emerge from HIS retrograde shadow, plowing new territory for the first time since April 6th (and touching this portion of the sky for the first time since November 1988). Saturn gets exposed to new experiences and points of view — and whispers what he’s learned, over his shoulder, to his buddy. (Mercury and Saturn perfected their conjunction this week on November 28th, and will do so again on December 6th and January 13th.)
In the Full Moon chart, furthermore, Mercury and Saturn are both conjunct Acumen, the fixed star that helps us see things clearly. They’re also conjunct what we call the Galactic Center, the soft underbelly of our Milky Way. Planets here increase our psychic abilities: so listen for messages from spirit guides, as well as breaking news around the world.
This is a time of important communications. Alternative facts come home to roost. Mercury (knowledge) and Saturn (karma) are strengthened by their teamwork, as well as by a strong sextile from Mars in Libra, and a trine from three Aries critters: Pallas Athena, Uranus, and Eris. Fire and Air light up the murky corners of the sky.
Pallas Athena is an unusual Goddess. The wise one, craftswoman, and patron of just war, she has also been identified with the archetype of the father’s daughter — a female who tends to stand apart from the Feminine, assessing it coolly. She is often put off by the Feminine’s emotions. But right now (like Mercury) Pallas is out-of-bounds, and she’s in passionate Aries. She stands opposite her nemesis Mars: down to the degree in the Full Moon chart. She is feeling her feelings and one of those feelings is ANGER. #MeToo
But wait, there’s more! Apart from this cacophony of late-degree planets, we also have the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Neptune all at the 11-degree mark in their various signs. The Sun-Moon opposition gets triggered by a tight square from Neptune, inviting you to remember the dreams left unfinished, while Jupiter in Scorpio helps Neptune move FORWARD. The Sun-Moon-Neptune T-square shoots its excess to the Virgo house of your chart. The pressure is on, and there’s plenty to go around.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the world is crazy. Everything is happening at once, and no one can keep up. Fire and Air may push you beyond what you feel able to handle. And Mercury may blurt things out that you don’t want to face. When in doubt, always do your Saturn.
“Do your Saturn.” I mean that literally! Look up your chart, and identify YOUR natal Saturn (that is: his sign, and house, and major aspects), then lean in, and give him what he needs to succeed. (P.S., I taught a webinar about this last year!)
Since September 2015, Saturn-in-the-Sky has been traveling through Sagittarius. Now, he finds that that journey is coming to an end. On December 19th, he will enter his home sign of Capricorn. What have you learned, the past 26 months?
Mercury retrograde helps you remember. Think of Mercury’s Sagittarian journey backwards and forward (until January 11th, when he finally enters Capricorn), as the Cliff’s Notes version of Saturn in Sadge. Did you miss one of your lessons? Or did details escape you? Time to cram. Time to tie up loose ends. (For assistance with this task, you might want to check out my #FreebieFriday download, the “year-ahead” webinar from the start of 2017.)
When the Saturn and Mercury meet in Cap on January 13th, you’ll be put to the test, and — we hope! — invited to graduate to the next level. Good luck with your studies!
Big hugs,
Anne
