The Winter Solstice 2019

“Maud Gonne at Howth station waiting a train,
Pallas Athene in that straight back and arrogant head:
All the Olympians; a thing never known again…
A crowd will gather
And not know it walks the very street
Whereon a thing once walked that seemed a fiery cloud. ” William Butler Yeats

“To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.” Wendell Berry

The goddess Pallas Athene advocated for justice and fairness and  brought the knowledge of diplomacy to the gods and goddesses. She was known for her expertise in strategy and would work very hard to avoid war and conflict. But when all options had been exhausted and war became inevitable, she was invincible in battle.

.She was always depicted with an owl on her shoulder – as a reminder of what she could not see. And  this time of the Winter Solstice – which is exact at 11:20 PM EST on December 21 – marks a good time for intention setting for the year ahead as well as a time to honor the darkness of what is not yet known.

It is also a good time for ritual – especially involving fire – as we celebrate the return of the Light with many others who light  bonfires to commemorate this time of the return of the Sun’s life giving light and warmth.

The Winter Solstice marks the time of the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn. One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”The human soul, in its eagerness for new experiences, seeks embodiment.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

Jupiter and Uranus and this week’s astrology

“The winds of grace are always blowing; it is up for us to raise our sails.” Ramakrishna

‘A grail question is a question whose primary purpose is not to elicit data or information but to open up a situation to a new perspective. It can reveal the sacred in a situation or can bring to light creative possibilities that we otherwise might have missed seeing.” David Spangler

Jupiter continues his beneficent trine to Uranus this week indicating a good time to raise the level of awareness and be open to intuitive insights.  In an individual’s chart this alignment indicates an advanced type of consciousness. It is magnetic – and can provide unexpected options and solutions to dilemmas.  It is a good week to  expand and deepen perception about what you would like to be advocating for in your life and options for getting there. There can be surprising revelations along this path.

Mercury is making some challenging aspects this week. It’s best to delay important decisions for a few days.

Mars will be forming a favorable alignment to Pluto this week – it’s a good time to get active and watch for overwork/overdoing.

It’s wise to remember that we are heading towards the Winter Solstice on Saturday when the Sun enters Capricorn.  Throughout time cultures have celebrated the return of the light at this time – the  Sun’s life giving force which gives heat and light to our small planet.

It’s wise to keep those inner fires of inspiration burning bright this week.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Natural steps to a lawn blooming with clover.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill