The Sun, Mercury and the Lunar Nodes

“A wise old owl sat in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like
That wise old bird ?” Proverb

“You are not the oil, you are not the air-merely the point of combustion, the flash-point where the light is born.” Dag Hammarskjold

The Sun is conjunct the South Node this week and Mercury will soon be joining the party. This is a culmination of sorts of the time that the Lunar Nodes have been travelling in Sagittarius and Gemini The Lunar Nodes will move into the signs of Taurus and Scorpio in late January.

The Nodes have been transiting Sagittarius and Gemini since May of 2020 with the South Node in Sagittarius and the North Node in Gemini. AS the Sun and Mercury move up to conjunct the South Node this week it’s a good time to look at where views over time may have become too rigid and would benefit from updating. The North Node in Gemini points in the direction we want to go- with more  openness, communication and learning.

Thursday the Sun conjuncts the asteroid Vesta. This asteroid was named after the Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome who were the priestesses of the goddess of the hearth. The Vestal Virgins kept the sacred fires alight and presided over all state and government ceremonies.It was believed that Rome would fall were the sacred fires to go out.

The Vestal Virgins were freed from the normal social obligation to marry and have children. Their duties included tending to the perpetual fire in the temple of Vesta, getting  water from a sacred spring, caring for sacred objects within the temple and officiating at public events.

This is a nice asteroid to preside over the holiday many celebrate as a day of gratitude, Thanksgiving.  Very timely too, as we head into the darker days before the return of the light on the Winter Solstice.

One of the significant transits of 2021 -the sextile between Saturn and Chiron , makes it’s final aspect this week. A herald of the Age of Aquarius, Saturn in this sign is about awakening to the importance of community both locally and globally and the need to work together to create a brighter future. Chiron’s journey of wounding and healing in the sign of Aries is associated with misuse of masculine energy (in both men and women.)  It offers an opportunity to move in a direction of a more balanced use of power.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”An old owl perched high up in a tree.”