Here is my Christmas Greeting for 2007.

Its lateness is due to technical difficulties.

Note: Sound added approx. 3pm AkST, 26 December

Here are two charts for the full Moon on Dec. 24, 01:17 am (GMT) and one chart for the winter ingress:

• Full Moon chart
• U.S. Natal/Full Moon
• Winter/Capricorn Ingress

>What some other astrologers have to say...

Taking a look at what my favorite astrologers have to say about this full Moon:

• Lisa Dale Miller at Astrowisdom.com

  On this Full Moon we have a mystic rectangle (a configuration that intensely focuses us on realizing possibilities) formed by Moon/Mars in Cancer opposing Pluto in Sagittarius/Jupiter/Sun/Mercury in Capricorn and North Node in Aquarius/South Node in Leo opposition. The North Node in Aquarius calls up our responsibility to the collective and the South Node in Leo asks us to let go of self-cherishing. The sextile from the South Node in Leo is a helpmate to the Moon/Mars in Cancer agenda of compassionate action toward self and others. The sextile from the North Node in Aquarius provides a far-reaching vision for radical change to the transformative, yet realistic agenda of Pluto in Sagittarius/Jupiter/Sun/Mercury in Capricorn.

  Cancer rules emotional healing of all kinds and this is the Full Moon to make an effort to bring love back to all your relationships; especially between family members. Jupiter (relating) in Capricorn (structures, rules and tradition), lends an ease to what might otherwise be a difficult time for communication (Mercury in Capricorn.) The mystic rectangle and Venus in Scorpio, Saturn in Virgo, Jupiter/Mercury/ Sun in Capricorn, will support truth-telling and facing reality. Couple this with the gentle compassion of Moon/Mars in Cancer and you have a perfect time for working to heal estrangements and conflicts in your life.

• Jeffrey Kishner at Lunar Tunes Astrology confides

  We all struggle with balancing work (Capricorn) and home (Cancer). Some people would rather work more and do less puttering around the house. Others would like to spend less time at the office. This Full Moon in Cancer puts the focus on our emotional need for a home base, a feeling of security in family connections. Yet it's more difficult to achieve this now, as Jupiter has just entered Capricorn and is conjoining the Sun. The world of work is celebrated now, and for the next year we'll be taking advantage of opportunities to climb the ladder in our fields. If anything, that means spending less time with the family.

  Meanwhile, retrograde Mars in Cancer conjoins the Moon. Mars, a work planet, is both moving (apparently) backwards in the sky and in the sign of his "fall." The action planet does not thrive in such an indirect sign. The crab moves sideways, while Mars (ruler of Aries) wants to charge forward. Mars is in a defensive posture, and while both conjunct the Moon and residing in Moon-ruled Cancer, he fights to protect those he loves, at the ready to keep the women and children safe.

  Yet the opposition between Jupiter and Mars is the backdrop of this Full Moon. Both are in the sign of their fall, yet in each other's sign of exaltation. (If I were a traditional astrologer, I could tell you that means something!) Typically, the Mars-Jupiter aspect relates to an expansion of the Martian principle, leading us to over-act on our desires to copulate or conquer ... or that our assertive energy is fueled by higher principles to justify our actions. The opposition, though, is about relationships: someone takes on the role of Jupiter while you take on the role of Mars, or vice versa. Perhaps a business mentor (Jupiter in Capricorn) inspires you to clean up your act at home, clear up unresolved family issues that hold you back from success (Mars retro in Cancer) ... so that when Mars stations direct in late January, you'll have the drive to move ahead, with the security of knowing that you have your eggs lined up at home.

• Jeff Jawer at starIQ.com in his New Moon Report advises:

  The strong concerns about security of this lunation are intensified with aggressive Mars' close conjunction with the Cancer Moon. Emotional flare-ups and threats to safety can provoke fear, anger and squabbles with family members. Recognizing and accepting your vulnerability, though, allows a different approach, one that's warm, protective and caring. Staying calm and acting constructively can build trust and closeness. Expressing needs in a non-dramatic way will bring support, but taking direct action to ensure your wellbeing is even more powerful. Nurture yourself through action, even if old worries hold you back. You don't have to be brave to make progress now, so take responsibility for your feelings and act on them with maturity.

My take..
   On this new/full Moon

This is the first Moon event after the Winter Solstice, which should give it some import. And I'm not finding much to talk about. I don't see a mystic rectangle, I do see a square between Neptune in Aquarius and Venus in Scorpio with Mercury on their midpoint. According to Munkasey (Midpoints, 1991), Venus in adverse combination with Neptune indicates in one's relationships:

Deception through romance; an imperfect understanding of romantic love; nebulous promises of affection become easier to believe and cling to; neglect of your partner's satisfaction, or your partner neglects you.

In combination with Mercury in Capricorn (which adds a note of seriousness and possible delay) --

An exceptionally active mind able to create effective pretenses or delusions; added ability to detect pretenses or deceit; nervousness when confronting confusion; a study of effective disguises; thievery aided by deceptions.

These tie in to the full Moon event by virtue of Mercury's conjunct with the Sun and Jupiter, both of which add a note of lightness and mitigate the effects of the square.

   On the new/full Moon as it relates to the U.S. natal chart

Again, I see little to report on. There is still an emphasis on the 2nd/8th houses (see the new Moon post for this month). The asteroids are collected in the lower hemisphere, which implies a influence that is strongly Virgo (Concern and caring for. Friendly and engaging. Practical, analytical, and discriminating. Conservation. Salvaging, salvation. Maintenance and reparation. Attentive. Attention to detail. Crafts. Busy and careful. Worry.) in personal, as opposed to public, matters.

The exception is a retrograde Ceres on the cusp of the 7th house, just above the horizon. Bob Marks at www.bobmarksastrologer.com says about Ceres in the 7th house

This placement would either tend to nurture partners (both marital and business) or attract partners who nurture them. Strive for a balance if you have this one, otherwise either you or they will be doing all the work, and that could eventually cause resentment. [he's reading for a natal chart -- Marge]

Moving off the subject of chart interpretation, here is an interesting article about the winter solstice from the Wikipedia. It's more than interesting that many of the world's cultures have mythologies that center on the winter solstice. Also, I've included a chart for the winter/Capricorn ingress. Have fun figuring out what to do with it.

Added note: From midnight December 24th to the 6th of January is the period known as the 12 days of Christmas or Christmastide. According to an astrologer friend of mine the Christ spirit is closer to the earth at this time and we can, during meditation, touch and be touched by it.

Journal entry dated 19 Dec 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian, Astrology

Here are two charts for the full Moon on Nov. 24, 2:31 pm (GMT):

• Full Moon chart
• U.S. Natal/Full Moon

What some other astrologers have to say...
Taking a look at what my favorite astrologers have to say about this full Moon:

• Lisa Dale Miller at Astrowisdom.com

  Sagittarius represents idealism, faith, enthusiasm, the quest for meaning, and a generosity of spirit. These are the qualities one needs to gracefully meet this darkest time of the year when the days shorten, the nights lengthen, and cold descends upon the Earth. Even the slanting sun shines with a brightness that is tentative and not quite warming enough. As the earth retreats into its annual death cycle, so must we also turn within, and seek the wisdom of the dark time. Most of us live over-committed, complicated lives, with guilt and/or income-generation as our primary motivator. Our daily schedules, filled with “shoulds”, leave little time for contemplation. This season of darkness calls out to our souls, asking us to face the fallibility of human life and its connection to the inherent impermanence of all phenomena. Mortality, something we fear and deny, shows us our intimate connection with all other natural phenomenon; we are, after all, just another species.

• Jeffrey Kishner at Lunar Tunes Astrology confides

  I've never been one for travel. Fear-inducing Saturn is in my Ninth House of International Expeditions, opposite airline-happy Jupiter. My greatest terror has been of traveling in a country where I can't speak the language, I lose all my belongings and I end up homeless and starving in an alley, tormented by French people who throw snails at me.

  However, I've more than made up for my nearly landlocked life through another Sagittarian endeavor, higher education. In fact, I wasted [, no] spent most of my twenties completing two masters degrees, neither of which I am using in my current career incarnation. There is just so much to learn ...

• Jeff Jawer at starIQ.com in his New Moon Report advises:

  The impetuousness of the Sagittarius New Moon is fueled by a strong 90-degree square from electric Uranus that is bound to bring surprises. Moods can shift in the blink of an eye, plans change in an instant, and wild ideas pop into our heads without warning. The urge for freedom is so strong that it's tempting to violate rules and abandon commitments. An impulse to break from routine and responsibility makes it hard to maintain discipline. But instead of committing petty acts of rebellion against others, find true liberation by changing your own habits and patterns. One small step in a new direction can open up a new world of possibilities.

My take..
   On the full Moon

My attention is caught by the number of planets in mutable fire (Sagittarius).

Dr. Z at astrologywithdrz.com gives this example of modal fire:

Here's a practical example. Imagine there's someone standing in front of you. Now imagine, this person is holding a rock in their hand. Now imagine this person has just thrown the rock at you...

• A Cardinal (active) Fire reaction would be to throw a rock back at the jerk.
• A Fixed (steadfast) Fire reaction would be to stand there unaffected by the rock, and then taunt them with something like: "Hey, go ahead and hit me again! That didn't hurt at all, you little wuss!
• A Mutable (flexible) Fire reaction would be to cleverly dodge the rock, and then "thumb your nose" at their lousy aim.

A grand trine between Mars (Cancer), Venus (Scorpio) and Moon's North Node (Pisces) suggests

Meeting people who bring pleasure and enjoyment to your activities; associations with others who enjoy similar forms of music or performing arts; a feeling that it is your destiny to enjoy reckless activities (--M.Munkasy, Midpoints)

There may be elements of envy or stealth, due to Venus' being in Scorpio.

   On the full Moon as it relates to the U.S. natal chart

This new Moon places five planets in Sagittarius in the U.S.'s second house in opposition to the Natal Uranus, Part of Fortune and Mars with Venus and transiting retrograde Mars in Cancer) in the eighth.

All these planet groupings place emphasis on the nation's wealth, taxation revenues, stocks/bonds/shares, and financial institutions vs. the public income and earning power of the nation from the standpoint of the man who pays. Or so says my reference -- Nicholar deVore's Encyclopedia of Astrology, where the second and eighth house representations seem to intertwine.

I'd like to say that the second house represents supply, the eighth demand; but that's too simple. On one level it's true, on the next it's not. Let's call the levels physical, emotional, spiritual. On the physical level Venus, ruler of the second, supplies goods or the goods; Mars, one ruler of the eighth, demands what Venus has to offer. On the emotional level Venus demands, Mars must supply. On the spiritual level, Venus appreciates (supplies satisfaction with); Pluto transforms (demands change, reform). This is still simplistic; but closer to something understandable (at least to me ;).

Journal entry dated 03 Dec 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian, Astrology

Lately I find myself searching out evidence or instances showing Christmas is truly felt. This search has an existential feel to it, like it's a mental construct. (I get into some weird places sometimes.) The phrase that comes to mind is 'interstitial spaces' -- spaces between objects that may be unused, like the spaces between cells, or the spaces in the walls of buildings. For an idea of what I'm talking about, look at this piece on YouTube about the space between atoms.

So far, I've found four:

• Three Christmas tree balls in a bowl -- simple, plain, appreciative of the emotional weight of Christmas.
• An office on the second floor with garlands across the tops of the windows and a slender tree standing in the corner; all seen from a distance. Was the secretary who put up the decorations taking time from her busy schedule or filling time in a going-nowhere job?
• LED string lights in Fred Meyer. (This is a personal one.) I've been wanting to get a string of LEDs for artwork most of the year and feel today they were given to me and I even had the money to get them.
• Buddhist monks protesting in Burma (late September, October). This moved me greatly--so much so that my Christmas greeting will be centered on them. They chanted:

Where do you find Christmas? I urge you to add your voice by making a comment -- I won't spam you, you have my word.

Journal entry dated 1 December 2007
Category: Whatis Aquarian

Here is the December calendar with astrological notation.