MARCIA SACKS

The Winter Solstice occurs tomorrow, December 21, 10:19 p.m. CST. In this chart the Sun at 0° Capricorn is conjunct Jupiter at 4° Capricorn. Those planets are in a harmonious trine to Uranus at 2° Taurus. Because of Jupiter's expansive nature, it is the perfect time to imagine and visualize the things you would like to increase or grow 2020. Make this 'wish' as specific and clear as possible, while at the same time be open to the possibilities you cannot imagine. Keep this Louise Hay affirmation in mind, especially for the unpredictable Uranus involved: 

The New Moon/Solar Eclipse is on Christmas Day, December 25, 11:13 p.m. CST (December 26  on the east coast at 12:13 a.m.) placing the Sun and the Moon at 4° Capricorn conjunct Jupiter at 5° Capricorn and, like the Solstice chart mentioned above, those 3 planets are trine to Uranus. This is good for those looking for big presents as well as for those who seek a spiritual dimension to this holiday. Eclipses also imply change and the conjunction with Jupiter suggests that for many people there will be travel beyond your own country's borders or an expansion of awareness of the planet as a whole. ​

​On the other hand, Saturn and Pluto are nearly conjunct in the eclipse chart. (The exact conjunction takes place on January 12th at 22° Capricorn.) 

​​I often talk about the Saturn/Pluto conjunction as a 'volcano' aspect - pressure from within ourselves in conflict with pressure outside ourselves. With the Solar Eclipse on a holiday, there could be a bit of extra pressure and occasional melancholy, despite the celebrations. Practice ways to release stress such as meditation, hatha yoga, singing/chanting, walking or dancing. Be as forgiving as possible with the people in your life.

May you be blessed at this holiday season and in the new year.

Coming in 2020:

Watch for my next column in the January/February issue of Yoga Chicago Magazine on "The Journey from Mars to Venus."

If your Jupiter in Capricorn wish is to expand your knowledge of astrology, consider The Professional Astrology Course, a distance learning program offered by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. If you have questions about this course please feel free to contact me.

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The New Moon is December 7, 2018, 1:20 a.m. in 15° Sagittarius

Does it feel like you've been slogging through a swamp or not quite feeling awake all day for the past few weeks? Neptune has been the prominent outer planet in terms of astrological aspects lately. When Mercury went retrograde on November 16, it was squared to Neptune. In this way, it picked up the "flavor" of Neptune carrying with it in its backward journey. Then Neptune went direct on November 24th, still in square to Mercury (the mind). 
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Now Mercury finally goes direct on December 6 at 27 ° Scorpio but it will take a few days for us to feel like we're going forward again. In the meantime this New Moon is square to a an exact conjunction of Mars and Neptune at 13° Pisces. So more Neptune. At least for several days past the New Moon.

As a said in my last blog post, Neptune rules feeling foggy, nebulous or spacey. It's hard to see people and their motivations clearly. A Mars/Neptune conjunction is dangerous. One symbol is drunk drivers or driving under the influence of drugs. Another is driving while sleep-deprived.  (Mars is driving, Neptune is drugs or spaciness of any sort).  Another symbol is a salesman (Mars) giving you misinformation (Neptune) on a product or service. One more symbol to keep in mind is getting scalded (Mars) by boiling water or steam (Neptune is water and with Mars is steam).  Stay awake and aware whether driving, shopping or cooking at this New Moon.

A benefit to Neptune is being more suggestible, so affirmations can be very powerful at this time. Some tips for creating affirmations:

• Use positive phrasing. For example, don't say "I will not eat sweets." Say something like, "I choose the healthiest foods for my body."
• Using "I am" works well along with "ing" words. A phrase like "Every day I am healing more and more deeply."
• Repeat often to yourself or write down on a sticky note and post where you'll look at it frequently.

Here's a healing one I like:
I am healing deeply as pure Divine energy fills and permeates every level of my body and mind.

If you want ideas for affirmations try these: https://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/

Or just Google "Affirmations for ___________" and fill in the blank.

​Another way to use this New Moon energy is to totally tune into the most spiritual and uplifting aspects of the holiday season. Find the music that makes your soul soar and play that often. Light candles. Give to charity. Watch the holiday movies that make you laugh or open your heart. 

In the future:

The Winter Solstice takes place on December 21. I wrote a little bit about that for Yoga Chicago Magazine.

I will be giving a talk on "Kriya Yoga and Astrology: Planetary Patterns for 2019" at the Winter Solstice Festival at the Temple of Kriya Yoga: Sunday, December 16, 11:30 a.m., 2414 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL

There will also be talks, meditation, a ritual and refreshments. The program is described here:
https://www.yogakriya.org/winter-solstice

The new moon is on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 8:17 pm CST at 26° Capricorn. 

Whatever you do at a new moon will follow you for at least the following two weeks.  Capricorn is a sign of the earth element and the cardinal quality (a force of outgoing action).  Think about the power of the earth when it moves:  mud slides, avalanches etc.  Remember that a huge rock slide can start as a small stream of pebbles. These pebbles are the thoughts you think repeatedly and words that you choose to say.  They are also the small activities that you choose to apply toward your life goals.

There is also a lineup of six planets in the sign Capricorn.  Capricorn energy is all about your life responsibilities.  In general, people will feel that they are surrounded by life responsibilities at this time.  For those with steadiness of purpose this energy can be very productive.  However ….

The new moon is in a close square to Uranus (24° Aries) and a wide conjunction to Pluto (19° Capricorn).  The keywords of this aspect is "rebellion against responsibilities."  If you're looking at the pressure of responsibility and thinking "I quit!" this would be the time to take a deep breath and resolve to wait three or four days after the new moon and re-evaluate the situation.

There's also a tendency to give others an ultimatum in the sense of "If you don't do [this], [I quit] or [I'm leaving] or [get out]."  This will tend to provoke an immediate (but not usually positive) result.  My spiritual tradition asks us to use wisdom when we feel these types of overwhelming emotions arise.  Is it wise to speak at this time?  Can you wait a few days to have that conversation?

Sort things out and find inner peace through creative work:  draw, paint or write poems about your feelings and emotions. 
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Soothe the jagged edges with the mantra "Om shanti, shanti, shanti."  Om is the sound of the oneness of the universe and shanti is the Sanskrit word for peace.  You can use this affirmation which is one way to translate the mantra: "On every level of my being, let there be peace, peace, peace."