With the final lunation of 2016 we have a New Moon on 29th December 2016 at 7 degrees. This New Moon forms a conjunction with Mercury Retrograde. Uranus also turns direct and Saturn, Capricorn’s ruler makes a square to Chiron. While there’s a supportive link to Mars, the overall disclosure of this New Moon is by no means easy.

This Christmas has been an interesting one. There’s been moments or periods of tension, emerging stark realities, and then somehow amidst all of this, blissful ease and an encouraging, more loving vibration of abundance, trust and peace. That’s down to the supportive Venus Jupiter link on Christmas day. While things perhaps haven’t been easy or straight-forward, ultimately, we have been able to put peace and our deeper wellbeing first.

We are now beyond the Christmas festivities having reached our final New Moon of 2016. A new reality is beginning to emerge. Christmas preparation and festivities mean we put a lot on hold. For some, this reality now might feel quite stark, for others, more uncertain. The commonality is that something new is coming into our reality under perhaps uncomfortable circumstances.

Currently permeating our lives is a kind of vagueness, whether we are in touch with it deeply or not. Mercury figures so strongly at this New Moon and with his retrograde motion, the theme is revisiting, returning, revising. With a Capricorn New Moon, structures, both the internal structures of our minds and the external structures also are up for question.

Mercury’s Retrograde will continue until 8th January. So this New Moon is not the time to launch anything major or new, since progress will be impeded. And currently there are more uncertainties than there are answers and resolutions. The horizon might feel a little bleak under all these influences, but remember this is part of a larger process and in that we can trust. It’s also important to understand that while one aspect of the reality or picture might not be viable now, there will be elements that are working and will work.

It’s good to remind ourselves that Capricorn is about strategising and planning. With Uranus turning direct motion on 29th, it suggests a time to begin planning strategically. We might experience unforeseen and sudden acceleration somewhere in our life but feel able to hold a detached clarity also. Although everything under this New Moon is not so straightforward.

Mars sojourning through Pisces can be experienced as both vague and creative. The invigorating, supportive link from this New Moon to Mars grounds the ambiguous Pisces’ Mars. It gives our impulses more substance. With Mercury retrograde’s conjunction with the Moon we know what we need to do, particularly to deal with the short term situation, and while the longer term solutions are illusive, the immediate action required to meet the changing, emerging circumstances, will feel right and smooth.

This is all quite useful since Mercury retrograde tends to cloak potential action with a large drape of uncertainty making action feel almost impossible. While it’s not impossible right now, it’s good to keep in mind that the longer-term picture remains uncertain and is still in its emergent phase. We are fostering trust, patience and many other qualities through this period of uncertainty.

There is an exact square between Saturn in Sagittarius and Chiron in Pisces also at this New Moon and this is significant since Saturn rules Capricorn. The reality of a situation and the limit or truth it imposes will be difficult to swallow. Chiron and Saturn do not reveal palatable solutions when in square aspect. It’s likely that there’s some revisiting and revising or at least some reconsideration of options required at this time. It feels like it’s a lot of responsibility.

The overall sense or feeling of this New Moon is one of vulnerability, and perhaps as the harsh reality of a situation dawns, difficult decisions need to be considered. It’s not going to feel easy. Saturn delivers his news in harsh terms, Uranus direct brings something more acutely into our awareness, it might or might not be unexpected.

The key to remember is that during Mercury retrograde phases, it’s best to wait until the entire retrograde period is over until before we make important decisions. For now, take it easy, and take small incremental steps to meet the arising reality, knowing that it’s also showing aspects of ourselves that we also need to meet, heal or rise above. It’s not going to be plane sailing but you have what you need for now.

Mars meets Neptune on New Year’s Eve – a time when we might be learning the art of surrendering. Potentially, this can be a deeply healing phase. Surrendering, adapting, trusting in the face of changing, difficult circumstances – we are being impelled to embody qualities of a higher presence. The river of life beckons us to go deeper also, to beneath the tidal emotions. If we can learn to reside at the bottom of the river, where the water moves slowly, we meet life in a different way and express from a different place.

It’s perhaps useful to remember that Christmas was once a much longer celebration with the Twelve Holy Nights of Christmas (which correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac). This is the where the Earth approaches its perihelion, the point where it’s closest to the Sun, and it is the Sun and Earth that defines the western zodiac. This time of year is where the zodiac is at its most potent, both in terms of the symbolism and the physical energetics.

The zodiac signifies the twelve archetypal stages in the evolution of Christ Consciousness, from birth to embodiment. These twelve days, between Christmas and 5th January, are like a microcosm of the forthcoming twelve months.

One zodiac sign is reflected upon each day. It doesn’t really matter when you start this reflection, you can begin it now, as long as you have a start and an end to it to keep the focus and containment. Keep it manageable. Theses twelve signs and the forthcoming astrologically have the potential to support brilliant flashes of insight or illumination.

With Mercury retrograde, it’s the perfect time to be internal. Take the time to go within, for reflection and visioning, pay attention to your dreams and intuitions. Show up, be present, observe and notice. Hold the intention to be receptive.

Take the approach of connecting with the deeper river within you rather than making resolutions to keep fit or drink less! Call in the beings of light from this universe and all others supporting our planet’s ascension and ask that they bring you the guidance, clarity and love your need for the forthcoming year. Give and feel gratitude, when you are speaking or thinking gratefulness,  you are One with creation. It is the highest form of blessing you can give this outgoing year.

Some dates to look out for:

28th December: Sun Mercury conjunction (7º Capricorn)

29th December: Capricorn New Moon (8º Capricorn)
29
th December: Uranus turns direct (21º Aries)
31
st December: Mars conjunct Neptune (10º Pisces)

31st December: Ceres Eris conjunction (22º Aries)
6
th – 11th January: T-Square Sun with Pluto-Uranus-Jupiter (17º-22º)
8
th January: Mercury turns direct (29º Sagittarius)

Current Planetary Positions

Sun 09° Aries 10' 39"
Moon 24° Scorpio 35' 36"
Mercury 26° Aries 27' 37"
Venus 21° Pisces 37' 37"
Mars 04° Pisces 58' 54"
Jupiter 16° Taurus 47' 52"
Saturn 13° Pisces 18' 12"
Uranus 20° Taurus 39' 45"
Neptune 27° Pisces 48' 33"
Pluto 01° Aquarius 49' 34"
Chiron 18° Aries 47' 40"
TrueNode 15° Aries 36' 04"
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