December 2016
Welcome to the 12th month of a very tumultuous year of endings. Endings automatically bring new beginnings, and as Charles Eisenstein put it, we are between stories now; the old one is finished, and the new story hasn’t yet been written. In Cosmic Consciousness, the 12th hour is where we connect with Source energies, striving to accept new beginnings based on the results of past actions as delivered by Source; we accept and align with these new beginnings, and allow Source to direct us. We learn to tap into our higher authority through stillness, meditation and an open heart, working to strengthen the quality of our connection with Source. The ‘12’ energies are related to Pisces, which represents Divine Wisdom and the act of facing and mastering our fears and moving beyond our limitations as we travel through unchartered waters like we are now. The ‘12’ combines the energies of ‘1’, new beginnings, creating our own reality; and ‘2’, coming together, seeking balance, and expressing Love. It represents a new cycle of experience and regeneration towards higher consciousness and wisdom, and we are called to keep the faith, keep our thoughts positive, and welcome, not fear, new experiences.
December 1 finds the Sun finishing his intersection (T-square) with the wide-open Neptune/Orcus bridge, with the Earth/Soul Star bridge in tow. The Sun also makes a new cycle with Antares on that day. Mercury made his own connections with these archetypes at 9 Sag on Nov. 17, but now it’s the Sun’s turn, completing the Divine Masculine connection with this bridge and new cycle. As a harbinger for the month, the Sun shines his Light on our shadows, pushing aside the veils and allowing us to catch a glimpse of who we really Are, reactivating our higher consciousness and awareness of how to work with those shadows, whose darkness reflects our own Light.
Chiron stations direct, Vesta stations retrograde, making both very powerful, and Venus makes a Power stepping stone with Eris—all before noon! It is time to bring joy, Love and devotion towards healing the existing polarities; acting with joy, Love and devotion to finding the blessing in everything will in fact cause more disruption that will eventually heal us all. It is the road we are on.
The Light Bridge
Last month the Neptune/Orcus Light Bridge aligned with the Earth and Soul Star Chakras in a once-in-a-lifetime conjunction. All the lower body planets connected with these bridges, and although the nodes are slowly moving away, the Light Bridge remains open for some time. As mentioned before, our very consciousness (the Sun) makes an intersection with these incredible energies, connecting with the deep shadow of Antares. Although it seems dark right now, we have the higher consciousness and clarity of Neptune to guide us. In addition, Juno adds her energies to this intersection on Dec. 2, reminding us that there is no Light without shadow, and as dark as the shadow is, that’s how brilliant is the Light; they are both part of divine Unity of All. The heart gets her chance to be resourceful with Neptune and manifest with Orcus on Dec. 15, calibrating and raising her vibration to the highest form of Love. We get another chance to integrate our creative and expressive energies with our newly enlightened and expanded awareness when the Sun resources Neptune and manifests with Orcus on Dec. 30. Mars, the co-ruler of the divine feminine, won’t reach the Light Bridge until New Year’s Day, making a new cycle with Neptune.
Our higher minds were stretched to encompass more of these evolutionary, clarifying energies when Mercury made his T-square with Neptune/Orcus. This is a huge upgrade, requiring refinement, reinforcement and alignment to grasp and work with these vast energies. Mercury manifests with Orcus and resources Neptune not once (Dec. 9-10) but twice (Dec. 27), the second time during his retrograde cycle, and he is out of bounds until Dec. 17. There is so much to understand and communicate; if we have done our karmic homework we will increase our capacity to receive this understanding. It will take another month for these aspects to perfect themselves, recalibrating the multidimensional wisdom gleaned from the reintegration of Source energies.
The Disrupters and the Midwife
Because Uranus, Ceres and Eris are traveling so closely together the connections they make with the lower body planets come in bunches. Mars is resourceful with all three archetypes (in that order) from Dec. 6 –Dec. 9; we would do well to pay attention to and nurture our bodies and environment during this time. The Sun manifests with these planets Dec. 12 and 13; it’s best to be mindful and stay positive, since what we create from within manifests into the world. Venus makes a stepping stone with Eris on Dec. 1, while in uncharted territory, asking us to be brave and raise our hearts above the dramas around us. (She ends her out of bounds journey on Dec. 3.) Fittingly, she brings her heart-centered energies resourcefully to Uranus on Christmas Day, the day Christ Consciousness manifested physically on Earth, disrupting and changing the world forever. On Dec. 26 Venus meets Ceres by resource, and does the same with yet another connection with Eris on Dec. 27. Keep your hearts wide open; Love is both our shield and our weapon and it’s taking us to new places.
Ceres has been traveling with or near Uranus and Eris since their first conjunction in June 2016. Ceres got as far as 5 Taurus before she went retrograde Sept. 1, joining Uranus and Eris as they are both retrograding. The Great Disrupters met again on Sept. 25, with Eris 10 degrees away; it wasn’t until Nov. 17 that Ceres caught up with Eris, with both moving towards Source. On Dec. 8 Ceres stations direct, refraining from a conjunction with Uranus, before she meets Eris again for a new cycle on Dec. 31. Ceres is present for endings and beginnings: she nurtures us through our losses and difficult passages, supporting us in our rebirth, bringing us to the portal of transformation, especially when the disruptions caused by our gradually awakening and expanding awareness signals that we can’t go on as before. What a way to end the year!
Changing Social Consciousness
Jupiter in Libra and Saturn in Sagittarius are traveling resourcefully (in a sextile) all month, providing support for each other as they prepare to come together for their new cycle in 2020. We are expanding in our ability to stand up for our Selves with newfound authority, triggered into action by Mars on Dec. 1 manifesting with Jupiter, and Dec. 3 with a resource to Saturn. The Sun shines his Light on our social consciousness with a sextile to Jupiter (Dec. 9) and a new cycle with Saturn (Dec. 10), illuminating authentic new ways to interact with each other. Throughout the month Jupiter gets closer to Haumea and the Uranus/Eris/Ceres bridge; on Dec. 24 Saturn manifests with Uranus, promising a sudden revelation or realization that comes from our inner guidance system, or something shocking that causes us to stand more powerfully in our Truth. Jupiter bridges Uranus two days later, reminding us that these disruptions expand and deepen our wisdom if we go with the bigger picture. Chiron contacts each of the social planets with a steppingstone to Saturn on Dec. 28, and a great eliminator with Jupiter on Dec. 31. We are called to rise beyond the drama and choose the higher path as we navigate our changing social consciousness. The Finger of God between Jupiter, Saturn and Sedna underscores these changes, bringing multidimensional wisdom to assist us in working to choose the best path for all of us.
Moving Towards Source
This month features the last of the Mercury Retrogrades; there was one for every season this year. With all the multidimensional downloads, calibrations, and recent infusions of Light energies, courtesy of the November Neptune/Orcus/nodal intersections, our higher minds are ready for some reintegration. Earlier this year Mercury retrograded between Aquarius and Capricorn, and in the Taurus and Virgo mansions, upgrading and recalibrating the higher mind, thought and speech in the spiritual, mental and emotional parts of our consciousness. This last retrograde cycle begins in Capricorn on Dec. 19, and will last until Jan. 8, 2017, ending on the Galactic Center at 28 Sagittarius, on the World Axis, allowing the co-ruler of the divine masculine to reenter the sign of Physical Wisdom and clear our higher minds of karmic debris in service of finding Truth. Interestingly, during the last retrograde cycle, Mercury manifested with Pluto twice over many days as he changed direction, resurrecting and rebooting our thought processes. This time he stops within a degree of conjoining Pluto, and won’t make that momentous connection until Jan. 29, 2017. We need this time to process Mercury’s new archetypal energies as keeper of Christed Consciousness, to allow a recalibration of our highest thought processes. As mentioned before, these energies are so huge they require revisiting, and Mercury interacts with the Earth and Soul Star Chakras and the Neptune/Orcus bridges twice this month. On Dec. 28 Mercury makes an inferior mid-retrograde conjunction with the Sun, and is resourceful with Mars, connecting our minds and bodies with our consciousness, helping us to come from the heart in thought, speech and action. Mercury’s last connection is a steppingstone with Makemake, reminding us to clear our minds and rise above the drama, since all is in divine cosmic order.
Winter Solstice …..
The Sun always enters a new mansion of consciousness every month, but 4 times a year it crosses the Axis Mundi, or, in Cosmic Consciousness, the Portal of Truth, which signifies a change from one quadrant of the Cosmic Clock to another. These crossings are hugely important, as they affect everyone on the planet, manifesting as the beginning of a new season. The Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, with the least amount of sunlight; in Cosmic Consciousness it signifies passing from the physical quadrant of karma clearing (and how else can it be cleared, except in the physical realm) into the next level up the spiral of consciousness, beginning with the Spiritual realm. It is here we open up to our connection with Source, allowing it to lift us up, reminding us that we are Spirit Itself embodied here on a mission to reawaken, strengthen and utilize our connection with Source. Source is pure Love, and that is what we are; we have just forgotten. We personally connect with the Spiritual Power of the 12 o’clock hour every year on our birthday; it’s another chance to reset our consciousness and begin anew. On the Winter Solstice the whole world connects with Spiritual Power and Divine Inner Authority, and those with eyes to see can tap into it consciously. The entry of the Sun into Capricorn is the midpoint between the energies of the Galactic Center and Christmas Eve, signifying the potent birthing of Christed Consciousness on the planet.
On this day the Sun connects with Varuna’s wide-angle view from the highest observer’s perch before he enters Capricorn; we tap into our Source connection for guidance and assignments (goals) we will work on for the coming year. The Sun sextiles Mars, newly entered into Pisces, providing resources for bringing our fears into the Light where we can face them and let them go. Saturn manifests with Uranus and squares Chiron; disruptive energies require standing in your own authority, acting from a deep integrity, staying detached from the drama such disruptions cause. The results will be revealing and healing. Expect sudden shake-ups and/or revelations concerning things foreign: beliefs, ideas, cultures, places—the Jupiter/Uranus bridge is open. The feminine energies are in play: Venus and Juno gather their resources, strengthening our unity consciousness with Love, and the Moon and Vesta are resourceful while both form a Finger of God with the Earth Star Chakra S. Node, bridging the Soul Star Chakra. We have the capacity to choose the high road and clear our collective karma with purity, gratitude, and open-hearted sharing of our emotions, working towards our evolution. These are some of the things we will be working on this winter season.
…and Other Changes in Consciousness
Master Teacher/Healer Chiron went retrograde on June 27, and he resumes direct motion on Dec. 1. It is time to take what we’ve learned about Self-mastery and put it into action. Dec. 2 the Great Messenger Mercury heads into Capricorn, where he will remain until Jan 5, when he briefly returns to the Galactic Center at 28 Sag for some recalibration. Venus makes her way into Aquarius to bring home to our hearts the lesson that we must love our Selves unconditionally, as Source loves us; we must always begin with our Selves. We are moved to act on Self-mastery when Mars ingresses Pisces on Dec. 19. We must work with our fears; seeing them as the illusions they are will allow them to loosen their grip and dissipate. Finally, on Dec. 29, exactly 5 months since he began his retrograde journey, Uranus turns direct. It is a powerful end of a transitory year, as Uranus remains unmoving from Christmas day into the New Year. With the Jupiter-Uranus bridge open there are sure to be surprises.
Lunar matters
On Dec. 13 a Full Moon at 22+ Gemini bridges the Sun in Sagittarius, making resourceful contact with Uranus, Ceres and Eris, and a stepping stone with Chiron, hours before; bridging with Ixion and manifesting with Haumea after meeting the Sun. This last Supermoon (and the last Full Moon of the year) is the culmination of the Nov. 29 New Moon, which included Antares and Juno, our unity consciousness and its collective underbelly. This lunation our intuition is strong and purposeful; we stand in our authority, trusting our inner guidance. We are here to question everything, untangling misguided energies and communications from what resonates as Truth, in order to respond from the highest perch we can attain. Venus taps the Neptune/Orcus/nodes bridges, and Mars, on his way to a new cycle with wisdom, makes a steppingstone with Sedna. We seek wisdom and alignment from the highest realms in order to find that quiet center within, to tap into the unconditional Love that is always there. From that place we can access our own inner Light and allow it to shine. Every time we get to that pure clear center we are clearing karma for the collective.
At one minute shy of 8 degrees Capricorn, the co-rulers of the spiritual body come together for a new cycle of connection, this time with Source, on Dec. 29, conjoining with Mercury in the middle of his retrograde cycle. Our higher mind, while reintegrating, recalibrating and revisiting the energies of the Neptune/Orcus/Star Chakra Light bridges, gets a reboot of new consciousness, which in turn, gets grounded into our bodies at a deep level. We face our fears with new and expanded awareness; the Great Messenger has much to share with us that will clear our confusion if we are quiet enough to listen. Saturn, dispostitor of the New Moon, makes a steppingstone to Chiron, and we have the means to heal ourselves by connecting to the Inner Teacher within. Jupiter connects resourcefully with Saturn, as he gets closer to wholeness and the bridge to Uranus/Ceres/Eris opens. We still have more disruption to experience, but armed with our unfailing inner guidance system and expanded perspective, trusting in our Higher Selves and Source, we know that this is all part of the Divine Plan.
There is so much more going on. December is a month of endings and beginnings, as we prepare for a new season and a new year. In this year of polarity and discord, Hanukah and Christmas Eve fall on the same day; the last time this occurred was 38 years ago. This month is a good time to find the stillpoint within, between each inhale and exhale, between each heartbeat, to quiet the mind and let the heart speak. We have waited for this moment and it is here, and we are all Here, together. Let us keep our hearts open and connected, our thoughts clear and peaceful, and our Light shining bright and strong.
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
“You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was.” ― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny
Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with peace, abundance, blessings and Love.
Shelly Leal can be reached for comments at shelbai@aol.com