Here is the Ask the Astrologers Weekly Astro Forecast for the week of Dec 18, 2016 – Dec 24, 2016:
We’ve got a busy week ahead, with one planet (Mercury) turning retrograde, two planets (the Sun and Mars) changing signs, and Mercury, Venus and Mars all appearing in the night sky.
In general these “evening star” planets are more observant, analytical and purposeful than their morning star counterpoints. They’re also less instinctual and impulsive. They tend to look before they leap and weigh their options before they decide. But this sort of is methodical, deliberate energy may be at odds with this week’s main transits, most notably Mercury turning retrograde in Capricorn and Mars moving into Pisces.
Starting with Mars, it leaves Aquarius and moves into Pisces on Monday morning, just as Mercury turns retrograde. Mars in Pisces is sensitive, romantic, idealistic and intuitive. It’s a gentle and accommodating placement that prefers to go with the flow rather than make waves.
The astrological symbol for Pisces is the “bundled fishes,” i.e. two fish swimming in opposite directions — one swimming toward God and one swimming away from God. This refers to the entire spectrum of extremes that are seen with this archetype — from victims to saviors, preachers to drug addicts, nuns to prostitutes, and so on.
Mars is not entirely comfortable in Pisces and may find itself floundering in this sign. It may be lacking in confidence or struggling with feelings of inadequacy. It’s idealistic and altruistic, but may also be gullible, misguided or delusional. But this is a naturally a very spiritual archetype that strives to see the good in others and to live up to its own higher ideals.
This transit can have you feeling like you’re on cloud 9, or pummeling down toward the abyss. It may be hard to keep your bearings, especially with Mercury also turning retrograde.
We all know that Mercury retrograde means things are likely to go haywire — especially all things related to communications, communications devices and local travel — like automobiles, train and bus schedules and so on.
Communications tend to run amok, plans get turned on their head, communications devices (computers, electronics, cell-phones, etc) and written communications (emails, texts, letters, etc.) get lost or misconstrued. It’s not a good time to sign contracts or legal documents and not a good time to purchase Mercury-ruled items (automobiles, televisions, computers and so on).
Mercury has also been out of bounds for the past several weeks, a state of erratic and restless uncertainty that is now starting to lift. We may see some interesting developments here in the US, where the Mars moving into Pisces and Mercury going stationary retrograde both fall on the day the electoral college casts its collective vote. (Mercury is also closely conjunct to Pluto at the time it retrogrades and the Moon will be squaring Saturn, so no matter how this vote turns out, it’s likely to be a disappointment for many).
Mercury will retrograde back through Capricorn until January 3rd, when it briefly steps back into Sagittarius (for about 10 days), and then moves back in on the 12th. This puts Mercury in Capricorn for roughly two months (as opposed to its usual 3/4 weeks).
The good news is that the world really does keep on turning when Mercury goes retrograde. People do fall in love, get married, have babies, win lotteries. In other words, the “unexpected” is not always such a bad thing. So expect the unexpected, and be on the lookout for a few curve balls to be thrown your way — as well as some unanticipated gifts and surprises — over the next several weeks.
Continuing with Mercury, it semi-sextiles Venus on Tuesday, a recurrence of an earlier transit (back in November) when both Mercury and Venus were at zero degrees of their respective signs. This is a relatively common aspect, since Mercury and Venus are always relatively close to one another along the ecliptic.
In general this transit is about being in touch with your feelings enough to put them into words, and it’s about wanting to express what you feel openly and honestly. The Mercury retrograde portion of this aspect can see you taking a trip down memory lane, or feeling the urge to reach out and touch someone from your past.
On Wednesday, the Sun enters Capricorn. This marks the onset of Winter (the Winter Solstice) for those in the Northern Hemisphere. From an astronomical perspective, this is the time when the Sun reaches its southernmost declination and manifests as the shortest day and longest night of the year. (It’s exactly opposite for those in the Southern Hemisphere).
Astrologically it represents the Sun (ego, will, Self, etc) entering the sign of the Sea Goat, the archetype known for its ability to rise from the bottom of the deepest sea to the top of the highest mountain. As we tie up the last few days of the year, we may be all thinking “thank God this one is almost over” and making plans to do more, better and bigger next year. That’s the Sun in Capricorn.
The Moon in Libra trines Venus on Thursday, while Venus semi-sextiles Pluto. This combination is romantic and sensuous, with a strong urge to merge and to form deep, meaningful connections with others. The goal for Venus and Pluto is to transform personal values. But the theme (corroborated by Venus’ trine and Pluto’s square to the Libra Moon) is one of passion and intensity emotional connections, which are likely to bring fireworks.
Whether this manifests as an explosive confrontation (Moon square Pluto) or a passionate interlude with a romantic partner (Venus trine Moon and Jupiter) remains to be seen.
The weekend’s transits are relatively minor, with a a void of course Moon on Friday, until around 2:30 pm when it moves from Libra into Scorpio. There are several lunar transits during this time — including a sextile to the Sun and a trine to Mars, both of which are comfortable easy-going transits.
Then on Saturday, the Moon (still in Scorpio) trines Neptune and the South Node, and sextiles Mercury and Pluto before the day is through. These transits are also mostly benign. They’re excellent for winding down the week on a mellow note, and are great for spending time with loved ones and family members.
That’s it for this week, see you next Sunday!
Here is this week’s astro calendar; click on it to view it full-sized.
Weekly Astro Forecast —
Dec 18, 2016 – Dec 24, 2016
By
Thinking about learning Astrology? I highly recommend Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook and Demetra George’s Astrology for Yourself.
Don’t forget to check out more Weekly Astro Forecasts and our Monthly Horoscopes too!
Want to see where these transits are hitting your natal chart? Check out our Free Natal Chart Calculator.
You can also read more of my articles here.
Personal Consultations:
If you would like to schedule a session with me, there are two ways to go about it. You can either purchase time either per minute (via Click4Advisor) or in blocks of 10-, 30- or 60-minutes (via PayPal). If I’m not showing as available, or if you want to purchase blocks of time through PayPal, please feel free to email me:
 | New Clients: First Paid Session Only! 3 Minutes Free! Flat-rate sessions available in 10-, 30- or 60-minute increments: Choose from the menu below: |