The themes of dying and being reborn are universal around the world. Indeed, the very fact of the Solar cycle as it is, with shorter days changing to longer; moving from less to more light; the analogy of death and rebirth echoed through our existence, lead us to the marking of our times in between solstices, Summer, and Winter. The song “Winter Solstice Sunrise” is a fitting theme for my pagan astrology for Yule.
We are the earth, we are the womb
Come rising sun, lead us from the tomb
We are the earth (the frozen earth),
We are the womb (this fruitful womb)
Come rising sun (come solstice sun),
Lead us from the tomb (we wait for you)We are the earth (this longest night)
“Winter Solstice Sunrise,” by Ariana Lightningstorm, (c) 1990 KIVA; descant lyrics by Deirdre Pulgram Arthen Recorded by MotherTongue on “This Winter’s Night”
We are the womb (this darkest hour)
Come rising sun (we greet the dawn)
Lead us from the tomb (we are reborn)
This Yule is, not only the next one; it is a strong marker of the period. At the point of Yule, December 21, 8:59:17 AM, MST, the sun has risen less than 2 hours prior. Certainly the “New Light” of the world beginning at Sunrise. But also, Pluto and Venus are in conjunction right around the Ascendant point in the East! The theme of “Death Conquered” is right there in our faces. And to put an even finer point on it, the Moon (not long past the Full Moon on the 18th) is in a remarkably close opposition to all this, bringing in the theme of Mother, looking to be in the connection of Life and Death, Roots and a New Beginning.
This is the period we arrive at after waiting through the dark to be reborn into.
Of course, the usual. This is for fun and perhaps reflection. Readings are for the period from the weeks leading into Yule and on into January, winding down before Imbolc. Please party responsibly; wildly, but responsibly. Toast with some mead for me!
A Very Merry Yule to All!
PS: As I was putting the readings together and looking at the charts, I realized that I was also seeing a rather rare happening in the sky from about the Solstice to Jan. 2nd. Culminating on Jan 2nd, a clear Western sky allowing it, right after sunset we can see the Moon (probably not see it since it’s still in the New Moon phase and still too close to the Sun), then, order of altitude from Western horizon up, Mercury, Pluto ((that will not be seen unless you have an amazing telescope!) , Venus, Saturn, Jupiter. Will be a cool sight!
Astrology for Yule, 2021: readings
Aries
This is cool! Your planet, Mars, is making a lovely trine to Chiron and right between them is Saturn, sextiling both. Could you be in the position of THE healer here? Easy flow of energy to from Mars (energy source!) to Chiron, the healer. You may be finding yourself in the middle of some fray or misunderstanding and you are the one to talk people down, get them to cool off, see the other point of view. That Saturn in sextile to both is aiding that action. Adding a bit of backbone to the muscle. Moral resolve to the movement. As it should be.
Taurus
I see a couple of things happening around you. Venus, your ruler has just gone Retrograde in Capricorn before Yule and will stay in Cappy to Oestara. There is this feeling of love or heart connection from afar. It’s distanced so may feel not great. The other is the Nodes are changing sign the day after Yule. North Node is going into Taurus for the next about 19 months. That is, in a way, just the opposite of what Venus is saying. At least The Node is saying it is time to get in touch with your physical, earthy side. Hmmm, really? “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with”?
Gemini
You are going to be busy for the next while! All those trips to the Underworld coming up! Starting with Mercury leading the Sun now, Mercury crosses Pluto 3 times from Dec. 30th. To February 11. Then Mercury crosses Saturn on March 2, to report in on the lesson learned, no doubt. This is kind of a big deal. The messenger of the Gods having a lot of connection with the 2 heaviest! Sounds like you are heading off to a shamanic drumming ritual. “Underground Journey” is more like it. They usually are, no?
Cancer
Relationships seem to be a bit….up in the air? At least a lot going on with partners or potential partners. After having crossed Pluto earlier in Dec., Venus is retrograding back over Pluto. In fact, Venus will cross paths with Mercury, Mars, and the Sun as well this period. Sounds like a lot of cross talk, clear up communication, dive deeper into what is going on. Any contact with your personal planets will bring out this more. Mainly, though, it’s the connection to Pluto that strikes me. That’s intense! However, Venus and Mars do connect in February so perhaps there is a happy conclusion here.
Leo
I’m seeing work issues big time with you. Could be Interesting with new people and new energies to deal with. Could be stressful with too many cooks playing in the soup. With the retrograde of Venus crossing paths with The and direct motions happening this period with all the players involved, it will be until later in February when Venus is direct and connects with Mars in a creative way that things will straighten out. Then, the usual roar of work will start to hum again. Should be a bit extra productive too!
Virgo
What looks like the big push for you now is your creativity! Looks like you have a LOT of juice to use in whatever your projects are now. The fascinating thing is that there will be a lot of input from around you and it could be confusing. Do not let your vision be clouded with too many “ifs” or “buts” now. Sure, consider other approaches to what you want to say, but in the end, it is your soul being put shown here. Stay true to yourself and your vision. That would be the best expression of yourself, no?
Libra
Home or what passes for home now is looking interesting now. Moving? At least you are rearranging things. Whatever your situation, it will be with some deep feeling. A lot of love and care is going into your decisions now. This is not a carefree undertaking. Sounds like you are inviting into your home, or you are looking to move into someone else’s home. Or you are, more likely, creating a new joint home with someone else. As long as it’s for the highest good of all, I see no problems.
Scorpio
Communication is highlighted now. On Dec. 23rd. the South Node of the Moon will slide back into Scorpio. It’s an interesting time for you. The next 19 months will be about looking at the past, good and bad; what worked (diving deeply into passion or manipulation) and/or seeing how being there brought you to here and what is there to learn now. Scorpio is about Pluto (and Mars was the old ruler) and that is about having some intense Karma to deal with. You can go low; you can go high. Try to go wisely.
Sagittarius
Yes, this is the end of your season. But I’ve never known a Sag. To go quietly! They just don’t do quiet. Big, boisterous, full of life and energy! This period your energy will be taken up with what you value and what your legacy will be. Not that you are going away. We all have to step back into the wings for the following act to have its time. That’s OK, really. Even a wild Sag. needs time to recoup. Anyway, you have other things up your sleeve.
Capricorn
Happy Birthday, Capricorn! It can feel very nice to lead off the Solar year in your fashion. There is still a lot of juice in your sign so it may feel extra special. It may feel like there is so much to do still, even though the Solar year is young. But you understand the trick of time. The future is merely around the corner. Work now, you will see results soon enough. Your ruler, Saturn is just coming into the last square to Uranus (this has been an almost year long transit!) The lessons learned from it will be paying off now. Duty vs. Freedom, essentially. Learn to do both together.
Aquarius
Saturn is continuing to be in your sign and is now coming out of the square to your other ruler, Uranus. This would be a tense time that now will be easing. Kind of a right of passage for you. That Uranus is in your solar 4th house so there will be a feeling of moving. Moving home or changing home, moving away from old circumstances, moving into your future. That would be right when it’s time. Right now, it may very well be time. Being pushed into your future is not an unusual feeling or experience. We are talking about ALL of you, together.
Pisces
You have a lot of movement happening in your sign! It’s ONLY your two rulers, Jupiter and Neptune. They conjunct in Pisces! The last time that happened was in 2009. The time before that was 1856! I think that is cool. Jupiter will be in Pisces starting on Dec. 28, this year. They conjunct a bit later, in April. I see this as a real coming together of (two of) your sides, dreamer, and achiever. Dare to dream big; build on those dreams, find a path for them to materialize. Let Spirit guide you. You can do this!
photos by Rob Green