Episode #258: First Quarter Moon, Winter Solstice, Mercury’s Cazimi & Regress into Sagittarius, and Christmas—A Sliver of Hope & Light Returns
Weekly Forecast For Tuesday, December 19—Monday, December 25, 2023
Show Notes:
Here are the timestamps for the weekly forecast:
0:00 intro
0:33 title and date
0:48 Good morning, friends! Updates
1:57 weekly overview
2:40 Tuesday, December 19, 2023—First Quarter Moon in Pisces
4:00 Thursday, December 21, 2023—Winter Solstice, Sun enters Capricorn
6:09 Friday, December 22, 2023—Mercury’s Cazimi
6:57 Saturday, December 23, 2023—Mercury Retrograde enters Sagittarius
7:37 Tarot cards for the week
11:45 In conclusion
12:00 End Remarks
Transcript:
You’re listening to the AstroMommy Weekly horoscope, a forecast that hopes to shine a light in the dark, helping us all see where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Whether you’re a first-time listener or a long-time subscriber, thanks for being here! I truly appreciate you being in the AstroMommy community. I hope you enjoy this week’s horoscopes and card reading.
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Without further ado, here is the weekly horoscope.
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Good morning, friends!
I hope that this last week found you well and happy! One of the things that I have been exploring for my family this year is how to celebrate the Winter Solstice more traditionally, so I am going to share some resources that I have found for that in this week’s post at the end.
I’d like to remind everyone that there are fun gifts in the family Etsy shop for this holiday season. Our best seller is the embroidered Taurus patch, drawn and designed by my daughter, Kaliandra, The PieQuarius! We have these printed at a print shop when they are ordered and shipped out directly to you, this way we are not wasting materials making stock—they are made on-demand when they are ordered!
A lot of love went into the design process and my daughter and I spent hours working with the print shop to get a beautifully finished product that we could be proud to offer in our shop. Of course, we offer all 12 Zodiac Signs, all designed by my daughter. We hope you check them out!
Also, another reminder, I won’t be posting a daily check-in on Monday, December 25, 2023, or January 1, 2024, as I will be in celebration with my family.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday week ahead! Thank you for being here and spending some of it with me! :)
Okay, let’s get into… the astrology
(All times are in Eastern Time (ET) unless mentioned otherwise)
The Weekly Overview
This week we have four important transits to focus on. The first is that the First Quarter Moon in Pisces is on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
The second is that the Sun will ingress into Capricorn, marking the Winter Solstice, on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
The third is Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun, his Cazimi moment, on Friday, December 22, 2023.
And finally, the fourth is that Mercury will move back into Sagittarius in his retrograde motion on Saturday, December 23, 2023.
Okay, so let’s summarize these transits a bit.
First Quarter Moon in Pisces, December 19, 2023
You can see the sun in Sagittarius in the upper right of the chart above and the Moon in Pisces in the upper left of the chart and together they are making a 90° angle.
The First Quarter square of the Moon marks a crisis point where decisions need to be made and actions need to be taken. It’s a point in the cycle when the Moon is individuating from the Sun, showing more of her true form and breaking away from whatever restraints she’s been feeling. In the sky at this time we will see the Moon as a half-moon with the right half of her surface lit up by the light of the Sun—this is shown in the chart as well because the Sun is to the right of the Moon along the wheel if we move from the Moon to the Sun in a clock-wise motion, indicating that the light will be coming from the Western horizon and thus lighting up the right half of the Moon.
The First Quarter phase is a time for making and executing plans and making progress! With the Moon in Pisces and the Sun in Sagittarius, this could feel like we have been intuitively pulled toward something that feels very kin to ourselves, like drops of water collecting together to form a bigger drop or a puddle, but we are now being asked to decide on the higher purpose of this unification, “What is it for?” “Is it bringing more faith, more hope, or more vision?” “Does it align with our long-term plans?” “How does it add to the overall storyline?”
Winter Solstice--Sun in Capricorn—Happy Birthday, Capricorns!
You can see in the chart above the Sun in the lower right of the chart, very close to Mercury. When the Sun enters Capricorn this is called the Winter Solstice and officially marks the beginning of the winter season.
Not only have I been studying the Winter Solstice from an astrological perspective, but also from a homeschool perspective—how can I teach more about this time of year and how can we celebrate this change in season through song, ritual, and community?
My children have shown an interest in moving away from some of the more religious Christmas traditions toward more nature-based festivities and so this year we are celebrating the Winter Solstice with an actual activity. The plan is to make a bonfire and write a wish on a piece of paper to cast into the fire on the night of the Solstice. I found this idea listed in the blog post, How to Celebrate Winter Solstice With Kids by Meghan Fitzgerald (Dec 15) on the website Tinkergarten1. As a newbie to Solstice rituals, I am excited to also learn a few solstice chants and participate in a Winter Solstice online festival with my kids hosted by Sue & Staśa online.
It should be interesting, educational, and fun!
The Winter Solstice, as you all probably know, is the longest night of the year and marks the beginning of Winter. What is interesting is that after this night, the days begin to lengthen until the night and day are of equal length on the Spring Equinox, which is also when the Sun ingresses into the sign of Aries using the tropical zodiac.
So, as I said, you can see the Sun in Capricorn at the bottom of the chart, slightly to the right. The Moon has just made a trine to the Sun, but it was when they were both in the fire signs Aries and Sagittarius. Both the Moon and the Sun ingressed into the next signs still in trine to each other. I think this is the most interesting thing of all about this chart because it means that during Capricorn season we may go through a transition to the plotline or story of our lives, but also to our circumstances and how we feel about how our lives are unfolding. I also think this may be an improvement because the Moon is moving into her exaltation representing our circumstances, environments, or attitudes improving. So, that is very positive.
Mercury’s Cazimi
You can see the Earth, Mercury, and the Sun in perfect alignment in the above picture from Solar System Scope. Below is the astrological chart of the same configuration (visualize the Earth at the center of the chart).
Mercury is Cazimi when he is in conjunction with the Sun and this placement is said to be “in the heart of the King, “ or “on the lap of the King,” and is supposed to boost Mercury’s abilities to express himself.
We can use this time to focus on mercurial things like writing, talking, public speaking, telling stories, joking, or singing. Basically, anything to do with the written and spoken word. It’s especially interesting in Capricorn because if Mercury is words and speech and Capricorn, ruled by Saturn is flesh and bone, it could be a very good time for manifesting things through spellwork, affirmation, and/or mantras.
Mercury Regresses into Sagittarius
Mercury will move back into Sagittarius on Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 1:17 am ET.
You can see in the chart above that Mercury is at the bottom of the chart in Sagittarius and is now looking at Mars whom he will meet up with on December 27, 2023, next week. So, Mercury’s gaze is at something that might be a little bit risky, zealous, or adventurous and he could be feeling pretty jazzed up about it! There could be a lot of people talking about their travel plans, sharing their stories, and exaggerating the details when Mercury moves back into Sagittarius. Could be fun, comical, and entertaining, or it could be a bit dramatic, treacherous, or reckless.
The Tarot Spread
Let’s move on to a 3-card spread for the week representing You, The Relationship, and Your Partner.
Please choose the person that you will be focusing on for this reading before you read the interpretations.
The first card representing You is:
Page of Coins
The Page of Coins represents taking on new responsibilities in your life in matters like money, home, and anything tangible. He is trustworthy, responsible, and offers his assistance.
I feel that this card is saying that you are focusing on your work at this time or you have an idea for a project, business, or something in the material realm that you would like to present to your partner, or maybe you already have. You feel this venture could be prosperous or fruitful.
The second card representing The Relationship is:
VIII of Cups
The Eight of Cups is about separation, frustration, and a painful experience, so as the card that represents the “The Relationship”—I think this may symbolize that there may be feelings of disappointment. It could either represent something that has already happened or something that is going to happen that could result in some sadness and grief.
This card is about giving everything to others and feeling like you do not have anything left emotionally to nurture yourself. It can bring up feelings of depression, gloominess, and lethargy because we are so tired of carrying all this emotional stuff.
So, I think that this card is a reality check about the boundaries and limitations of the relationship. You must lighten your load emotionally so that you have the energy to take care of yourself, as well as give to the partnership. Decide on your limits and then stick to them.
Feeling sorry for yourself that you are carrying the burden of the relationship isn’t going to help anyone or yourself, so make the necessary changes so that you can move forward. Your mood may need to change to accomplish this, and it can only change if you speak up about your real feelings and needs.
And the third card representing Your Partner is:
II The High Priestess—Reversed
On this card we see the High Priestess wearing a crown and holding a crystal ball in her hands.
In the upright position, the High priestess is about someone who is very connected to their intuition and tuning into that sacred reservoir of knowledge and wisdom that comes from the subconscious mind. It also can indicate that the person is open to you on a subconscious level.
In the reversed position, it means that your partner is feeling disconnected from their intuition or feeling very influenced by the thoughts and feelings of others and thus not listening to their own inner guidance. It could also mean that they are closed-off to you psychically and may even be consciously blocking you.
Whatever happened with the Eight of Cups has them feeling some type of way about you and the relationship and they have retreated into themselves and very far away from connecting.
So, to recap:
You are feeling capable, responsible, and like you have many things to do, or you have an idea for a business, project, or skill that you’d like to learn and you’d appreciate the support from your partner about it.
The relationship itself is going through a bit of a transition, leaving behind a way in which it once was and hopefully moving on to a better future, but there may be some loss or grief about letting go of the old ways or old pastimes that surrounded the relationship or maybe even things that the foundation of the relationship was built upon. Either way, there is a bit of grief and sadness about the change. You or your partner may be feeling like you have put in a ton of effort into the relationship and now you are deciding to walk away or change the dynamic in some way and it is emotional.
Your partner is not fully listening to their intuition or they are not connecting to you on a deep level. Maybe they’ve been putting their head in the sand about the reality of the situation and that is why the relationship is going through this transition because it’s hit a peak point where things can not be ignored any longer. Or maybe they are blocking you psychically because they are hurt and sad.
There is something about this reading that makes me feel like the give and take are not equal or that you may feel like you are giving more, as represented by the Page of Coins, than your partner, especially in the material realm of tangible things, like money and resources. Your partner is holding themselves back for some reason and this may be causing you to sort of give up on the idea of there being a feeling of equality.
I feel the biggest thing from this reading is that the communication has broken down somewhere, so that may be the first place to explore.
In conclusion for the weekly forecast…
I would like to share with you a great website resource I found for Winter Solstice chants with lots of links to the songs on YouTube. My kids and I are going to learn a couple, probably the shorter, easier ones.
Do you celebrate the Winter Solstice? If so, how do you celebrate?
I hope this is helpful! Happy Holidays!!
Until tomorrow,
AstroMommy
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Today’s card was pulled from the Celtic Tarot by Helena Paterson available on Amazon.
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“How to Celebrate Winter Solstice with Kids.” Tinkergarten, tinkergarten.com/blog/how-to-celebrate-winter-solstice-with-kids. Accessed 18 Dec. 2023