As I write this post the moon and Venus are both in the constellation of Ophiuchus - the moon is asking us to connect to our subconscious and take a nurturing approach to life's challenges whilst Venus brings intense transformative love.

At 17:28 UT the moon will catch up and join (conjunct) Venus at 8 degrees 45 minutes of Ophiuchus blending emotional needs with affection and beauty emphasising comfort through relationships and aesthetic sensitivity. Six hours later the moon will pass over the Galactic Centre as both Mars and the sun have done recently.

In the words of Vedic astrologer Juliana Swanson:-

The cosmic energy will be especially intense around December 19. This is because the New Moon will occur at 4 degrees of Sagittarius in the Galactic Center on December 19, at 8:43 PM EST (December 20 at 1:43 AM UTC). The New Moon (Sun and Moon) will further conjoin Mars, all within the nakshatra of purification and liberation known as Mula, which is at the “root center” of our Milky Way Galaxy.

Venus will also be moving toward the edge of Mula at the time of the New Moon. This alignment of celestial bodies occurring near the time of the solstice still point in the Galactic Center suggests a profound time for contemplation, adventure, self-exploration, and healing.

I have cited the Vedic interpretation as this is one of the rare occasions that the sidereal and tropical zodiacs actually tie up with the astronomical constellation used in true sidereal as both the moon and Venus will actually be in Sagittarius. (The moon will be at 1 degree in true sidereal, 4 degrees in sidereal (Vedic) and 28 degrees in tropical),

However, when it comes to the winter solstice, the time when the sun reaches it's furthest point south of the Equator (directly over the imaginary line of 23.5 degrees of latitude, known as the Tropic of Capricorn) it's a different matter entirely. In tropical astrology, which is aligned these days with the seasons, it will be deemed as having entered the zodiac sign of Capricorn whilst in sidereal astrology it will be at 4 degrees of Sagittarius and in true sidereal it will be a further two degrees behind. In all three cases there will be a potent conjunction of the sun, Venus and the asteroid Juno (located between Mars and Jupiter it is associated with commitment, fairness and compromise) with the Galactic Centre.

The winter solstice for the northern hemisphere marks the rebirth of the light as the days will gradually become longer whilst the reverse is true in the southern hemisphere.

I can't end this post without reference to the interstellar object 3i/Atlas which today has reached the closest distance it will come to Earth (twice the distance between us and the sun) and for which I have created a dedicated web page with photos and links to live videos.

All it remains for me to say is thank you for your support and to offer you the season's greetings.