DECEMBER THEME: GRATITUDE AND JUBILATION
by Simone Butler

I breathed a sigh of relief when the Sun moved into optimistic Sagittarius on November 21^st. Good news, at last! As it did for many of us, the Scorpio timeframe took me deep into an emotional well to face my fears and find my strength. I learned to let go and trust that the Unseen will sustain me.

Communicator Mercury turns forward on December 3. Then, Mars forges ahead on December 9 after slogging backward through Taurus for two months. We’re almost done with delays, false starts and reviewing the past. Soon we will be ready to move ahead on projects, plans and partnerships that have been pending since September.

Mars, the warrior, makes his bid for freedom at the ninth degree of Taurus, while traveling opposite Jupiter at the ninth degree of Scorpio. Whenever there is an intensification of a certain degree of the zodiac, we look to the Sabian Symbol, or mystical image, that describes it to see what it means for the collective consciousness. The image for nine degrees of Taurus, where Mars remains for most of December, is: A fully decorated Christmas tree.

Here is Dane Rudhyar’s interpretation of this Sabian Symbol, from An Astrological Mandala: “The ability to create inner happiness in dark hours. In northern or mountainous countries where the Christmas tree symbol took form, we find a contrast between the tree outside, bare and normally covered with snow. and the tree inside the home, loaded with decorations and gifts for the family. The closely united group has created abundance, beauty and happiness within, overcoming the cold barrenness of the outside world.”

Rudhyar defined the essential meaning of the ninth degree of Taurus as faith in cyclic renewal. Times are hard for many people now. We are challenged to trust and have faith in the future. In the Mayan Calendar, we enter a period known as the Fourth Night on the evening of November 28. (This coincides with a candlelight ceremony to honor Ian Lungold, torchbearer for the Mayan Calendar's message about the evolution of consciousness, who passed on November 16.) The Fourth Night, according to Carl Calleman, author of The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness, represents a year of preparation before Quetzalcoatl, or galactic Christ consciousness, sweeps the world on November 24, 2006 at the dawn of the Fifth Day.

Jupiter and Mars now trumpet the message that no matter how dark things seem on the outside, we can still find warmth and happiness within. Jupiter in Scorpio conjures, and Mars in Taurus manifests. Magic is afoot. This planetary opposition signals an eruption of power that has been building up over time. The Christmas tree symbol would be even more poignant if the embattled warriors in Iraq return from the barren darkness into the embracing family fold. Let's pray that it be so. Either way, may the generosity and gratitude of this time warm your heart and help you find the true spirit of the season. 

© 2005 Simone Butler.

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