On December 11th Mercury re-enters tropical Sagittarius and begins a week of important transits that bring the opportunity to re-consider our personal direction within the Bigger Picture. With the December solstice 2012 just days away this will be of immense value in preparing for the transition into the new solar cycle and help us to get wise to what that fabled date really means to us.

The action between Mercury and the outer planets is fast paced through the seven days leading up to the 18th when Mercury in Jupiter’s home sign will oppose Jupiter in Gemini, Mercury’s home sign,  and the Sun will conjunct the galactic center. In between, Mercury will square Neptune, trine Uranus and square Chiron. And, as if this were not significant enough, on December 13th we have a new Moon in Sagittarius, so, when Mercury opposes Jupiter it will also be coming into a T-square with the first quarter Moon and Jupiter. This will coincide with the Moon transiting both Neptune and Chiron, so all the thought we have given to just who and what we are within the ‘immensity of it all’ will meet with a reality check…..and thats just seeing the evolving ongoing chart from the perspective of Mercury’s transit……

A release from illusion and revision of our life philosophy is called for in Mercury coming into Sagittarius and this is doubled with profound effect through Mercury’s square with Neptune. Best advice here is to be patient with ourselves and, if we are experiencing confusion, if it all seems too much to take in, to simply wait for the fog to clear – while waiting, getting creative and bringing out our personal artistry and imagination will help us to avoid feeling bogged down and directionless. Just making collages from meaningful images in unlikely combinations and enjoying the story revealing itself in the process will be hugely rewarding, no matter the medium we work in. Letting our voice emerge in song, stream of consciousness writing or chilling with our favourite films will allow the current of incoming mental energy to flow freely, but, if there is a caviat, it would be to avoid excess, and relax – remember, be patient as the new Moon will help us to ground the underlying themes and earth the energy that has been streaming in, whether we have been aware of it or not. If we then look back on new Moon at what we have created through this time, we may discover something of great value that otherwise might never have seen the light of day! There may be a way of celebrating ‘what’s coming’ in there…..

This will also be an important time to take advantage of the healing that our dreams and our personal dreaming bring –  rather than getting hooked on the symbolic content of our nocturnal dramas and journeys, notice the feelings they bring on awakening and acknowledge them – then let them go. This can be a time for forgiving ourselves, letting the soft animal nature of our sleeping self off the hook of our human mentality – if we do so, then, when Uranus and Chiron come into view over the days immediately following new Moon we will be ready to receive the divine spark of inspiration and the wisdom that the animal powers can bring to us. Remember, in many indigenous traditions the medicine animals are the keepers of star-lore on Earth – this is our time to honour our personal totems and animal guides, and, in the coming week, as the solstice energy arrives, their role in our lives will become much clearer and more meaningful, especially in our relationship to the evolution and restoration of balance in ‘how we are living’ on our home planet.

Jupiter in mutual reception and opposition with Mercury asks for these kinds of partnerships to be allowed to have their say now. Jupiter is also at the action point of the ‘solstice yod’ that sees Saturn in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn, and they will be sending a deep and powerful message of transformation through Jupiter – if we find ourselves at a fork in the road, this will be the prime time to choose which road we will be taking in realising and co-creating a better world.  As Jupiter in Gemini might well be saying, ‘there can be no greater cause in our time than the restoration of right relationship with our Earth and the Cosmos’. This is a time of big medicine – with Mercury coming out of the ‘shadow zone of its retrograde period, with the asteroid Aphrodyte conjunct the new Moon, Venus entering Sagittarius just two days later and Sun conjunct the galactic center, the heart of our galaxy’s star nations, on December 18th just three days before solstice, if we let the power flow through us, by the time solstice arrives the message should be clear……

Live from the heart…….and have a great new Moon!