Dancing in the Dark at December Solstice 2011

by Teresa Kelly

December 2011 Solstice occurs on December 22 at 12:30 a.m. eastern standard time. It is the shortest day of the year. Solstice is the time when the sun appears to stand still for three days on the horizon. This pause feels like a still point, like the pause of a pendulum before it swings. Imagine how it appeared to the ancients as the sunlight slowly diminished and the sun appeared to be stuck in the same place on the horizon.  The ancients marked the seasonal points as the year turned and learned to have faith in the return of the light as part of the rhythms of the natural world. The Winter Solstice was celebrated as the return of the Sun. The ensuing gradual lengthening of days signaled all was well and the cycles of the seasons continued.

This year Solstice follows a remarkable full Lunar Eclipse during a Mercury retrograde. The energy is clearing and feeling accelerated as we approach the Winter Solstice window. Uranus and the Sun square the winter Solstice in 2011 and a Moon Venus conjunction follows marking the passage of the third Venus Gate and the reclaiming of personal power. In tandem with all of this, Pluto continues its steady march through Capricorn. How does this apply in day to day living?

With Pluto in Capricorn, we see the underpinnings of our corporate, government and social structure being churned up as if by a giant cosmic Auger. When was the last time our planet’s populations were so fraught with unrest? As the planetary collective is traveling thru the underworld, mining and casting aside dross, so are we as individuals. With this as the primary backdrop as Pluto transits Capricorn we experience the underground of the cycles and transits of the Earth and Sky.

While the collective is affected by this long Plutonian cycle of mining the diamonds of a new paradigm,  those with strong Capricorn influences in their natal chart are privileged to experience this phenomena on deeper a personal level as well. Capricorn holds the operating manual for the collective. The manual is in dire need of updating. Making this kind of shift at the root level requires drastic action as has been seen recently with uprising in countries fed up with their leadership and weather events cleansing the earth causing great pain, upheaval and renewal in all corners of the planet.

Recently Mercury in retrograde assisted in accelerating shifts in perceptions and communication, opening opportunities to experience new ways to perceive and process.  The Lunar eclipse gave pause in the chaos giving us the opportunity to evaluate the journey we are making toward our truth. What synchronicity is seen on the world stage as the Egyptians have reviewed their situation and decided while the major change they made a year ago was great, there is still some tweaking to do to reach what is right for them in the way of leadership, governance and way of life.

Approaching Solstice energized by new perceptions and personal truth, we are asked to recognize the old paradigm clinging in the shadows and to honor it for its service in the past.  The light returns, illuminating the parts that can be purged, creating space for the parts that worked, parts that can be reinvented, and parts that are yet to be created for use in the present in service to the next seven generations.

Sounds simple and methodical in theory. How do we navigate what looks hard on a personal level?  Help is in the transits. Uranus’s dance of radical, unpredictable, unexpected change fuel injected with the Capricorn Sun affects the contemplative and gratitude laced energy of the Winter Solstice.  Following Solstice Venus reaches the 3^rd Gate, offering the opportunity pass this threshold and claim our personal power.

Old Capricorn realizes change is needed and is clutching the worn, outdated and frayed pages of the operating manual because while it is torn and many pages have been ripped and rewritten, the old ways are familiar and the enormity of the task at hand is paralyzing.  The shifting of rich deeply rooted ways and means is difficult and requires events of extreme novelty to shake the pages loose. Fueled by the energy, wisdom and experience of the sages, the New Capricorn is bursting at the seams, ready to take the operating manual through another edit and celebrate with a grand release party.

Many of my friends and co-workers have been making huge changes from cleaning out the basement to changing jobs. In the process these changes often are painful, stressful and feel unbearable. Then just as it seems too much, a small sparkle appears in the dark.  Still buried, but a small glimmer of hope that this is the way and it is working.  It inspires and energizes and keeps us moving forward.

The time leading to Solstice gives the opportunity to reflect on what intentions are being brought to light.  Pluto asks us to review our own operating manual. Are we relying on the book our parents wrote for us? A teacher? Society? It is time to write our own book. It is time to tear out the pages that are old and out of date and write new entries reflecting our life experience alchemized for our life going forward. How can the wisdom of the past serve our future? What new ideas and ways can be applied to create our new life, the new world?

Embrace the gift of unexpected change. What change are you fighting? Would perseverance or another perspective shine new light and provide new insight? Yes, the event may come as a death, it may come as a raise in salary, it may come as a blizzard, it may come as a grandchild. Whatever form it takes, Capricorn is fueling the energy of wisdom of the past for use now to benefit and support the future.

What does the death bring to light for you? Does it challenge your beliefs and ways?

How are you going to incorporate that raise in means? Expand into it? Apply old dysfunctional money beliefs, or try new ways to use your abundance? Recently this came into my life and there was a moment of fallback into old habits and lack mentality. It took an unexpected, inconveniently timed, temporary loss of income to shake me back to the present.

Does the blizzard bring opportunity to be still or at home instead of running? Does it catalyze another event? A few years ago a blizzard gave me pause to reflect on past experiences and remember the gratitude I have for them.

Does the arrival of your grandchild have you reflecting on the future of our planet? Of actions you can take to provide a safe environment for her generation?

And the purpose is not always immediately clear.  Our money crisis happened in the wake of great news of a raise. The raise did not appear as “expected” on the next paycheck because of late paperwork. The money shortage triggered a few weeks in the underground with Pluto, until I figured out that we had put the cart before the horse.  The resulting experience was a reminder of the past lack and bad habits. Our idea of unexpected change inducing events is often shattered. Unexpected blessings can be thought provoking and action inspiring as the stereotypical extreme event.

This year’s Winter Solstice auspiciously engaging the Uranus Capricorn square gives us the opportunity, the time, the darkness and the turning of the night into light to experience, reflect and offer gratitude and take action. The space to create a new sentence, a new page, or even a new chapter in our personal operating manual. We get to choose how we engage in the cosmic dance. And as we dance, our actions reflect above and below, within and without.  We dance with Venus through the 3^rd Gate, reclaiming personal power. What a blessed gift as the calendar year comes to a close!

Teresa M. Kelly Contact:  tmkelly1979@gmail.com
Teresa is a Certified Shamanic Astrologer (2006) and past president of the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School. She applies the principles of Shamanic Astrology in her coaching practice and in the realm of urban agriculture, food sovereignty and policy change.