Astrology & the Spirit of Christmas

By Nikki Worth

Many of us are gearing up to celebrate Christmas with friends and loved ones but what is the deeper significance of the day? People of different faiths have their own beliefs and customs relating to this time of year, and astrologers are no exception.

Astrology is the study of the cycles of the planets and how they affect Earth and her inhabitants. Mankind has been gazing up at the heavens for a long time, and over time noticed that the stars and planets form patterns that correlate to events here on Earth. When the Sun crosses the celestial equator at the March Equinox it moves into the tropical sign of Aries. Tropical astrologers follow the seasons, and their astrological year begins at this time. This year, December 22 marks the Summer Solstice, when the Sun dominates the sky, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night. In the southern hemisphere, the Earth is fully tilted towards the Sun, which sits directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Of course the opposite is happening in the Northern Hemisphere, where this time marks the beginning of their winter.

The term 'solstice' comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination - that is, the apparent movement of the Sun's path north or south comes to a stop before reversing direction. The solstices, together with the equinoxes (equal night and day), are connected with the seasons, and in many cultures they separate the seasons. In astrology, the solstices and equinoxes mark the cardinal ingresses, when the Sun moves into the signs of Christmas is a European tradition that originates from the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs at the coldest time of the year when the days are short. Celebrations at the time of the Winter Solstice honour the return of the Sun. For 3 days from December 22 the Sun rises to the same position in the sky ('stands still') until on December 25 it ascends one degree higher in the sky - the day is slightly longer, the light is returning, the Sun King is reborn. Popular in the western world at this time, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Yalda, Saturnalia, Korochun, Hanukkah, and Yule are also celebrated around the same time. Yalda is an Iranian festival that marks the longest night of the year; the Saturnalia was a Roman feast dedicated to Saturn (ruler of Capricorn); Korochun is a Slavic holiday that honours the death of the old sun and the birth of the new sun; Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights; and Yule was a Germanic pagan solstice festival later absorbed into Christianity.

The date of Christmas was chosen to replace the Saturnalia and the solstice. Christmas Day marks the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas, which end on the eve of Epiphany, January 5. The 12 days may also reflect the 12 apostles, or perhaps the 12 tribes of Israel. There are also 12 Olympians, 12 signs of the zodiac, and in Hinduism, the sun god Surya has 12 names. The story of the birth of the son of god, the saviour, heralded by the star in the east and the three wise men has astrological origins. On the eve of December 24 in the Northern Hemisphere, Sirius rises in the east followed by the 3 stars in the belt of Orion, the three wise men, and many hours later the Sun rises at the same point and ascends one degree higher in the sky. So for 3 days the Sun was stationary, at its lowest point in the sky, and then it begins to rise in the sky heralded by Sirius and the 3 stars of Orion. It was said of this phenomenon that the Sun, the physical manifestation of god, was born each year. The Sun was (and still is) very important to the growing of crops for food. The rebirth of the Sun reaffirms the cycle of life - birth, death, rebirth.

For astrologers, this time marks the ingress of the Sun into the cardinal sign of Capricorn. There are four times of the year when the Sun moves into 'cardinal' signs - into Aries at the March equinox; into Cancer at the June solstice, into Libra at the September equinox and into Capricorn at the December solstice. The cardinal signs begin each season and therefore gather, concentrate and set energy in motion. They symbolise initiation, execution, dynamism, activity, speed, crisis, self-assertion, and creativity. Capricorn is motivated towards practical, material achievement, success and social prestige, and sets out to make it happen with or without help or approval. It is the sign of big business, corporations, and government, and Capricorn climbs slowly but sure-footedly to the top.

When the Sun moves into Capricorn the world slows down, becomes more serious, cautious, and methodical, plans ahead, manoeuvers for the 'top job', rubs shoulders with influential people, consolidates, acts with professionalism, counts its pennies, and conserves energy. Sometimes Capricorn is negative, pessimistic and judgmental but it is also shrewd, responsible and tactful.

For Melbourne, the Capricorn Ingress chart indicates wet and humid conditions until at least mid-January, but at the same time there will be lots of positive energy and optimism to help us endure.

While Mercury is retrograde from 27 December to 16 January it's a good time to review the year, clean the house, fix the computer, catch up on sleep, meditate, reflect, edit, and tie up loose ends. It is not a good time to sign contracts, organise travel, make promises or buy a new computer.

New Year's Eve might be an eventful evening. The desire to spend time with loved ones is strong with a Full Moon eclipse in sentimental Cancer. The mood may be overtly emotional, so avoid excess and try not to take anything personally. The Capricorn New Moon and solar eclipsemid-January brings the focus back to work and planning for the year ahead. It's a good time to get organised, ask for a raise, or try for a promotion.

On January 18 Jupiter moves into Pisces for a year. Jupiter will exaggerate and expand our involvement in all things spiritual. Themes of generosity and compassion combine with sacrifice, surrender and openness. Inflation could rise, the economy may collapse and prices increase but this means that spending will eventually slow down. Good fortune comes through compassionate behaviour and relying on intuition.

The challenge for everyone in 2010 is to be open to all things while remaining calm and centred.

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