105 | The Solstice, a Capricorn New Moon, & Zooming into a New Year!

April and Jen launch into a 2022 that begins with plenty of hefty action: the Sun and New Moon in hardworking Capricorn; the final face-off between Saturn and Uranus; Venus “embracing” Pluto (not!) for the second time; Jupiter (re)entering Pisces; and Mercury playing translator for Venus and Pluto before skydiving into Aquarius. But wait, there’s more! We also have a Libra Last Quarter Moon, and the Sun’s innovative connection to Uranus. Plus - Slowing down, party planning for planetary aspects, and pheasants: not on our menu!

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Read a full transcript of this episode.

Episode timestamps:

00:30 – April and Jen wish you a Happy New Year! Does everyone else have new fresh calendars and planners?

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01:47 – WEEK ONE (Dec. 20-26) begins with the Sun entering Capricorn, bringing the Solstice with it (Dec. 21)! The sign of the seagoat initiates a new season, and marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. (Psst! To hear more about the Solstice and the upcoming 3-month period, contribute $5 or more – or become a monthly donor – and you’ll receive our special, super-secret, donors-only episode – packed with 50 minutes of content!).

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06:52 – Saturn, at 11.05 Aquarius, squares Uranus in Taurus. This marks the third and final exact square (Dec. 23 Pacific, but Dec. 24th everywhere else). The other two squares were Feb. 17 and June 14, 2021. Note: the two also come thisclose on Oct. 1, 2022 at 18.58/18.21 Aquarius on the Sabian symbol, “A forest fire quenched.” (Hear more about this important aspect on Episode 69, Saturn and Uranus: That Escalated Quickly! and Episode 86, The Cancer Solstice: Not That There's Anything Wrong with That!)

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09:32 – April helpfully breaks down the difference between approaching vs. separating aspects. Does it include a party-planning metaphor? You betcha!

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11:00 – Venus joins up with Pluto at 25.43 Capricorn (Dec. 25) on the symbol, “A water sprite.” What is your true nature? This aspect may refer to people and situations that aren’t right for you, or it could be a good time to get rid of possessions that no longer suit you. This is the second of three conjunctions: The first was Dec. 11, the last will be March 3, 2022. (Review Episode 104, Venus Turns Retrograde: Cheez Food Sirens!)

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12:19 – **MOONWATCH!** This week brings a Last Quarter Moon (Dec. 26/27) at 5.32 Libra on the Sabian symbol, “The ideals of a man abundantly crystalized.” The Sun sits on, “A dark archway and ten logs at the bottom.” Have any dreams come true for you? And can the logs be useful or are they obstacles? This action-oriented phase asks us to make one last push from the New Moon of 3 weeks ago, but also this marks the completion of the lunar phase family that began in late Sep. 2019 – think back to those times. What connects?

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16:16 – WEEK TWO (Dec. 27 – Jan. 2) begins with Jupiter entering Pisces (Dec. 28/29)! Jupiter represents where we want to grow and experience new things, and perhaps take chances. In Pisces: Does life have meaning? Are you growing spiritually? Think back to the last time the biggest planet was in the sign of boundlessness, and perhaps something will link to now: Jan. 17, 2010 – June 5, 2010 and Sep. 8, 2010 – Jan. 22, 2011. Jupiter was also there from May 13 – July 28, 2021 (Hear more on Episode 81, Taurus New Moon & Jupiter in Pisces: A Whale of a Show!)

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17:55 – In 2022, Jupiter will link up with Neptune in Pisces. More to come as we get closer to that April conjunction!

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21:30 – Mercury is doing things! The planet of communication joins up with Venus at 24.26 Capricorn (Dec. 29) and then with Pluto (Dec. 30, 25.53 Capricorn). On the 25th, Venus and Pluto met up, and now Mercury is acting as the translator between the two.

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23:10 – We begin the new year with the Sun, at 10.56 Capricorn, trine Uranus in Taurus (Jan. 1). The symbol for the Sun is, “a large group of pheasants” and Uranus is on, “a woman sprinkling flowers.” This speaks of bounty and beauty… sounds nice to us!

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24:24 – Mercury enters Aquarius (Jan. 1/2), bringing brilliant insights and new ways of thinking. Head’s up: Mercury will be retrograde in Aquarius and Cap (Jan. 14 - Feb. 4). The messenger planet will travel backwards to station at 24.22 Capricorn, and then enters Pisces March 11.

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25:07 – **MOONWATCH!** There is a New Moon at 12.20 Capricorn (Jan. 2) on the Sabian symbol, “A fire worshipper.” With the Sun/Moon trine Uranus, this could indicate re-working old patterns, new inspiration, and change.

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28:10 – In this New Moon chart, all of the planets are on one side (Sagittarius to Taurus). What does this mean, and what the heck do rowboats have to do with it?

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29:57 – This episode is brought to you by podpals STEPHANIE FROGGE, JOSIA SMITH, and KATIE SERDA! To support the show (at no cost!) please follow, give us a 5-star rating, or leave a happy review – here’s how! And to hear our bonus Solstice episode exclusively for donors, just contribute $5 or more! You also will receive our rib-tickling bingo card (and our deep gratitude)! Thanks, podpals!