Dazzling Darkness—New Moon in Sagittarius—December 20th.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear— Rumi.

The sun rests low on the horizon, spilling light through living room windows, igniting Christmas baubles that dazzle behind bay windows. There may still be gifts to buy and to wrap, potatoes to peel, and that last dash to the grocery store to buy the cream we’ve forgotten, Yet, tonight in the womb of darkness, the astrology of midwinter offers a moment to pause, even for a moment, to give thanks for this year now almost gone.

Inscribed across the heavens, the astrology of midwinter speaks of endings and renewal. The old sun symbolically dies at Yule. A new sun is born.  Just two days before the midwinter solstice, a new moon nestles in the dark womb of the sky as we tenderly acknowledge the anniversaries of the heart—the death of a loved one, the day we started our new job, the moment we bravely stopped a self-destructive habit, or defied our fear, and said yes to love.

The final new moon of the year is in Sagittarius, a sign usually associated with optimism, vision and faith. Yet this new moon makes an uncomfortable square to the doleful union of Saturn and Neptune, both planets still swimming through the last degrees of Pisces, since October, the final sign of the zodiac.

As Mars squared Neptune earlier this week, news of the senseless shootings in Bondi and Brown University weighed heavily on hearts already saturated with sorrow, nervous systems already strung too tight to hold yet one more shock.

Neptune moves into Aries on January 27^th while Saturn lingers in Pisces till the day before Valentine’s Day, so we have a few more weeks of this oppressive, enervating collective energy to wade through. Saturn/Neptune conjunctions in Pisces so often accompany emotional and physical exhaustion, cloak deception, or engender pitiful disillusion. This week, Venus also squares Neptune and Saturn, accenting themes of disillusion, blurring truth and lies.

On December 22^nd the sun moves into Capricorn, marking the mid-winter solstice here in the north. As ambassador of the mid-winter darkness, Capricorn embodies stoic acceptance, the pared down necessity of wintering through difficult times. The essence of Capricorn is structure, so amidst our midwinter rituals, this is a perfect time for putting things in order, preparing for a spiritual or physical metamorphosis.

The Chinese Zodiac has increasingly become part of the prevailing culture in the west, powered by indiscriminate scrolling and sharing on social media without much curiosity or deeper enquiry. Animals and elements, paired with a year, apparently can be traced by to the Han Dynasty of 201BCE. As the year of the wood snake ends with its powerful serpent energy,  many anticipate the year of the fire or red horse as bringing a respite: strength, courage and  “good luck”. Yet the last year of the fire horse, in 1966 delivered disruption and war, chaos and mass violence. In China, The Cultural Revolution of 1966 lasted 10 blood-stained years. The astrological weather forecast for 2026 (read my forthcoming new year post) carries the potential for loud, radical, innovation (for better or for worse), the need for resilience to adapt to change beyond human scale.

Venus and Mars are invisible in the heavens now. Mars moved into Capricorn, the sign of his exultation, on December 15^th joined by Venus on December 25^th prompting us to focus on practicalities, to stay grounded in those things that calm our nervous system, bring peace and comfort to our hearts. From Christmas day to January 6^th, Venus and Mars are at the lowest point in their cycle. A symbolic descent into the Underworld of the two planets that symbolise our values: what we love and what we desire. On January 6^th all three are exactly conjunct at 16º Capricorn. Venus and Mars are then combust—symbolically consumed by the brilliant rays of the Sun—forged, purified, and weakened according to traditional astrology.

Mercury moved out of his shadow on December 17^th, arriving back at the exact degree at which he turned Retrograde, which may bring things to full view, those small details of our daily lives that we might not have noticed in the fog of the Neptune/Saturn conjunction. Now any Retrograde anomalies can’t be blamed for misunderstandings or transport glitches. If we connect with this energy and the introspective mood of the astrology that is inscribed in the night skies now, we may feel the need to rest, to stay quiet for a while.

This is not only an ending of a year but a turning, a moment of re-orientation, a powerful astrological threshold as the heat of the fire-horse yang energy mounts and builds, as planets change signs and make new alignments, all throughout next year.

Take some time to be grateful for the brave, beautiful, uncomfortable moments we have experienced in the months now past. Feel what is beginning to stir and grow in the darkness. Grow quiet. Listen.

Margaret Atwood reminds us, “this is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year’s threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar…”

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported my work this year past. I am taking a break from technology over the solstice and will be looking forward to meeting again for personal astrology consultations in early January. Please email me to make a booking: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

Wishing you all a replenishing and peaceful solstice.

With love,

Ingrid.

Long Night Moon—December 4th.

We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep—William James.

In small suburban gardens, dancing reindeer and corpulent Santas twinkle. Fairy lights garland trees and hedges. As the old year dies in the darkness of midwinter, rituals—quirky and quaint—secure threads of continuity and connection, create meaning, beguile us with wonder.

The sun lies low on the horizon, just two weeks before the mid-winter solstice. For some, this may be a lonely wintering. For those unmoored by a cluster of losses, as the darkness closes in. The gaudy glitter and surfeit of this Christmas season amplify isolation. For some this may be a fallow time of scant resources. For some, the protracted dying of a relationship may rachet up the strength to shrug off a life that now feels too small, too tight. And for some, this festive season may be a time of joyful celebration, gifts exchanged, good food enjoyed, a long awaited reunion with family or a much-loved friend.

The last full moon of the year caresses the face of the earth on December 4^th, an imposing supermoon in the sign of Gemini, an astrological archetype associated with duality.

Supermoons―a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979―arrive consecutively, in threes or fours, amplifying the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon upon the earth, affecting the circadian rhythm of all living things. This supermoon cycle ends on January 3^rd, with a Cancer supermoon. The next cycle begins in November 2026.

December’s supermoon is accompanied by the Geminid meteor shower as the earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet or asteroid―shooting stars that streak across the skies. They emanate from the heavens near the bright star, Castor in the constellation of Gemini. They blaze through the night skies from December 4^th to 17^th.

The best time to view will be as the moon begins to wane from December 11^th and  the skies darken, preceding a new Sagittarius moon, just before the mid-winter solstice on December 20^th.

This lunation invokes Gemini’s contradictory, mercurial magic. The moon conjoins erratic Uranus Retrograde and squares the Nodes in Virgo and Pisces. Tonight, we might reflect on those bonds of love and loyalty that bind us, or the painful bruise of estrangement. We may be suspended between Piscean idealism/empathy and Virgoan pragmatism/discernment. Saturn (structure and boundaries) and Neptune (dissolution) are still moving through the final degrees of Pisces, stirring deep currents of sorrow, world-weariness and exhaustion, in the closing phase of this long cosmic cycle.

In the Greco/Roman world, Mercury/Hermes presided over thresholds, crossroads, and boundaries. As we prepare ourselves for the challenge of crossing a new threshold, we may meet the spirit of Gemini in the wind that rustles the branches of the tree outside our window, a reminder that nothing is constant. Against the rich warm browns of dying bracken and marmalade and honey-gold of the last autumn leaves, it is the oak that holds fast the green the longest. A reminder perhaps that change emerges discretely for some of us, or in a flash, with a sudden change of heart, for others.

Air is Gemini’s element. This is the energy of the trickster—versatile, elusive, clever, playful, and infuriatingly inconsistent. Gemini moves through its two personas, appearing in those either-or choices we feel compelled to make, sometimes showing up at crossroad moments in our lives. Through Gemini we encounter the power of two, the kindred spirit, those relationships we find most challenging, the conflicts that bring out our exiled dark twin. Spiritual teacher, Caroline Myss’ Gemini Moon conveys the archetype of the Storyteller, the Data Gatherer. She writes, “the challenge is for us to decide whether to make choices that enhance our spirit or drain our power.”

The deeper meaning of Gemini encompasses a subtle tuning into the invisible currents that flow through the fabric of life. The Sabian Symbol for this lunation is “Transcendent Connection”.  Tonight, we may feel conflicted about a choice (the sun and moon are in opposition at full moon times), yet if we can still our minds, connect with our heart, we will find the courage to be with what is. As Mercury, ruling both the moon and the south node, infuses the energy of this lunation a ritual, an intention, a heartfelt prayer will be amplified tonight.
Mercury is now moving direct in uncompromising Scorpio, yet the mood will lighten as he enters buoyant Sagittarius on December 12^th, leaving his shadow (the degree at which he turned Retrograde) on December 17^th.

We can’t avoid winter’s darkness, yet the Sun’s passage through hope-filled Sagittarius is a reminder that we may have become too rigid in our opinions, too wrapped up in anticipatory anxiety, or encased in cynicism to dare to trust and hope. Venus and Mars join the Sun in exuberant Sagittarius, as even the most churlish succumb, perhaps just a little, to the effervescence of this season.

Raising our glasses to the year almost gone, may we listen deeply to what is said around the dinner table, sensing a heartache or a longing that may be concealed in an emotionally charged silence; then choose to soften our stance, allow a change of heart, a deepening of connection.

Please get in touch if you would like to book an astrology consultation for the year ahead: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

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Rooted—Full Moon in Taurus—November 5th.

To be rooted is not the same thing at all as being tied down. To be rooted is to say, here I am nourished and here will I grow, for I have found a place where every sunrise shows me how to be more than what I was yesterday, and I need not wander to feel the wonder of my blessing—Kevin Hearne.

The moon rests her bright face close to the heart of the earth tonight. The extravagance of autumn is muted now. Flowers past their bloom. The scent of fallen leaves mingles with the earthy smell of burning wood. This is the season of bonfires, pruning, and staking.

Melody Beattie reminds us, “there are seasons and cycles in us, just as there are in nature. Learn to recognise and honour the seasons and cycles of the soul.”

This so-called “supermoon” in Taurus will be followed by a regenerative new moon in Scorpio on November 20^th and as this lunar cycle completes, Taurus symbolism directs our attention to our finances, the energetic terrain where we so often feel empowered/disempowered, lacking, or abundant.

Money matters, abundance blocks, accompanied by fear and shame, may be weighing heavily in the month that preceeds festive spending. Where Taurus is in our birth chart is where we must work the ground, plant the seeds of our gifts and talents, learn how to manage and conserve our resources, grow towards stability and security, stay connected to the material world. “Being grounded” can seem like one of those self-help adages, yet as moonlight washes over the face of our earth tonight, we may ask, what makes me feel  grounded, stable and safe? Have I planted roots in a place that feels nourishing? Am I tired and depleted; my body and nervous system dysregulated? How well am I managing the currencies of my time, skills, and money?

Taurus imagery offers us a chance to stay steady, perhaps begin to address our money wound, which usually is deeply rooted in our family’s relationship and attitude to money and possessions, charged with an energy that spans generations.

This full moon precedes an important celestial pivot point: Erratic Uranus back tracks into Taurus on November 8^th. Uranus lingers at the potent, critical 29° point till December 1^st, before stationing direct in Taurus on February 3^rd, moving back over old ground before returning once more to that anaretic degree point between April 7-29^th before leaving Taurus to move into Gemini.

As we review the years between 2018 and 2026, as Uranus travelled through the sign of Taurus, we recall those practical necessities that have shaped our choices, helped define our values. As Uranus moved through Taurus, crypto currencies gobbled fossil fuels and the climate catastrophe worsened. Stocks and shares rose and fell. A tariff war escalated anxiety and economic chaos. Uranus, like the Tower card in the Tarot, represents a toppling of a structure, a breakdown, a breakthrough, that shatters and shocks us into a new realisation, releasing a renewing surge of energy from the heavens.

This month, Saturn and nebulous Neptune meet in Pisces. As they move over the sensitive degree point of the new moon eclipse on September 21^st, there’s speculation of an AI bubble burst in a precarious world economy that teeters on the brink of recession. Saturn has been moving through through the liminal realm of Pisces since March 2023, and will remain in Pisces till February 2026. The archetype of Saturn carries ponderous associations with fate and consequence, and Saturn/Neptune conjunctions correlate with events that bring dissolution to structures; a sense of deep ennui, a vague, undefined sorrow and hopelessness that pervades the collective; confusion, disillusionment, political polarisation. Saturn and Neptune will be co-present in the same signs until 2028 and although these great astrological cycles and seasons don’t form in isolation, this corrosive cosmic energy unmoors, unsettles, makes it hard to discern truth from lies. Astrologer, Richard Tarnas writes: “There is also a tendency during Saturn/Neptune eras to experience a subtle but pervasive darkening of the collective consciousness, sometimes as a diffuse and difficult-to-diagnose social malaise, at other times as a direct response to deeply discouraging or tragic events.” This month, Saturn presses slowly forward, suffusing our experiences with necessary endings, the dissolution of outworn structures. Neptune invites us to grieve.

The effects of September’s two eclipses linger perhaps in our own lives, and certainly for Mr Mountbatten Windsor.

The lunar eclipse (15° Pisces)  fell on Mr Mountbatten Windsor’s Mercury. He now faces pressure to give evidence before the US Congressional committee about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The House of Windsor is still embroiled in a criminal crisis.

The explosive, deeply cutting Mercury/Mars aspect of October burns across the heavens this month. Mercury stations Retrograde on November 9^th, with Mars now moving swiftly through the fire sign of Sagittarius close on its heels, gaining ground, till they meet in another combustive conjunction between November 11^th and November 14^th as Mars, the war-god, viciously slices through communication (Mercury). Poet, Andrea Gibson, speaks to hunting out the fear, which might mean facing a painful truth and harnessing rampant reactivity or finally daring to open to that difficult conversation.

As nature contracts, exposing an uncompromising knot-work of bare branches and stubble fields, the primordial pulse of change stirs deep in our blood and bones. Yet, tonight, we may sense a slow, steady certainty moving through our body, a knowing, that at month-end, the invisible new moon in Scorpio carries the seed for repair, for release and renewal.

In this world of dying things, may those dead places in ourselves open to Love in new and deeper ways. And as the moon’s light bathes the earth tonight, may we trust the rhythm of the universe, the cycles and the seasons that bring endings and new beginnings.

Please get in touch if you would like to book an astrology session: ingrid@trueheartwork.com