The Sun enters Sagittarius II at 10° Sag 0′ on December 2, at 7:01 am EST. Austin Coppock in 36 Faces called this Decan “The Bridle”, and Hellenistic texts associated it with Kore-Persephone, the wife of Hades-Pluto and the Queen of the Underworld. Kore means or perhaps is derived from the word ‘maiden’, suggesting that she was not someone you called by name if you didn’t want her attention.

The first thing to be aware of is that the transition of all the planets into Capricorn has begun: Venus entered Capricorn a few days ago, and by the close of day on December 3, Jupiter will be there too. The Sun will enter on December 21, followed by Mercury. Mars will take a little longer to get there — it still has half of Scorpio and all of Sagittarius to travel through — but it will get there eventually. And so let’s turn to planetary placements first, and then to the horoscope by rising signs. As in the last two columns, I’m going to try to come at this from an animist perspective, making use of Austin Coppock‘s insights from 36 Faces, his book about the Decans; and Gordon White‘s rant about some of the risks of astrology delving to deep into authoritarian ideas.

Planetary Placements

We find the Ascendant in the sign of Sagittarius —mutable fire, the bed of hot coals that will eventually darken to orange and then ash, but in the meantime carry plenty of heat and which will melt into us if we touch them. It’s likely to be a changeable and fluctuating period, friends; don’t expect the circumstances of December 2 to hold all the way to the end of the Decan on December 12 — situations will fluctuate, and our higher ideals may often be in conflict with the realities on the ground.

The placement of the Ascendant means that the Midheaven and the Bottom of the Sky (marked IC) are in their most-common positions in the Tenth and Fourth Houses: great fortune is to be found in work outside the home; but our real dreams are to be found in the bosom of family and our winter shelters. The Sun and Jupiter in Sagittarius are in the angles (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses) along with Neptune in Pisces in the Fourth: we should be on the lookout for experiences that act like a sudden stone dropped into still water, and the rapid ripples spreading out to he shore and back. We look to the Succedent Houses (2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th) to see what the new conditions will be — and we find the pile-up in Capricorn, and the North Node in Cancer, waiting in the wings as our future. Thus, we may expect a relatively peaceful and low-key beginning to this decan, followed by a sudden imposition of constraint and limit and difficulty. Take care, all!

The Sun, of course, is now in Sagittarius II — associated with Persephone as noted above, and with the 9 of Wands. That head-bandaged man in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, leaning on his staff like an exemplar of the walking wounded, gives us a taste of this placement: a man under orders delivering the victory for his team, but at some personal cost; the concussed is rarely the same person ever again. In similar fashion, the horse in a bridle may ride into battle or at the direction of the human on her back; but her command of the situation is tenuous. So it is with the Sun: powerful and capable in his own right, he is nonetheless “under orders” — his courage and tenacity is legendary, but there is a higher ideal that he fights for; and we must look to our own Solar placements in our natal charts to see what causes we ought to champion in this span of days. The Sun is co-present with Jupiter, who at at 29° 56′ stands at the edge of the precipice — before sundown, this royal priest will jump from Sagittarius and his rulership, to Capricorn and his fall — where he stumbles like a man accused of treason, and handed over to his foes. Yet Jupiter is also passing into the Decan that the Greco-Egyptians associated with Asclepius the god of healing, and with the Headless One — the place where divinity takes on mortal shape, and concerns itself with food, sex, and shelter. Just as some religions teach that the body is a prison, so must a prisoner concern themselves with self-care (some might say self-caution) to a greater degree than the free person.

The Moon is at Aquarius at 20° 24′ — in the 25th Mansion, associated with planting trees, solitude, and bringing the higher order to fruition in a natural way. The Arabs associated this place in the sky with an angel named Aziel, and called it “the lucky star of hidden things.” Ptolemy indicated that this place of the Moon belonged to Saturn and Mercury, or at least that it had some of their energy — the restrictive scope of more-consequential realities, delivered in humanistic language. The Moon is thus likely to highlight ways that human activities may be out of sync with nature; but also draw your attention to powers in the more-than-human world.

The Sun and Moon share the same sky — that is, they’re both in the lower half of the chart, representing the internal or private realms of our lives. The two luminaries govern the two Sects of planets, based on Day (Sun, Saturn, Jupiter) and Night (Moon, Venus Mars) cycles… while Mercury bounces back and forth between them based on their own idiosyncratic courses — and currently keeps company with the Day Sect. In this chart, Mercury is co-present with Mars in the sign of Scorpio, where the red warrior is supremely powerful. We’re entering a time in which our nights may be disrupted by internal wrestling with secrets and distress, and the days challenged by frequent communication.

Venus and The South Node are conjunct each other, and co-present with Saturn and Pluto, already wandering in the churned-up wastes of Capricorn. Venus puts on the costume of the ice-queen gold-digger when appearing on this stage. We may see her reflection in an encounter with an otherwise-unaffectionate woman or two in a position of power or in a traditional role, refusing to back down from the defense of ‘her’ man. Food, sex and shelter may be her primary concerns, but is it an act? Hard to say — there’s truly awful things going on behind the scenes which will be invisible to us, but may be guessed at from the loud arguments from behind the curtains at the wings, though the South Node promises less clarity than usual. We’ve seen Pluto and Saturn in this configuration all through my columns, of course — these two go way back — where Saturn promises limitations, boundaries and duty; and Pluto defines a kind of poisonous ambition or avarice.

Neptune occupies the middle degree of Pisces, representing the thrown rock making waves: his position in the fourth house indicates that many of us will experience a family disruption of some kind, or a house-and-home disturbance, though where it occurs in our lives may change based on how our own charts are arranged. Uranus in Taurus in the Sixth House promises upheaval — in work lives, in health — though again, whether to us or our friends or loved ones is a matter of some finesse.

The South Node in Cancer in the Eighth House promises “more” — more taxes, perhaps, but also more legacies from the past, and larger results from the relationship between the living and the dead. How this manifests, again, is a matter for discussion in the horoscopes.

Rising Sign Horoscopes

Sagittarius: The next ten days hold quite a bit of busy time for you, with the first part seeming quite calm and spiritual, before leaping into challenges of three kinds: relationship and financial issues that feel more transactional than romantic; waves that upset some deep-seated familial patterns as concern for legacies rises; and daily work habits in need of shaking up. Saturn promises institutional entanglements, while Venus invites you to find sensual reward in tradition and an older aesthetic. Your skill at analysis reveals some secret insight you may want to keep to yourself; work by daylight and seek entertainment by night. You may find that your spiritual or religious practice seems less valuable for a while; identify the ‘bare minimum’, but keep practicing. The Moon invites you to learn your neighborhood’s relationship with nature more clearly. Disruption of your work environment may be needed, as Uranus directs; Mars commands that you carve out a chunk of solo time for dreaming about the future.

Capricorn: The shift for you in the next ten days is likely to be from questions of your tool-set, to questions about your aesthetics and your ethics. Money issues may impact self-identity in the next ten days. The harsh work-songs of Saturn urge you to keep your responsibilities to the institutions, but an executive decision or three rooted in avarice, solely for the purpose of making waves, may be hard to forgive. An effort communication with a friend to provide career advice may blow up in your face, as Mars and Mercury spar with one another over the revelation of secrets or their concealment. If there’s a directive to go on a business trip, make sure it benefits your particular career path, or that it brings something to be grateful for. The entry of Jupiter into your sign indicates that a period of indulgence may be at hand, or that an expansion of your waistline may overtake you. This is a year-long process, either way — try to take it slow.

Aquarius: The Moon calls you to attend to your neighborhood as if it were your own body: become familiar with its trees and its shrubs as they show themselves in this season; replanting the vines that knit you and your siblings and kin together is worth your time. But the Sun and Jupiter call you to make time with friends before the year runs out (and preferably a lot of intense one-on-one time rather than at a big party). And that pile-up in Capricorn urges you to take some alone time to figure out your money strategies. Uranus invites you to reorganize your home office; with dutiful attention paid to both classic comfort as Venus recommends; and a level of minimalist indulgence: fewer things, but better ones.

Pisces: The wife of a French admiral once showed up with a miniature battleship in her hair, and if you’re feeling the urge to make waves with your appearance, follow Neptune’s conch-shell trumpet. The Sun urges you to the saddle of your career: ride that beast as far as it will go. But the fall of a superior or supervisor should caution you to tread warily: chopping blocks and guillotines are not only for the aristocracy. Dim your light a little if you suspect the axe, but don’t put it out completely, either. All your friends may appear to be undergoing money issues, but for once you may find you have funds to channel toward appropriate generosity. Recall that a little goes a long way, and Mars urges you to cut off those who wheedle for more than your simple gift. A partner’s practical acts bring in unexpected wealth and public notice. The Moon invites you to take quiet time in the woods, preferably alone, to commune with what nature has to tell you.

Aries: “You are your projects,” says my mother, and it’s not bad advice for you during the next ten days. Your normally swift and assertive personality is usually backed up by Mars’s power — and while it’s awesome that he’s in his own sign of Scorpio, it means that he’s lavishing less attention on you than usual. This means that the luxuries of wealth are likely to be thrown off balance by Uranus; and that you’re going to have to put in a true day’s work for a day’s wages. Mars and Mercury are negotiating some kind of cease-fire for your future experiences, and channeling a lot of “me time” and “self care” energy toward specific goals. Don’t let these legacies become a prison, though. Similarly, there’s a piece of your education that both Jupiter and the Sun indicate may be missing; that lack is likely going to be noticed in your public life. That stellium pile-up in Capricorn (Saturn, Pluto, South Node, Venus) are inviting you to set limits on your public appearances and reputation at this time; it’s not forever, but your bank account may thank you for adopting a temporary home-bound mindset.

Taurus: There’s a question of clothes and appearance at work — will you bow to the dress code, or will you maintain your own standards? Uranus will support your decision, but it may still not be easy. At least you’ll be excited about a personal project that improves your reputation. This may be better than your experience with your partner — Mars and Mercury both call to them, alternating between a forceful determination and a more communicative and open heart; the jovial and sunny disposition may gave way to a more leaden and limited view of the world as work takes over a significant portion of their upcoming hours.

Gemini: You may think your world upside-down in the next ten days, with happy days in the past, with the public made private, and the private revealed. The North Node wants to make your bank account happy, but it comes at the cost of old legacies getting crunched, and the heavy responsibilities of other duties. You can take some comfort in a small, practical effort with a sibling or a near-neighbor bringing both honor and a little cash. However, there’s a firestorm in your communications, directed by quite a lot of secret heat from Mars. Your partner is going through a rough time as an almost-spiritual era of peace comes to an end, replaced by a thorough need to respond dutifully to the call of career. The Moon may call you on a journey to distant places to view natural wonders.

Cancer: The South Node may thrust a variety of traditions and legacies at you in the next ten days, which may lead you to question who you are and where you come from; the Moon may play a supporting role in resolving these questions. Down-to-earth activities in your immediate area may help settle some of these questions — but you shouldn’t rule out a hard-fought argument as a source of enjoyment. Jupiter and the Sun bring clarity to a minor health issue, while Saturn and Pluto and the South Node cast a dark pall of responsibility over your partner and your relationship. It won’t last forever, but treat it seriously nonetheless. A fun project at work may bring you an opportunity to build a reputation head-on.

Leo: Feng shui experts recommend closing the lid of the toilet to keep money in the household; you might want to try that in the upcoming ten days — as well as a range of actual analytical tools like regular bookkeeping. The Moon indicates that some of your romantic habits may run contrary to nature — and I don’t mean the old dog-whistle about same-sex or kind relationships; just that the chemistry may not be working due to the timing of reactions. That may result in a blow-up or two at home or with family members, as Mars makes himself at home in your living room; but a little mercurial humor and communication may ease the problem. If you have entertainments planned, do them in a hurry, or early, in the first part of this week; the latter days may see you trudging through work project or errands that require more attention than expected; the usual languid pace of your career may encounter some upheaval.

Virgo: Some of your projects may culminate this week, and bring you some kind of consequence: rewards preferred, of course, but it depends on whether your analysis matches reality. A family argument currently has nothing to do with you — but if you make it your business, your mediation skills might diffuse a damaging secret… assuming anyone lets you in to discuss the mess. Jupiter promises to reward a clean house and a sunny attitude at home with a renewed sense of personal identity; but there’s also a lingering issue of some substantial concern that will bring great pleasure if you can finally resolve it. Of course — don’t overwork yourself. The Moon’s power indicates that you may be failing to attend to the appropriate balance between work and rest — you cannot serve the world if you do not serve your own health first.

Libra: You may find yourself identifying yourself with your friends, but in a more transactional or quid pro quo way than usual — “I do so much for them, why can’t it be about me for a change?” Hold back the public complaint a little while, and see if the situation changes — an eruption of ill will may require you to exercise the gifts of communication and healing and mediation for which you are renowned. And so the planets may indicate that your friends need you more than you think, not because of what you do in the good times, but how you handle their problems in the rough places. Your home can become a place of serene resolution and be a bright spot of peace in the early part of the next ten days; but that may also require a marathon cleaning session afterward, if the relaxation goes too deep. The Moon invites you to enter the forests with your own enjoyment in mind — even as Neptune promises a significant tidal shift in your daily responsibilities, and a new insight into what would make the perfect daily routine.

Scorpio: There’s a famous telegram from the 1890s that goes, “F*ck you strong letter to follow” and there’s something that’s both so immediate and gratifying about the 27-letter message (that cost the equivalent in today’s dollars of about $75 to send), while promising that an even more furious follow-on is coming through the mail. The co-present planets in your first house of Mercury and Mars invite you to take on this kind of assertive power — the drive of immediate action followed by lucid and vigorous communication. But be careful what you wish for: whatever proposal you make is likely to sail on through. Don’t become your worst enemy, and try to avoid alerting your worst rivals to your plans at the same time. The positive circumstances of your finances that have recently prevailed may suddenly have to deal with additional expenses, and what seemed a perfectly-adequate income may not stretch as far as it was supposed to — an important educational or travel opportunity may have to wait… or if it can’t wait, it may suck more from your resources than expected. There may be an issue with the air quality in your house, the Moon warns; despite the cold in the northern hemisphere, it’s worth determining if you’re breathing in stale ideas alongside that too-close scent of the house. Despite that, a bath at home in as luxurious a state as possible is likely to bring both cheer and new dreams.