Time for another column — the Sun’s entry into Capricorn. It’s also the Capricorn Ingress, used in judicial or mundane astrology for creating the forecast for nations. The presence of the Ascendant in Virgo at the Aries Ingress meant that the Libra chart for 2019 was good for six months, so there will be no judicial astrology column at this time.

For us regular folks, I use the ingress chart for 21 December at 11:19pm EST in Northampton, MA (whole sign houses) for looking at the astrology of the moment, and unpacking what this chart might mean for people by the rising sign.

In general, I do this “unpacking” according to the following rule: I take the moment of the ingress, and then read the houses naturally for whichever sign is the Rising Sign. In this chart, that sign is Virgo — one of the Mutable signs of the chart (along with Pisces, Gemini, and Sagittarius). These four signs are the angles of the chart. People with these signs as their Rising Signs are likely to experience a lot of change and mutability over the next ten days. Of these four.

If your rising sign isn’t Virgo, then I read those other signs by a bit of a circuitous process. I treat each house as if it were the First House of the chart (representing self), and then I read each sign around the chart as if it were both naturally the house number that it holds, and if it were also the calculated house number in your chart. For example, Libra is naturally the second house but it’s the calculated first house of a Libra chart. — so Libras in the next ten days are likely to experience a bit of co-identification between their property and themselves, and will tend to think of their self-worth based on the number of extra zeroes in their bank accounts. The ‘farther around the chart you go’, the more complicated these relationships are likely to get, too — because Capricorn, the sign with all those piled-up planets in it, is naturally the fifth house, but it’s the calculated first house of people born with Capricorn rising.

In this column, I’m specifically working with relational rulerships. For example, Saturn is more fond of the twelfth house than the fifth— but the only kind of people who are wrestling with Saturn in their twelfth house right now are people who were born with Aquarius rising. What does it mean that Saturn is naturally in the fifth house, but in a calculated twelfth-house position for Aquarius people? The twelfth house is in part about loneliness and solitude — and the fifth house is largely about having fun (and also your children). So everyone with children might find that Saturn’s presence in the fifth house signals a winter cold or a summer allergen problem for their kids (depending on North or South hemisphere)… but only Aquarians might find that their children are wrestling with problems of isolation at school. This whole arrangement is especially expressed because Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, the sign it’s currently in.

Matters become more complicated when we look at the Sun. For someone with Sagittarius rising, a Sagittarian, the Sun is naturally in the fifth house of enjoyments and pleasures, and the calculated second house of money and belongings. But the Sun naturally rules the sign of Leo, which is current in the natural eleventh house of friends and allies — and for Sagittarians it’s in the calculated ninth house of higher education and travel. The Sun is also in detriment in Capricorn, the place farthest from its home and palace at the heights of summer. So the Sun is naturally shining a light on how everyone finds happiness (or doesn’t) at this time of year, and comparing that ‘natural’ state with its desired state, the connections we have with people at midsummer (possibly unfavorably). For Sagittarians, the Sun is also shining a light on travel and educational opportunities taken (or not taken) usually because of money (or money problems).

In this way, it’s possible to take every planet in two essential ways — its natural position in the chart, which I’ll describe in the Planetary Positions part of the column, and how it’s expressed for a particular rising sign, which I’ll outline in the Rising Sign Horoscopes.

Planetary Positions

The Sun, of course, is entering Capricorn I, in the fifth house — and ushering in the season that the Greco-Egyptians assigned to the Headless One — a deity associated with the entry of spirit into matter, and the enjoyment of all the pleasures of the flesh: food, drink, sex, laughter, celebration, and enjoyment. It may be no wonder that we here on earth enter into a time of feasting and celebration in many of the world’s religions and traditional customs — we’re mirroring what happens in the sky above us, and what our most important ancestor is doing. Some of this celebration is the problem of spirit in matter, though — the Sun is divested of awesome cosmic power for now, and living in a one-room studio in lower Manhattan with no way to make rent. Might as well party!

Over the next ten days, the Sun will conjunct Jupiter and then the South Node — first having a beer with the imprisoned, fallen King of Planets at a dive bar on the edge of town; and then exploring the middens behind the cloaca of the Sun-eating Dragon. We’ll have a Solar Eclipse on December 26, 2019, and the critical theme here will be LESS. We may find that we have a light-hearted Christmas or Solstice… but the remaining days of the year are likely to carry a subdued and worried tone.

Later in Capricorn, we find Saturn closing in, ever so slowly, on a conjunction with Pluto. The huge, be-ringed planet of limitations and endings rides in the dominant position compared with the little micromanager — and all of us are likely to find ourselves resenting a state of over-controlled mismanagement of our time and resources.

In Aquarius, we find Venus exhibiting logic and reason to pursue both romance and long-term creative goals, yet we’re also likely to find joy and happiness in new ways of expressing ‘creative’ and ‘relational impulses’. Overly solid and practical relationships are likely to become more breezy and open; more tenuous or fragile relationships may get blown down, or blown apart by a release of stale, compressed airs. Venus’s sixth house presence indicates the revelation of weakness or delicacy, rather than stability or the achievement of a firmer footing.

In the west, Neptune has just set in the waters of Pisces and the seventh house — among the tidal marshes a wave of unsteadiness ripples across the tips of the marsh grasses at high tide, licking sand from dunes and pebbles from beach. There’s a strong but unconscious undertow at work in our relationships, and a riptide may threaten to pull us under. Swim boldly in a new direction, not against the current but across it, to find firmer ground where you can stand.

Uranus in Taurus occupies the ninth house position, while retrograde; we can expect disruptions in travel, upheavals in educational programs, and some shocking communiqués from our families. The North Node promises MORE — more friends, more networking, more alliances, more feelings — from its position in Cancer in the eleventh house. Between Uranus and the North Node, the Midheaven in Gemini promises that our bosses will still find work for us to do over the holidays — and some of it will be divine while other parts will be drudgery. At 23° Gemini, we’ll find this Midheaven point more-or-less on the shoulders of the Constellation of Orion — and this may be a particularly good night to perform the Headless One rites.

The Ascendant in Virgo, in the by-definition dominant position of a trine to Saturn and Pluto, indicates that if ever a time there was to be picky about how you look and dress and behave, these next ten days might be it. A more restrained, basic black attitude and wardrobe is likely appropriate, but don’t overdo it, just be aware that a higher-order of glamour is useful here.

Finally, we find the Moon and Mars co-habitating in Scorpio with the Lot of Fortune between them in the third house. Turn your psychic settings as high as they will go, keep your armor on… and go visit extended family. If there’s prosperity in the next ten days, it’s to be found in the company of intimates and siblings, or maybe right in your own neighborhood… just remember that there’s a certain decorum to be had here: no large arm movements, and don’t reveal all the heat that you’re packing.

Rising Sign Horoscopes

Now that we’ve explored the core meanings of the signs and houses, let’s unpack how these themes play out in the chart by rising sign. Due to the Virgo Ascendant, it’s those four mutable signs (Virgo, Gemini, Pisces and Sagittarius) that are likely to experience the most-significant or most meaning-full ten days. However, all of us are likely experience a meandering quality to this period: starting some things, delaying them, pausing them, restarting them, and only eventually finishing them.

Virgo: Because your sign is the Ascendant this time around, read the Planetary positions section up above much more carefully: much of this is going to be closely aligned to your experience. The planets clustering in Capricorn are going to highlight your happiness in the next ten days — what’s missing, what you’d like to have, what you can’t have for now, and what forces prevent happiness. That’s a terrible holiday present — and Venus presents another with shaky hand, that an important tension between rebellion and stability has yet to be written in your life. Aggressive Mars lends both support and resources to your partner’s current solutions to their problems; surprise help comes for your travel goals from a familial messenger. The Solar Eclipse on Dec. 26 begins an approximately six-month long period of reflection on what happiness is — or at least what it should be.

Libra: Mars, the Moon, and the Lot of Fortune cluster in your second house, the natural third — family secrets may yield a source of funding for a short-term project in the next month, but you’ll likely have work at it — and keep your partner out of it. Normally, home is a useful refuge, but all sorts of refugees seem to be showing up and it’s less comfy and cozy than you’d like it to be. Is there a way to make it less hospitable? But that would be rude, and these are honorable guests! Work activities bring a technical puzzle that requires someone of your talents to solve — you do, but it’s also likely to bring a hunger for similar tasks in the future. A partner is struggling with an ever-present weakness that is particularly challenging right now. The Dec. 26 eclipse brings significant but initially-subtle shifts to your household and family over the next six months.

Scorpio: You’re moody and angry, even if you seem to have more than you usually do this time of year. Red-faced, shouting til you’re blue in the face… The first two days of the next ten days are likely to be troublesome, the next three may bring some welcome news about home… the last five are likely to be messy, though, with a range of expanded responsibilities in your neighborhood, even as your own needs are eclipsed by larger familial issues. Some (I hope not all) of you find you’re about to become aunts and uncles! In some cases, this won’t be happy news: do your best to make things easy on the newly-expectant — and retreat home for some creative time if all else fails. Is a partner taking a new medication? Is it the right dose? The Eclipse on December 26 invites your reflection and participation in neighborhood matters, and to seek a deeper connection with siblings, in the next six months.

Sagittarius: Housebound a lot of the time these days, but feeling unusually chatty (and also maybe obliged to family gatherings)? The Moon and Mars are tingling your psychic senses, but also making you more alarmist, perhaps, than necessary. You have dreams of big business plans, but the Sea-Goat of Capricorn and all his riders —riders like the conditions of a contract or rules of engagement, not the free-wheeling reins-handler — are performing full-body barrel rolls pretty hard on your finances. With all the waves, it’s hard to see the more general motion of the ocean here, or the lay of the land. It’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of waste, and potentially-dire future circumstances. There is a bright light, an evening star, shining on a familial responsibility. However, first there are some tricky family waters to navigate — and your partner has a big day on stage, first. The eclipse promises further shake-ups in your finances — good in some ways, bad in others, as legacies tumble toward you like Tetris blocks: maneuvering them in the right way requires some finesse.

Capricorn: The next thirty days or so are going to shine a light on most of your abilities and powers — and most of your weaknesses and frailties. You’re likely to have a lot of fun in the next month, but you may also find that you have your limits, too. The Solar Eclipse on December 26 is carrying two energies for you — one about redefining how you entertain yourself, and on another deeper level, how you define your self. Creative endeavors with regard to bonuses from work may be required. Family matters are likely to rock your world like a tsunami coming up over the corniche — but your family is likely to do subtle better this year than in previous years. Keep a weather-eye open to shifts in the wind or the tide. Your boss is undergoing end-of-year review, and your words could sink him or raise him; it’s unclear whether you should be kind or cruel, but silence is likely not an option. Old friends are fighting, and your best bet is to put up a hand between them and offer some kind of mediation — but you should also be prepared to ask for recompense of some kind, for the trouble they put you through.

Aquarius: Venus, the evening star, has recently advanced into your sign, bringing with her a combination of reason and unconventional thinking. Applying this coherent creativity to a work or health problem may yield happy results. A queer friend may make a better sounding board for your problems, though, than any solo meditation or “me time” right now — the Eclipse on December 26 begins a longish six-month upheaval in how your downtime is allocated, first of all; and the planets all crowding Capricorn only serve to remind you of inadequate carrying capacity for these weighty responsibilities to reach distant goalposts. It’s dangerous to go alone; take a friend with you, preferably one with a little Mercury in them. Your money matters are a spreading spill, of course, and there’s a typical upheaval waiting at the holiday dinner table. There’s a growing argument between two career colleagues, one with an aggressive ‘scorched earth’ policy toward non-performers, and the other who believes more clearly in ‘nurturing the talent’. If you act early, you’re likely to gain more benefit from siding with the nurturer… but a delay may put you in the crosshairs. There’s a narrow course to success here: thread the needle carefully.

Pisces: The world likely will feel upside-down over the next ten days, with the inner world that you understand so clearly, dimmed down or completely dark; and the outer worlds of your workplace, career, and community more brilliantly illuminated than usual. Use this rare window of insight gracefully but selectively — the temptation will be to solve everything at least for a while, but you’ll gain more traction by focusing on a few issues: while at home, write a clear ‘dream plan’ for your business or career goals; review and revise travel and educational goals; examine your friends’ list in social media or your actual community of friends (and use the six-month eclipse cycle beginning on December 26, to do some judicious pruning of overextended social commitments… it’s OK to say no.). Home is likely to be the center of your universe in the next ten days, but your children or holiday entertainments can bring positive feelings too; and your partner may have a new opportunity arising — support these endeavors, too, as they appear.

Aries: There’s a genuine opposition at the moment between your promise to take care of other people’s property, and stressors affecting the food on your table and the money in your bank accounts: others have so much, why do you have to have all this upset? There’s potent temptation between the waning moon and aggressive Mars — a little misdirection or a little violence? What could go wrong? The secret enemy here is your own psyche, playing tricks, justifying what should not be — what must not be. The light shining on your public reputation indicates potential trouble with the law, time in the oubliette, loss of station, time in bondage, and official micromanagement of your affairs. That could be a few traffic tickets if you’re mostly innocent, maybe a parking boot on your car — or hard time if you’re not mostly-guiltless… and the eclipse on December 26 begins six months of this kind of attention to your public persona. What’ll it be? A run-in or three with a meter maid — or a lot of mumbled apologies in front of a judge?

Taurus: Surprise! The next ten days opens with some enjoyable time with friends and family… and then the eclipse on December 26 casts a bit of a pall over future travel plans, and personal plans for enjoyment, possibly for a while. Developing a business plan at home (or for home?) becomes an important part of the next few days — and you discover a deeper level of feeling than you believed possible for a sibling… even while you wrestle with questions of where to go or what to do. Your partner is likely facing challenges of their own during these next ten days, caught in their own family dramas. An evening discovery with an unconventional component brings both long-range career goals, and immediate efforts needed, some fresh air. Your friends are all over the place, and muddled planning puts the brakes on your own intentions for fun and travel.

Gemini: You must feel like you’re at the full height of your power right now. You feel ike there’s money enough in the bank, and you can afford to be generous this holiday season when everyone else seems to be straining. You’re having good hair days more often than not, and you’re looking good, even if the face of some intelligent opposition from a partner. However, a serious review of your obligations is in order — taxes paid? Paperwork up to date? Registration filed? All the bills paid? All the little t’s crossed and i’s dotted? It pays to be a micromanager of what other people claim you owe them, or you may find yourself owned unexpectedly in the next ten days… and it could be months, thanks to the eclipse on December 26, before that settles down. Speaking of settling down, how’s your gut feeling doing these days? Is there some stirring challenge in your lower abdomen? Turn your attention to siblings, close friends… anyone with troubled guts you know of? Are you helping them out? It might be needed. A girls-only trip might be in the works, but the temptation to fly solo might be too strong.

Cancer: feeling a little growth around the hips, like the waistline has gotten too large? Focused more on that, and not enough on the vast turbulence that seems to have engulfed your partner? Eyes out of shell, lobster, and look around — your happiness is dependent, to some degree, on orienting yourself to them, and being more diligent about assisting them. You might be rising in the esteem of your family based on the company you keep, but now you have to keep it. Both solo education and travel plans are under the radar at the moment, but a review of upcoming adventures with friends are also in order. It may not be too late to cancel.

Leo: Hard for you to be lonely, I know, but it must feel like that right now. Your friends have more commitments than you do, to people that aren’t you. There’s a big event looming at work, but you may not feel like going for a change, even though everyone would be glad to see you. You’re helping a close friend or relative with an ambitious household related project you’d like to finish, and it would bring a significant reward to your life to see it completed, especially if it were a mystery how it got finished. Work is likely a disaster area: anywhere you shine a light, there are problems — legal violations, inadequate gear, limitations on inventory and equipment as well as bad boundaries between employees and management, oh, and did I mention the micromanager who makes huge issues out of small matters but ignores the things that actually affect your workflow? All of this is likely to blow up over the next six months as the eclipse cycle unwinds over the next six months, so be prepared for the upheaval even around the more comfortable parts of your professional existence. Pay attention to the fresh light in your relationships, and the new glow of reasonable experiment. There may be a widening, all-encompassing need to seek retraining, as well.

Colophon: Sources & References

I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces as the basis of some of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.

Any errors in these columns are my own.

If you want to read some of my poetry, To the Mansions of the Moon is a collection of hymns to the angels of the Mansions mentioned in these columns. For the Behenian Stars is a collection of hymns to the first/brightest sixteen stars. The Sun’s Paces are hymns to the thirty-six Hellenistic-era deities and ascended souls of the Greco-Egyptian Decans-calendar. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.