The astrology of Christmas 2021
/The 2021 holiday season is one to remember. As I’m writing to you, Omicron is quickly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 across the globe. In Ottawa, where I live, case count numbers are at a record high, and because testing services are so backlogged, even the reported numbers are lower than the reality. In my personal life, my holiday plans look very different this year: limiting gatherings to only immediate family, only seeing friends outside, etc.
If things are feeling rocky and unsettled for you this year, you are not alone. On December 24 and 25, there happen to be two major astrological transits that are affecting the collective energy.
Head into your holiday plans armed with astrological knowledge about why all your relatives are yelling at each other.
Saturn square Uranus: clash of the titans
On December 24, Saturn squares Uranus for the third and final time in 2021. This has been one of the most important aspects of the year, from a social/geo-political/collective perspective. Saturn is the planet of order, structure, and limits, while Uranus is the planet of revolution, rebellion and liberation. We've seen these tensions throughout the year: calls for reform of a corrupt criminal justice system; the rise of anti-vax protests and the harassment of doctors and nurses outside hospitals; the rise of climate change-related natural disasters and extreme weather.
Maybe you've felt this in your own life: where have the structures of your life been challenged? Where are demands being made of your time? What responsibilities or duties are taking up too much of your energy? Where are you yearning for more freedom? Where are you feeling trapped by obligations that used to feel fun and easy?
Saturn is connected to the long-term, overarching structures in your life, the things you return to over and over again, that you take for granted. Uranus transits can be very disruptive and chaotic — unexpected circumstances force you to adapt to new situations and update those long-running structures. If you really like your structures and are resistant to change, this can be overwhelming and feel like everything is crumbling around you.
But if you have been stuck in a rut or stagnant, this can be exactly what you need to shake yourself loose. Uranus wants you to live your most authentic and honest life, a version of your life where you don't have to make yourself smaller to be accepted. If there are duties, responsibilities, promises, routines that you have outgrown and are ready to shed, this might push you to take a dramatic act that expresses who you truly are: maybe that's coming out to your family, maybe it's a dramatic hair cut, maybe it's ending a friendship, maybe it's simply saying "No" to an invitation to go for a walk because you're tired.
A tarot spread for Saturn square Uranus
Written & designed by Davis Carr © 2021
The foundations of your life that are being changed
The changes that are happening internally
The changes that are happening externally
Advice for supporting yourself through these changes
What you are stepping into (the outcome of the changes)
Venus conjunct Pluto: depths of emotion
Venus retrograde is one of the major signatures of December’s astrology and on December 25, we get the next important moment in its retrograde journey. Venus stationed retrograde at 26° Capricorn on December 19, within 1° of Pluto. Venus will be within a degree of Pluto most of December, meaning that the archetype of Venus-Pluto is very prominent throughout the month.
But on December 25th, Venus will make its second conjunction to Pluto, intensifying this energy dramatically. Watch out for hidden or repressed feelings or relational dynamics to come to the surface. Pluto governs that which we repress and ignore, and Venus governs how we create peace and harmony in our lives. If you have been holding onto resentments or secrets in an effort to keep the peace, watch out for a sudden explosion of your true feelings. Pluto is a volcanic force — energy from deep within us bubbles up to the surface to be witnessed and purged. Pluto transits can often make us confront secrets or facts that we would rather ignore, but by facing them and witnessing them, we can ultimately be cleansed and renewed.
On Christmas Day, notice how you keep the peace with your loved ones and how the theme of power/control is coming up in your relationships. There are so many different ways we give up our power, and often, these are totally unconscious to us. Deeply rooted dynamics between family members can suddenly become points of tension, with one person lashing out from a place of pain that takes the other person by surprise. You might also be dealing with someone projecting their unprocessed anger and guilt onto you. Do your best to respond from as emotionally honest a place as you can. This might require taking breaks from the festivities in order to regulate your emotions and come back to yourself.
Your free guide to Venus Retrograde (featuring bullet journal templates)
Go deeper with the retrograde with my free guide to Venus Retrograde. In the guide, you'll get an introduction to what Venus retrograde means, the key dates of the cycle, and best of all, example journaling templates you can use in your grimoire or bullet journal. Download your copy for free.
A note re: my emphasis on Christmas: I am not Christian (or religious at all), but I was raised in North America and within a “Christian by default” context and grew up celebrating a secular version of the gift-giving holiday. It’s very hard to escape Christmas, but I want to acknowledge that there are MANY solstice-based holidays and many people do not celebrate Christmas! I chose to focus on this holiday specifically because these two transits happen on its major festival days, and because it’s the winter celebration that I personally celebrate. Regardless of your plans this weekend, the archetypes of these transits will be playing out somehow in your life. I hope this blog post helps you, regardless of how you are spending the next few days.