As the Dust Settles

Astrology is an endlessly interesting subject. For me, it is simply a study of the experience of life as we know it on this planet. It is not just about personality and the natal chart; it’s also about the seasons and cycles of life. There are personal horoscopes, but also vibrational weather.

Take for example the past four weeks. Since the solstice on December 21 or 22, 2011 (depending on where you were), we have been traveling through the sign of Capricorn. So what is Capricorn like in terms of vibrational weather?

Capricorn is a Cardinal-Earth sign. Earth signs are all about the physical aspects of life: homes, jobs, work, and money – even our bodies. If you ask most Capricorns, they’d say that’s everything in life! 🙂 Really, it’s only that which is seen with the eyes and touched with the hands. So what’s the Cardinal part?

Cardinal is an aspect of action and initiative. A scientist would use the term catalyst. It’s like a spark or a match; it gets things going. When you combine the active energy of Cardinal with the physical quality of Earth, you end up with a month of thunderous productivity.

Certainly, this Capricorn period has been the most active I’ve possibly ever experienced. All I need to do is look around to see how much my physical environment changed as a result of my actions.

However this year is not the exception, but a more profound example of the rule. In fact, I first learned about Capricorn through observation. Nearly every year of my software engineering career followed this same pattern. In Sagittarius, nothing got done easily. No one really wanted to work. The Holidays not only distracted us, but also put us in a more social mood. If we weren’t on vacation officially, we were sitting at our desk planning one – taking a client phone call if needed.

Yet in nearly every case, once the holidays were over, Capricorn energy kicked in. January always seemed to fly by. I don’t consider myself a winter person, but I always enjoyed the productive vibe of this time. After all, I do have a Taurus Moon in my chart. I love getting stuff done. I value productivity. I like to build things. That’s why I went into engineering. So, in Capricorn, the Earth really gets moving. We seem to have more physical strength for work this time of year – maybe because we were well rested and fed during Sagittarius.

Statistically, more people join and go to gyms in January than any other time of year. Interesting. Maybe that’s why we arranged our year start to occur in Capricorn. Cardinal-Earth is a great way to start new endeavors.

Another thing that I notice is that spending money is a lot easier in Capricorn. As a Cardinal-Earth sign, it’s time to spend. During Taurus (Fixed-Earth), we prefer to save. We want to hold on to our money (and energy) unless it really matters. But with Capricorn, it’s more important to flow with the momentum, rather than bargain shop.

So, for me, this Capricorn really got the dust flying. I was like a Tasmanian Devil, kicking up dirt wherever I went. Have any of you felt this way too? Have you found yourself motivated in areas that were stale or stagnant before? Even if you didn’t put the Capricorn energy into action, did you feel it? Did you find yourself sleeping less, waking early or multiple times during the night? I’m sure 2012 had something to do with it; after all, this year is a 5, which certainly facilitates Cardinal flow.

So Capricorn shook up the dirt, but prepare yourself because the music is about to stop. There’ll be plenty of chairs, but in a few days, I’m sure we’ll all have to take a seat. Why, you ask? Well in a few days, we’re going to enter into another T-Square right on the boundary of Cardinal and Fixed signs.

On Thursday:
Jupiter will be at 1° Taurus (Fixed-Earth),
Saturn will be at 29° Libra (Cardinal-Air), &
The Sun will be at 29° Capricorn (Cardinal-Earth).

By Saturday:
The Sun will be at 1° Aquarius (Fixed-Air) and Jupiter and Saturn will be more or less the same.

So what you see happening is the solar transition from Cardinal to Fixed accented by the tense aspect of a T-Square. A T-Square is formed just like the letter T (shown in red above). The Sun will be 90° from both Jupiter and Saturn, which are in opposition (180° from each other).

Jupiter, in Taurus, wants to expand beauty, wealth, and abundance – all that we value, but in a slow and steady fashion. Saturn asks us to take responsibility and if anything constricts our experiences until we do. And as these two major planets tug at us in opposite directions, the sun shifts from 5th gear to Park. Well, Aquarius is not really stopped; it is an air sign after all. Fixed-Air Aquarius is the least immovable of the Fixed signs. There are bouts of movement, often abrupt, but laced with hard stops. It is like a teenager learning to drive manual transmission: jerk…stop…lunge…stall.

The first time I gained an understanding of Aquarius was through observing a good friend who is Aquarius. I first experienced him as an Air sign not unlike any other. As a fellow Air sign, we got along well and conversation was stimulating. Then one day I noticed it. In two closely related subjects, he was staunchly fixed within opposing notions. When conditions met the first case, he was fluidly open, but when they shifted slightly into the second case, he was rigidly restrained. His logic made sense, but was quite different from my way of thinking.

A major characteristic of Aquarius is just that – different and unique, often surprisingly so. That’s the gift from Uranus, reminding us that we are all different, something worth celebrating. There is no reason we can’t all get along even if we are all different.

So, the T-Square ought to dot the i and cross the t of Capricorn, and sit us down for our next lesson. Capricorn kicked up the dust, and the T-Square is going to allow it to settle. After the air grows still and clear, we’ll be able to take inventory of what really happened in our first month of 2012. We’ll get to see how our actions propagated and then either celebrate our unique accomplishments or make adjustments.

Who knows, there might even be some surprises. Fives always pack the unexpected and maybe February will bring some big ones.

So if you find your activity suddenly abated, know it’s just a change of weather. Go with the ebb and await the next bout of flow. And to celebrate our collective individuality, feel free to comment on your experience of Capricorn and the transition into Aquarius – this year or in the past.

Big Hugs!