Stellar Insights: December 25 - 31
Honoring the Liminal + The Astrology of 2023's Last Week
Here are some insights about the opportunities and challenges that this week’s astrology may offer. May they help you make the most of this moment. Should you want to see what the current planetary movements are catalyzing for you—what your here/now and near future may be inspiring—based upon your personal astrology chart, we can explore that in a Stellar Guidance Session.
I love this week between Christmas and New Year’s. It always feels like a liminal space, a threshold moment in which I feel invited to reflect upon and bid goodbye to the current year while standing at the doorstep of the following one, wondering what it will bestow. It feels very betwixt/between, a feeling that I adore about threshold moments as it lends an air of stillness, presence, and spaciousness. And even though this liminal time occurs during the first full week of Capricorn season, a time in which productivity is hailed, many people find themselves going at a slower or more luxurious pace (notably when the Christmas festivities are complete). We make space for family and friends, for celebration and reflection, to meandering during our days in a more recreational pace.
That said, this year it’s not like the stars have gotten the let’s-chill-a-bit memo, as this week is filled with lots of astro action. Here are some of the highlights.
The day after Christmas the sky lights up with a Full Moon. This one, featuring the Sun in Capricorn and the Moon in Cancer, beckons us to attend to both our private and public life. We can further perceive to whom and what we feel responsible and loyal, and whether doing so actually nourishes us personally or mostly stems from a duty to socially constructed traditions passed down from our families and cultures. We may gain a greater understanding about how we feel about the legacy we are creating in the world and whether it truly feeds the core of who we are.
On the same day, Chiron ends its current retrograde cycle. This underscores how this holiday week can be a powerful time for healing, for finding new ways to support ourselves and others as we all connect to and make more space for deep feelings, such as sorrow and grief. Given that Chiron is in Aries, we may find ourselves with bursts of awareness that show us how the personal narratives we’ve developed keep us from owning our ability to assert for and champion what it is that we truly feel passionate about.
And with this, we may attune more deeply to our desires, ally with our anger, and give ourselves permission to fight for something that is deeply important to us. This feels even more possible given that this occurs on the heels of the Mercury/Mars Conjunction, an alignment that activates our thoughts and can connect us to the spark we need to be more fierce in our communications.
Yet, at the same time—thanks to Mercury and Mars squaring dreamy Neptune—we need to ensure that we’re paying attention to our boundaries. There’s a propensity for permeability, for containers to feel less solid. This could lead to things experiencing overflow, whether that’s liquids going beyond the bounds of the containers meant to hold them or our feelings flooding out in ways that seem excessive. Be clear about where you want to focus your attention and who really deserves to be the beneficiary of your actions, rather than letting guilt, idealism, or even a sense of sacrifice guide that.
All of this is wrapped in giant Jupiterian bow, given that the more-is-better planet ends its retrograde cycle on Saturday. We may find ourselves filled with a greater reservoir of optimism and hope as well as a greater vision of what is possible. And yet, while everything may feel like it’s ensconced in an air of enthusiasm, at times it could seem as if it’s bordering on excess, and maybe even exaggeration.
As such, connect to buoyancy, to a desire to expand the space around you, and to a clarion call for greater joy and enjoyment, while at the same time remembering the law of natural limits. Be open to what is available and what can be created while also being careful and thoughtful about what you say Yes to and why. (In an experience of what I viewed as great synchronicity, just as I was thinking about Jupiter’s association with Yes, I read a missive from the Agents and Books Substack, which touches on this subject—minus the astrological orientation—which you can find here.)
All said, may the Jupiterian spirit that this liminal week, including this New Year’s Eve, embodies bring us more confidence that by leading with our hearts, coming together with our courageous and compassionate communities, and championing from a place of love that we can bring more peace and joy not only to our lives in 2024 but to others around the world.
As I complete this last weekly Stellar Insights article for this year, I want to acknowledge my gratitude and appreciation for you, dear reader. Whether we’ve met in person or online for a session or at an event, communicated via email or the comment threads, or we are acquainted through you reading my words here and perhaps via my books and other writings, know that I am so happy for the sense of kinship and community I feel for and with you.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
xoStephanie
Astrological Highlights
December 25: Venus/Neptune Trine
December 26: Cancer Full Moon; Chiron Stations Direct
December 27: Sun/Jupiter Trine; Mercury/Neptune Square; Mercury/Mars Conjunction
December 28: Mars/Neptune Square
December 29: Venus enters Sagittarius; Venus/Pluto Sextile
December 30: Jupiter Stations Direct
All days reflect Eastern Standard Time (- 5 hours GMT)
Photos: JR Korpa, Fabienne Hennings, and Georgia de Lotz, all via Unsplash