Everyone is Talking about the Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on December 14th, and For Good Reason
Everyone is talking about the solar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 14th of December - the night of the New Moon, and for good reason. The penumbral lunar eclipse in Gemini on November 30th closed out a series of eclipses that started in June, and this solar eclipse in Sagittarius starts a series of new ones. Sagittarius’ planetary ruler, Jupiter, is moving into the last degree of Capricorn on this date, too.
Another reason it will be so impactful is that Chiron will be stationing direct immediately after - on the 15th. Chiron has been retrograde since July 11th and since then, we have experienced facing our deepest wounding and transformative healing. This is the power of Chiron, especially retrograde, and especially in the middle of a pandemic without our usual distractions to keep us from recognizing the healing.
There really is no better time to leave something in the past that needs to stay in the past.
The Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius
On December 14, on the date of the solar eclipse in Sagittarius, Mercury, the sun, the moon, and the south node of the moon will all be conjunct in Sagittarius. With all of these placements together, and forming a trine to Mars and Chiron in Aries, we have a lot of fire energy to play with.
At this point, we will have no planets or placements in air signs, save for the north node in Gemini. Things might feel heavy before they get light again, when Saturn moves into Aquarius on the 17th, followed by Jupiter on the 19th.
Saturn in Aquarius
These planets will be exactly conjunct in fixed air Aquarius on December 21st, which will officially start a new 200 year cycle of air, after having been in the age of earth. This is a big deal! Saturn and Jupiter have not met up in the same degree of the same sign like this since the year 1405.
The next day, on December 15th, Chiron stations direct after having been retrograde since July 11th. Chiron is the asteroid that is recognized as the bridge between the spiritual and the material worlds. When Chiron is retrograde, wounds that need healing resurface in ways that we least expect - if we expected them, we wouldn't have the surprise element that allows for the healing to occur.
Chiron Stations Direct
Chiron works on all levels to show us our blind spots and all of those things we are not paying active attention to, specifically having to do with the wounds of the self. Our unhealed and unacknowledged wounds cry out for our attention in subconscious ways, so it is super important for us to acknowledge and heal them in order to live full, radiant, healthy, and whole lives.
If you keep a journal, maybe go back and reflect on all of the realizations you have had these past six months - the last half of 2020. Or perhaps they are fresh in your mind. And there are likely a lot. Chiron certainly isn't the only planetary being that has been conspiring for our healing, but it is a powerful one.
Chiron’s retrograde period shows us and reminds us that while we can’t remove any traumatic incidents from the memory of our lives, it is possible to shake it out from our bodies and from our nervous systems so that we can live in the present moment instead of reliving trauma and painful moments from our past.
Pluto is commonly known as the planet of the underworld, but Chiron spends a great deal of time there, too. We have a lot of Chiron in Aries time, as this asteroid will not move into Taurus until June 2026. This is especially activating for those with their north node in Aries and south node in Libra, or north north in Libra and south node in Aries.
Transiting Chiron will station direct in 4° Aries, retrograde from 9° Aries. Stationing direct, it is giving us an opportunity to test and see if we handle similar situations the same as before, or if we have truly learned and integrated the lessons from the past six months.
If we haven’t yet, that’s okay, there will be more opportunities to do so, but of course if we feel ready, then why not now? There will always be lessons and challenges in life, so if we are ready to move forward on to the next one, that is a good sign that we are on the right path.
Chiron, also known as the “wounded healer”, in the sign of Aries centers around wounds of being independent. This can show up in ways of not feeling independent enough in relationships, or perhaps the opposite, maybe we have noticed that we lean way too much into independence and haven’t found ways to be interdependent.
Chiron in Aries also shows us where we distrust our initial instincts and impulses. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and one that, more than any other sign, is meant to follow through on their initial gut feelings and first impressions about people and situations in their life.
Age of Air
On December 21st, on the winter solstice, we officially transition into the age of air, after having been in the age of earth for 200 years. The age of air will bring many changes to our planet, and one of these is that it will instill into us the importance of being our own guru, our own source of information, and not outsourcing our judgement to others to tell us what they think is best for us.
It’s important to have experts and people who are knowledgeable in their field, however, there is absolutely no one who knows YOU better than you, no matter what you believe about yourself now. The age of air will show us the ways that we have abandoned ourselves to fit into a society that doesn’t have the interests of the individual in its design.
If we want to live rich, full lives, we must go within, and this year has hopefully shown all of us how important it is to do this. This means that, going forward, we have to listen to and trust and rely on our inner instincts and knowing. To do this, we must first develop a relationship and communication with our inner words.
If you believe that you know yourself better than anyone else, then absolutely no one else has power over you to tell you any different, which means you cannot be swayed from your path and purpose. There are many good and well intentioned people who will try to give you a formula for how they achieved success, but - they are not you, and you are not them.
You might be able to glean some information from them, but just like they have some information for you, you also have some information for them. It’s a mutual learning and mutual influence situation.
With the transiting north node in Gemini and south node in Sagittarius in January 2022, it is even more important that we recognize that there is no hierarchy. We are all people with different experiences, perspectives, understandings, and paths, and we are here to learn from each other just as much as we are here to teach one another.
With the south node in Sagittarius, we are releasing karmic patterns of dogma, and preaching at one another - ways of thinking that imply the way we know is the best way, or the only way to do things. It is about coming back to the remembering that we are not above anyone else, and just because something worked for us, doesn’t mean that is the only way or the way that will work for someone else.
So how do we separate giving and receiving wisdom and advice without entangling ourselves into other people’s stories, or making their stories about us? Maintaining curiosity, boundaries, and qualifying any advice we give by reminding ourselves and others that what we are saying is coming from our own experience and that someone else’s is going to be different is a good place to begin.
Take some time to note what you see for yourself in the next six months as those plans are coming together now.
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Elisabeth is a writer and astrologer, based in Seattle. To connect with her more about astrology, you can connect with her via a chart reading her Instagram @elisabetham, or email her at info@elisabethmckinley.com.