Planetary Transits & Cosmic Interplay for the week of Dec 2-8
Finally, this week we have the official end of this Mercury retrograde cycle. Last week we had Mercury leaving Sagittarius where it was with Sun and Jupiter and bringing its distractions and disruptions. When Mercury went retrograde into Scorpio it was the first sign of breaking up the distraction cycle that this retrogression period was all about. Now, with it finally going direct again, we have the official end of this cycle.
Coming Back to the Nodes
More importantly, however, this is the official start of the new paradigm of which I’ve been talking about since Ketu transited into Capricorn with Rahu going into Cancer. Ketu and Rahu are what are known as the nodes of the Moon in common parlance and in an observational context they represent the eclipse points of the Sun and the Moon. Their ingress from one sign into another typically takes with it a paradigm shift. These nodes of the Moon have a lot to do with our subconscious and the forces that pull at our mind in ways sometimes that we don’t fully see.
This is so because these are, after all, the nodes of the Moon, which is said in Vedic Astrology to be representative of the mind. Ketu and Rahu are considered to be “shadowy” planets because of their nature of being unseen until the eclipses are occurring. Therefore, we can say that these nodes of the Moon represent the dark or hidden side of the mind. One of the ways that Ketu and Rahu operate and manifest in our lives is not necessarily in an obvious fashion, but in a sort of impulsive way. Like we may feel inclined to be a certain way or we may encounter certain circumstances that we either initiate ourselves unconsciously or we keep finding ourselves in beyond our control and we just can’t seem to figure out how to get out of them. This transit of the nodes is typically not loud like a screaming baby but more like an itch that can’t seem to be scratched or satiated.
Enter the Creative Conundrum
This inability to scratch the proverbial itch is what I refer to as the paradigm that these planets are representing. We all encounter many sets of these circumstances of paradox in our lives with some ongoing, some that just present themselves once, and some recurring. The nature of this paradox that I see highlighted and earmarked by the overall picture of the transiting planets is that of stifled creativity.
With what the nodes are showing, there is a deep underlying urge to break free and to find a new creative path. The fact is that there is an old and established mechanism that one is returning to at this point in time, whether that be a set of thinking, an old job, old habits, etc. But what is happening here is that this is being brought up because there is a deep unconscious need to want to break free from it and do something different with it. What lies in between these two opposite ends of the paradox is the usage of one’s creative energy. The unlocking and unravelling of this will help to break free of the stale, yet stable, set of circumstances and invite a new level of breakthrough to make it work even better.
Mars and Saturn, Once Again
However, at this time there is still a certain “stuckness” that is happening in which the creative energy is still bound up for various reasons. Like I talked about last week, Mars is still being affected by Saturn. Saturn brings about structure and stability, albeit in a very strict and limiting way. While this can help Mars to initiate activity and stay disciplined, it doesn’t lend itself towards the breaking free of the old structures and out of the conundrum.
How the Sun Subdues Jupiter’s Creative Side
Simultaneously, we have Jupiter in a tight conjunction with the Sun still. While there are a lot of positive qualities attached to this conjunction, it mostly comes from the perspective of one’s greater vision and one’s purpose becoming prominent. Jupiter in Vedic Astrology is related to growth, expansion, and one of the factors of our creative faculty. The Sun represents authority figures, one’s biggest responsibilities, and just anything big and prominent in general.
What happens with Jupiter with the Sun is that the creative side of Jupiter gets stifled by the big and important things that a person has to do. It’s about handling what one has to do rather than what one wants to create: obligation over creation. Since the Sun represents authority figures, this can also indicate one having their creative ideas of expansion shot down by someone who factors prominently in their life because their ideas are seen as deleterious, trivial, or unnecessary to the greater success and ambitions of the greater structure they’re involved in. Again, this is a strike against this creativity getting unlocked.
Ketu and Saturn’s Role
Let’s dive into more details about Ketu and its placement in the sky. Right now, it is in the sign of Capricorn where it is conjunct Saturn. This conjunction is not very close yet and won’t be for the better part of a year, but it is still present and giving its effects. This combination is all about inhibition and staying inside the box. This energy lends itself towards strictness and the simplicity of just doing what one is told and of following the rules of an established structure. This is such a great combination for staying at home, metaphorically speaking, and of not needing to venture outside the box. However, the nature of Ketu is to bring about a certain set of circumstances which has been explored previously but for some reason no longer suits the individual any longer.
This is the part of the nodal paradox that carries with it the yearning to break free from these constraints and break the boundaries that have been set in place. In this case, a very narrow viewpoint has been established and leaned on, yet of course has provided value and has worked in the past, but it just doesn’t satisfy as it once did. There is a certain amount of restlessness and wanting to break free from this really tight restriction indicated by this combination.
Hang in There
That’s about all I can really offer up right now, to just stay the course and to breathe. Opportunities will present themselves at a later time to really break through and take things to a new level and to use one’s creative energy to establish a new way of thinking. However, this is the time to just observe what works and show gratitude for it and to honor how it has served well. Everything in life is put before us to help us grow—even the things that hold us back. Hindsight will really shine the light on this and give a wonderful perspective to how these things were actually supporting us. For now, what we can do is to praise those systems currently in place and take the time to consider the things that they are providing us with. The time for change is coming. The walls will fall. So, let’s take the time to appreciate the comfort they have provided us for so long while they’re still here.
