Xmas-New Year's Grand-Cross Razzmatazz

12.22.13


I will not pretend to be completely clear-headed as I write you this, my last post of the year.

My eyes are like whirling pinwheels, this being my thirteen straight day of writing without a break, as I put the finishing touches on your sun-sign forecasts for the year ahead, ASTROBARRY'S 2014.

I've been mostly absent from the collective reality, as I sit in my office locked away in solitude, projecting my consciousness outward into next year while the current one ticks quickly away. This is my third year putting together a massive year-ahead e-book project, though, and I may be starting to get used to it. I catch myself before allowing the whiny complaints to escape my lips, for they provide nothing to support the necessity of keeping my momentum up and, complaining or not, I'm still going to finish the book so why indulge the bad vibes… and besides, I am writing my third fucking book (not to mention, the first two sold pretty darn well), so, as someone who's wanted nothing more than to be a Professional Writer since my teenage years, I'm in essence living the dream. Thankfully, as you can tell, I'm not in the same dark place about all this as I was a year ago, lacking faith in myself, beating myself up for not having done more work earlier, pressed painfully against the wall by Saturn's bearing-down. Now, let me sing my gratitude from the rooftops.

But contrary to first appearances, this piece of writing is not about me. I have momentarily emerged from hiding because I found it imperative to send out a heads-up alert about the astrological situation right now.

Let's be blunt: The current astrology is kind of a shitshow, and remains so until after the first of the year.

When I say 'shitshow', I mean these are the sort of aspects which make for explosive holidaytime conversations, that's for sure, and maybe a few other drunken or otherwise intoxicated surprises… which tempt the less-cautious and more-trigger-happy of us to go at least two or three steps too far, so far, in fact, as to alter the dynamics in our relationships with them, perhaps irreversibly… which invite us to unleash our pent-up fury about crap that happened last month or last year or in childhood, no discernment between now and what already went down in the past, though perhaps that's not the worst perspective since aren't cause and effect spiraling into and out of one another, parallel-universe style, both always relevant?… and which, most importantly of all, heighten our risk of doing something we may later come to regret, including, even, a heightened potential for accidents, violence and/or other careless life-changers. This really ain't the season to drive drunk, mouth off to a cop, or carry a loaded gun in your pocket playing Mr./Ms. Toughguy. Play it cool, yo.

The details, in short:

(1) Uranus and Pluto remain in their ongoing decade-defining square, generally stirring up revolutionary turmoil and unrest to far greater proportions.

(2) As of this past August, Jupiter in Cancer veered into orb of both opposing Pluto and squaring Uranus to form a T-square (or perpendicular arrangement of three planets at odds with one another), basically expanding the turbulent influence of both Uranus and Pluto.

(3) And now Mars, in Libra for an exceptionally lengthy stay, has moved in to complete the grand cross (i.e., four planets all at cross-purposes)… first opposing Uranus (exact on Dec 25), then squaring Pluto (Dec 30), and finally squaring Jupiter (Jan 8). Along the way, the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn will also pass through the eye of the grand cross, as well as the Moon who periodically flows in and out.

As I've discussed before, this bumpy Uranus-Pluto(-and-now-Jupiter) business—the backdrop to virtually everything that's so quickly and powerfully evolving these days—always becomes bigger and more personal whenever a faster-moving planet drifts into range. In this case, it's Mars, who's not only traditionally considered a malefic because he pushily pokes his nose wherever it wants to go and doesn't like to back down until he snags the desired booty, but also finds himself in his detriment (an uncomfortable spot opposite a sign he rules) in Libra, caught between directness and diplomacy, aggression and passivity. Of all the possible flaring triggers, Mars in Libra is admittedly a pretty problematic one.

Looking ahead, Mars will endure a 2½-month retrograde period next year (March 1-May 19), during which time he'll slip back into another grand cross with Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter… only, because (1) Mars's retrograde will make his behavior even more erratic, (2) all four grand-crossing planets will converge within an exceptionally tight orb over the course of just a few days, and (3) this occurs smack dab between two eclipses, that one threatens to be a real real doozie. For the record, this will all transpire April 20-23. And chances are, it'll bring a similarly-themed follow-up chapter to any drama that's stirred up this holiday season.

In the meantime, Venus began her retrograde through Capricorn yesterday (Dec 21), for which I already wrote you up a description. I will add this further sentiment: Because Venus-retrogrades bring unfinished relationship business back home to roost, it could well be that any grand-cross disruptions to our expected behavioral patterns may actually help us gain new clarity on certain interpersonal involvements, despite the momentary upset. We might come to discover a different side to someone we thought we'd figured out, impacting the tone with which we value that relationship. Even if the discovery is disappointing or deflating, it's still better to know, don't you think?

Have a happy—and safe—end of your year and kickoff to 2014! I'm going back into hiding now, hellbent on enjoying a few lazy hours on the couch before returning to the hard-labor grind. Love you!

For more specifics on how this astrology affects you, check out your super-sized end-of-year horoscopes.