Dear Friend and Reader:

We reached the solstice yesterday; the Sun is now in Capricorn. Days begin to lengthen in the Northern Hemisphere (and shorten Down Under). Though it will be a while before the day length is noticeable, the night sky is currently graced with a waxing Moon adding some nocturnal light.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

The Cancer Full Moon is Friday (Christmas Day, for those who celebrate it). Between now and then, Mercury in its pre-retrograde shadow phase could wrinkle your plans, but you can take simple steps to keep the effects to a minimum. I’ve outlined the astrology for the first part of the week in the Monday Astrology Diary, as I continue to sit in for Eric.

Len Wallick has written this month’s Moonshine horoscopes interpreting this Full Moon for you, which features the Sun in very early Capricorn and the Moon opposite in Cancer, highlighting themes to do with ‘tradition’ and ‘home’.

Fe Bongolan looks at her life-in-progress and its telltale markers, and thinks about time — how far we’ve come; what has been. And how, for her, it continues to be observed and measured in both actual and creative children.

This week’s tarot reading by Sarah Taylor suggests you not only get to choose something, but you have the ability to choose it in a way that is balanced and serves your highest needs. What’s the best way to deal with actually getting what you wish for, for a change?

Amanda Moreno muses on how the last six months have flown, and time seems more compressed than ever. Events conspire to keep us fearful and off-balance, despite our relative material comfort. Still, our imagination can lead us out of the darkness.

In Judith Gayle’s latest column, she sidesteps the “corporate wet dream” that Christmas has become, and drops into the heart of this season’s meaning, urging you to shine through the darkness and the political “silly stuff” this season. She says of the Light, “It’s what we’re made of, it’s what we brought here with us and it’s what we came to do.”

Please note that Len’s Tuesday column has been delayed until tomorrow; I’ll be writing more about the Dec. 25 Full Moon on Thursday on the website. Also, the Thursday subscriber issue will be mailed Wednesday instead, due to the holiday, and it will feature a lead essay by Eric and your extended monthly horoscopes for January.

Wishing you peace for this new season,

Amanda Painter