We’re now in the year of the Rooster, following Friday’s Aquarius New Moon. We’re also approaching the middle of the Northern Hemisphere winter, otherwise known as Imbolc.

One of a number of elephant art exhibits displayed in London in the summer of 2010. Photo by Andrew Wilkinson.

One of the traditional Celtic or Pagan cross-quarter days, Imbolc — also called “Midwinter” — literally means “in the belly.”

If you’re feeling surrounded by darkness, remember that seasonally speaking, we’re in a period of gestation: halfway between the solstice and the Aries equinox. We are gradually working free of something.

As is Mercury, now clear of its shadow phase. And yesterday afternoon EST it finally formed the conjunction to Pluto that was a gnat’s whisker away back on Dec. 19, during the station retrograde. The fulfillment of anything so long in coming is always something of a relief, in clearing away uncertainty. Mercury as an archetype has a lot more precision than, say, Neptune; but his tricksterish nature can obfuscate reality equally well sometimes.

The elaborate dance around Pluto last month created an air of inexactness, leaving the result an open question. This question is now receiving an emphatic answer.

The astronomical object named for Pluto is a relatively small body, but its impact is massive. Given the chance, Mercury will hedge and fudge and mess about. Pluto, in the words of Terry Pratchett, can’t be having with that sort of thing. Pluto is lifting the veil and exposing the truth — taking the elephant in the room and waving it in our faces until we pay attention.

This form of challenge is nearly always discomfiting, sometimes disturbing; but it offers the chance to resolve whatever issue is highlighted. It’s up to you now to acknowledge what has been revealed, process the information and consider your response.

We live, as the well-known curse puts it, in interesting times. Something has altered irrevocably; yet with some intervention and effort, we can mould that change into a substantive and lasting improvement.

The Sun is now a few degrees into Aquarius, cruising steadily toward the sign’s New Moon next week. Before we get there, however, an aspect takes place that got my attention: Tuesday at 10:25 am EST (15:24:45 UTC), the centaur Nessus will be exactly conjunct the lunar South Node.

Statue in Rouen, France, of the abduction of Deianeira, wife of Hercules, by Nessus. Photo by Frederic Bisson.

This aspect has been a long time coming; its significance is lent mainly by the nature of the moment in which it happens.

I personally am quite partial to working with the lunar nodes, to some extent because they often represent the journey being undertaken in miniature form. The South Node is where you start from, and the North Node is where you’re going to. These two points by themselves can be rich with information.

Eric has written about Nessus many times, discussing its relationship with abuses of all kinds. Where Nessus is present, there’s some karma to be worked out, and usually some past transgression to bring to justice. Melanie Reinhart’s catchphrase for Nessus is “the buck stops here”; I suspect Nessus passing the South Node would be “the buck stops now.”

A line has been crossed, and denial is impossible; the only course remaining is the path toward acknowledgment, assertion and the enacting of justice. For some, this might involve a personal journey to let go of the negative programming of the past, and come into the full human measure of independence and freedom.

If that includes you, remember that the process is likely to be gradual and take it one step at a time. Give yourself the space and the patience you need; and safeguard your mental health in whatever ways work best for you. Your experiences are valid; listen to your instincts.

There would seem to be an air of necessity about this journey that is sometimes associated with Pluto transits. Learning must and will take place. How it happens is up to us.

We are now in the last days of the Sun in Capricorn and looking toward the middle of the northern winter season. The Sun changes signs Thursday. Before that happens, though, Mars catches up with Chiron in Pisces. This takes place at 9:14 pm EST tonight (02:13:50 UTC Tuesday).

Image by Jon Zander.

Mars, the archetype of masculinity, has been traveling through the deeply feminine sign of Pisces since Dec. 19.

This placement challenges Mars perhaps more keenly than any other sign. The god of war is in an atmosphere of merging and surrender. One might as well try to wrestle chocolate as wage a head-on battle with the Fishes.

Yet the most positive qualities of the red planet, such as courage, open desire and enthusiasm, get something of a polish in this sign. Here, as befits the final part of the zodiac, the warrior ripens to maturity, and opens to a new perspective that contains healing of all kinds.

Any meeting with Chiron usually represents a lesson, and in this case that involves self-acceptance and self-integration. No-one can hold an aggressive position forever; eventually, there must be a laying down of arms, and an embracing of vulnerability. Ideas that are not seen when one is defensive now become clearer and easier to understand.

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Sunday morning, Mercury stationed direct in Sagittarius. It had been retrograde, mostly in Capricorn, since right before the winter solstice, starting on Dec. 19. When Mercury stations direct early in the year, it feels to me like a second beginning — this time a little more clear-headed, and less stressed out by the holidays.

This is a diagram of the Milky Way, which is a barred spiral galaxy. If you look carefully, you can see our Sun just above the Perseus Arm, along what’s called the Orion Spur. We’re about 25,000 light years from the core.

Mercury is in its stationary direct position in a conjunction to the Galactic Core. We live on an island in space containing about 300 billion stars. They are arranged in a spiral pattern, approximately like the illustration. We cannot see our own galaxy from this point of view because we cannot get nearly far enough away.

At the center of the spiral is a supermassive black hole and a number of other radio sources that constitute the Galactic Core. Mercury is now aligned with the core within about two degrees. Amplifying this signal is a centaur planet called Pholus, even closer to the core (where it will be hanging around all year).

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Happy New Year! As 2017 begins to take its first tentative steps, Venus is about to move into Pisces for an extended stay, tomorrow morning at 2:46 (07:46:30 UTC).

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I hope you are having a pleasant holiday season.

The approaching New Year commences under the auspices of a Capricorn New Moon, which takes place Thursday morning at 1:53 EST (06:53:08 UTC).

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This morning sees two events of interest happening almost simultaneously. First, at 4:23 am EST (09:22:54 UTC), Mars enters Pisces. Then, 93 minutes later, Mercury stations retrograde in mid-Capricorn. Mercury will be retrograde until Jan. 8.

Photo by Eric Francis.

These are two seemingly separate events related by this unusual synchronicity. What they have in common is the theme of honesty.

Mercury changing directions can bring a revelation or discovery. This often happens amidst some confusion, and it can bring a moment of clarity. This process will likely continue through the retrograde, as Mercury enters Sagittarius on Jan. 4, and then stations direct a few days later. With Mercury retrograde, it’s helpful to take it slow, or at least to pace yourself. Focus on getting the facts right, here in our world that’s being variously described as “post-factual” and “post-truth.”

Mars in Pisces accentuates the theme of emotional honesty, suggesting you avoid denial and be real with yourself. There is some caution in that Mars enters Pisces and immediately makes a conjunction to centaur Nessus. The comment here is to be conscious about the theme of victimization. Nessus in Pisces is a long transit and we will have many opportunities to revisit this theme, though it’s a big one in society right now.

Mars is the planet of desire. Desire is natural, yet it’s not treated that way. We live in a time when we believe that sex must have a victim. Mars conjunct Nessus may bring up the feelings and other emotional residue of past events of your life. The thing about emotional and body-memory is that it can seem like whatever you’re remembering is happening now.

If this is happening, you would be well-served to let people know what you’re experiencing. Be careful not to project onto them or blame them. Stay with your feelings. Your first job is to stop whatever happened to you from being passed forward. Your second job is to take an active role in your own healing.

Yousaf Chaman and Jenni Lester and son, Nouraiz, next to the sign in their front yard in Lancaster, PA; it says, “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor,” in Spanish, English and Arabic. Link to a printable version of the sign here. Photo by Richard Hertzler.

Generically, be mindful of your boundaries. Know what feelings are yours and what belong to someone else.

Both of these transits signify a moment of inward reflection. This goes against the grain of modern civilization, in which running oneself into the ground is virtually the law. The natural ebb and flow of human tides, of business and restfulness, have been all but forgotten. We expect to be like machines, never stopping (except that machines do break down, of course).

It could be argued that this is precisely what causes the very mishaps we associate with Mercury retrograde. So too is our increasing dependence on robotic devices which surround us and infuse our minds — the very thing that’s making us like machines.

What if regular pauses were actually built in to our lives? What if we had time to stop and rest, to ponder, to process? What if we made room for the full spectrum of human feeling? I imagine the result would be a massive improvement in our potential, if not our manifestations. Human society could become more intelligent, more caring, more thoughtful.

Start with yourself. Lay back a little during this holiday season. Spend unfettered, truly relaxed moments with those you love dearly. Keep your empathy in sensitive mode. Allow yourself really to slow down, as far as you need to.

Tomorrow is the last Full Moon of 2016. This calendar year has been anything but dull, and a general mood of questioning and uncertainty seems to prevail. Yet where there are questions, there is opportunity for new solutions.

A stunning Full Moon rising over the Temple of Aphaia, Aigina, Greece. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

This Full Moon will occur with the Sun in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini; it will be exact at about 7:05 pm EST (00:05:29 UTC on Wednesday).

Given what a polarizing year this has been, particularly in the U.S. and the U.K., this Full Moon comes as a timely reminder to be extra aware of moments when you feel like your buttons are getting pushed. And if some interpersonal situation feels stuck, know that it might begin to resolve as the Full Moon peaks.

We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time, even when good things are happening. With a Full Moon in the mix, it’s helpful to remember that you (or those around you) might have a harder time rolling with the unexpected. Gemini, Sagittarius and this season in general can all tend toward spreading oneself rather thin. It’s okay to keep tabs on your needs, to set boundaries or say ‘no’ to yet another event or obligation.

Note that the Full Moon is square to Chiron in Pisces, which is a reminder that any situation in which you feel nervous or uncomfortable, or just unsure, is also an opportunity for healing. Growth (and emotional/spiritual healing contributes to growth) most often happens when we’ve been pushed, squeezed or stretched a little.

How able we are to come at the situation with some imagination and faith often makes a big difference. Chiron in Pisces suggests both are available should you choose to use them.

Bear in mind that we’ll enter next year with Mercury retrograde (it stations retrograde on Dec. 19). That period of easing and slowing to come could well be a welcome relief. Following your Mercury retrograde protocol of double-checking everything and practicing patience might actually help you to create some needed space for yourself.

Time is required to process what has occurred this year, and to prepare for whatever is ahead. To a certain extent, this Full Moon can help with that. It’s saying there is more than one possible outcome; probably many. Rest assured, you have options.

— with Amy Elliott