Apparently this is a Christmas card from 1910–but it certainly looks like a modern-day hipster who knows his knots {{PD}}

Interesting that what we label ‘the holidays’ in much of the Western world typically falls in Capricorn. That would seem odd, with Cap’s stodgy reputation (though the affinity for gratitude in this sign is a nice fit) except when we note how Earth, the very planet upon which we sit, is currently (from a heliocentric point of view) nestled in caring, loving, nurturing, mommy-ish Cancer, with the holidays in question centered on the generosity and love that is at the heart of Cancer’s urge to nurture, feed, and ‘fix’. To be open to those Earthly energies, to celebrate them and express our appreciation for others with gifts and song and food (so Cancer!) and then to renew ourselves (like a phoenix, or a license, or a Time Lord) as the New Year begins—and this year we really do have a chance to rise from the ashes, as the Sun of 1 January 2014 conjuncts Pluto, and Mars squares the Sun-Earth axis, providing unlimited energy, the kinetic kind, with a chance to reform and resurrect identity and purpose.

The 21st is the Solstice and the beginning of the Venus Retrograde, the former marking the shortest day and longest night at the equator, with the recipe reversed for the Southern hemisphere, and the latter bringing us temporary changes in values, attitudes toward Love and Money, and often lessening of opportunity in the Houses ruled by Venus—though House matters may play out instead as relationship, aesthetic, or spending choices we later find cringeworthy. Think about how the retro period, running through 31 January, gives us plenty of time for a whirlwind courtship and marriage, enough time to cash out our life savings to invest in that plan for a space elevator or chinchilla breeding scheme (at a time when use of fur may be at an all-history low) or to finance your brother-in-law’s invention that’s been sitting under a tarp in his garage for years, and certainly we do have time to get the Last Supper tattooed on our backs, and the retro runs just long enough that most of us, if doing our worst, could end up jobless, homeless, and/ or divorced if given enough Venus contrarian rope. Be careful, as we can’t count on the reliability of our own tastes, values, or feelings to guide us terribly well during the Venus retro—that, of course, is where the danger lies. The best guideline: don’t do anything that can’t be easily undone, should you change your mind after direction.

This is from the 50th issue of ECLIPSE this year, and the final one for 2013; to subscribe and get everything delivered to you for less than $7 per month, please click here!

See more on Venus Retrograde here.

Thank You to All my Readers, and Wishing All a Wonderful end to 2013, and a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year in 2014!