Congratulations! You all get presents this year! And by the way, if your faith does not include Christmas, or you’re just one of the cool kids who doesn’t make a big deal out of it, it’s also Pancha Ganapati this week, which celebrates the Hindu god Ganesha. He’s the god of astrology by the way, so you’re getting presents whether you like it or not. That’s how transits work. Now sit down and start unwrapping. And no… if you don’t like them, you can’t return them.
For those of you easily befuddled by family gatherings this time of year, you get to enjoy Mercury square Neptune. That aspect is exact on Monday but affects most of the week. Any time Mercury and Neptune are at odds, you can count on there being some confusion and miscommunication. Neptune is strongly placed in the sign it rules, and that Mercury is still making up ground from the retrograde and is in Sagittarius (which is better for lipping off at people than careful communication). You know that argument during your family gathering about politics or religion or whatever that you were afraid was going to break out? Yeah, you’ve been warned.
For those of you who are hoping to get lucky either at a Christmas office party or at New Year’s? You receive the gift of Venus sextile Pluto. That aspect is exact on Friday but influences the entire week. There is a romanticism associated with New Year’s, and this year Venus sextile Pluto improves the odds that you will find someone who is experiencing that certain yearning.
So you see, it’s not a bad holiday week after all, is it? It’s not like there are going to be any old wounds opened up at Christmas or New Year’s parties just because there is more likely to be alcohol involved than usual, is there? Oh, wait. Mars conjunct Chiron is exact on Saturday, and fills the entire week with a little more potential than usual for having your feelings trampled — or for you to do the trampling.
Admit it: you already knew that because of seasonal activities, the chances of someone losing their cool with or near you was greater than average this week, and the astrology seems to support that notion. What to do? Be generous with your kindness and stingy with your criticism… both to others and to yourself. Cut yourself some slack. This is supposed to be a time of mercy and restored hope for both individuals and the world at large. Peace out, y’all, and see you back here in 2019!