It’s not surprising that there have been so many fires in the news over the past few weeks, since we are experiencing a preponderance of the fire element. With four planets in fire signs and Mars, the most fiery of planets, having recently turned retrograde and still moving extremely slowly through the water sign of Cancer, the fire element rules the beginning of December. Fire generates activity; it provides inspiration and fuel to achieve that which needs to be done. It is energizing and captivating, but it can also burn out quickly without the stabilizing power of earth which is in short supply at the moment.

The only planet in an earth sign now is Saturn in Virgo, which is challenging (Saturn) the manner in which we live in a body (Virgo). The body and the mind are not well integrated with this kind of fire and earth imbalance which can cause problems for those of us who are not well-grounded or who lack earth in their own charts. The water element is well-represented, and this cools some of the fire but can also sap our energy if we’re not careful. Later in the month when Jupiter and Mercury enter the earthy sign of Capricorn it will become easier to find our footing.

Saturn has slowed down to a crawl in anticipation of its retrograde turn on December 8, and will move only one-quarter of a degree in the next 45 days. When a planet is “stationary” like this its influence becomes more powerful. It’s as if a car with a loud boombox is parked outside your house, rattling your windows and creating a need to resolve the situation. With Saturn in Virgo there is a need to care for the mundane details of life: our health, our work situation, our day-to-day routines.

We are remarkably free from major planetary cycles at the moment except for the approaching conjunction of Jupiter to Pluto which will be exact later this month. The final meeting of Jupiter and Pluto in Sagittarius is the culmination of the relentless optimism that Pluto in Sagittarius has brought us since 1995. Expanding stock markets, housing markets – Pluto in Sag has witnessed the bursting of all kinds of bubbles. That optimism is waning but it is still alive; I expect that once Jupiter and Pluto both enter Capricorn we will see a hard bump into reality. Mercury enters Sagittarius on December 1st which will enhance that optimism for a while, so enjoy the ride while it lasts for the next few weeks!

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