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Showing posts with label Winter Solstice 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter Solstice 2017. Show all posts

Jun 15, 2018

Late June 2018: Sun-Saturn opposition and a Full Moon


On June 27, 2018, Saturn and the Sun oppose one another across the Cancer-Capricorn axis thus fulfilling the promise (or threat!) of their previous conjunction which perfected near if not on Winter Solstice 2017. For transit Saturn had entered his own sign of Capricorn on December 19, 2017 and enjoyed a cozy tete-a-tete with the Cardinal Ingress Sun on December 21, 2017. A variety of political, legal, and business-related events occurred in that month--who am I kidding, in that year, thanks to Trump--and their effects naturally have lasted into 2018 and beyond, plus, these cosmic energies are imprinted upon the Trump 'administration' for its duration along with the eclipses and their themes which have preceded and occurred during his inauguration and his time in the Oval Office.

So with the June 27th Sun-Saturn opposition we may expect a sense of fulfillment, culmination, or at least an awareness such as any Full Moon brings, therefore, the events during late 2017 will turn up in the news cycle again for some level of resolution or completion. Yet separation is also a feature of the Sun-Saturn duo and of any opposition.

As for past issues that may turn up for airing there are three events of December 2017 that I easily remember: Alabama's Senate election being won by Democrat Doug Jones (and not Roy Moore!), Trump's pal Michael Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the F.B.I. and agreeing to cooperate with the Trump-Russia investigation, and Trump's initial pronouncement that, not Tel Aviv, but Jerusalem is the rightful capital of Israel and that the US embassy would be subsequently relocated there. It was just in time to fulfill the 70-year Biblical prophecy.

See December 6, 2017's Why Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem Is Controversial.

However, with this post let's limit (Saturn!) our consideration to the June 28th Full Moon (see below) and the Sun-Saturn pair of planetary energies which brings in America's natal Sun-Saturn square of July 4, 1776 for any mention of the pair here on Stars Over Washington most always come with a fresh reminder of that dynamic aspect between the 1776 Sun (leadership) and our national exalted-in-Libra Saturn (lawmakers, lawyers, government officials, the judicial system, mid-level managers, authorities, seniors, and such). The square describes our nation's early struggles for authenticity and the reality of becoming a nation, struggles which eventually gave way to maturity, stability, and a tradition of measured decisions and dependability that many may agree have now been forfeited.

For it doesn't help our cause that the travails of Mr. Trump continue to involve Saturnian issues of authority, authenticity, loyalty, leadership, laws, honesty, steadiness, realism, and truth while transit Saturn demands accountability from him for his past (Saturn) actions. We find threads of this current struggle in the consideration of how transit Saturn in early Capricorn is in process of making a series of oppositions to Trump's natal Mercury (8Can51) while simultaneously squaring his natal Neptune (6Libra) which places the 'reality' TV star's fantasy-prone Mercury-Neptune square under scrutiny of Saturn's truth-demanding rays while placing karmic obstacles (square) against his Neptunian dreams and impractical or unorthodox ideas. For Trump it's all about appearances and PR yet this can never satisfy realistic Saturn who demands substance, honesty, and measurable results.

Actually, the next exact aspect from karmic Saturn to his unstable Mercury-Neptune square perfects on the very June 27, 2018 of which we now speak when tr Saturn squares Trump's natal Neptune--and then again on November 11, 2018. Completing 2018, a final opposition from Saturn to Trump's natal Mercury perfects on December 10, 2018 marking a period when his anger and frustration are likely to rise to an even higher pitch due to limitations and restrictions, all thanks to sober, no-nonsense Saturn, planet of The Establishment. The Letter of the Law comes to mind along with the fact (Saturn) that in America no man is above the law. Or at least, we say so quite regularly.

Sun-Saturn-Jupiter

Now over and above Mr. Trump, by way of the June 27, 2018 Sun-Saturn opposition we actually have a two-fer transit affecting or activating America's natal Jupiter (5Can56--'6Cancer' = "Game Birds Feathering Their Nests" an apt description of the Trump 'administration'). Transit Sun conjoining US natal Jupiter brings a brief period of dramatic or flamboyant events (old news with camera hog Trump, I know) when long distance travel, foreigners, and associated issues are emphasized, finances, expansion, and/or development come into sharper focus, and the judicial system is prominent--already the case, yes, but add the weightier opposition from tr Saturn, planet of karma, and a culmination or fulfillment stage, as noted, is perfecting so that what has been sown will be reaped. Plus, with Saturn opposing US natal Jupiter a period arrives when past failures and neglect of responsibility are featured (and perhaps are brought before the court--or will long-neglected bridges fall?), plus, it's a time when rules, regulations, and/or laws may haunt (or convict) those who flaunt them. Ongoing are challenges from authorities who question integrity, honesty, and/or leadership while success-at-any-cost methods tend to result in loss more than gain.

Of course, all these cosmic influences can be affected or moderated by other planetary transits and progressions--and on the physical plane by those who blackmail others in order to keep the demands of legal Saturn abated, delayed, or denied. Yes, Washington DC tends to run on blackmail and there are many who would speak out against the current crop of criminals if they could but they are held in check by threats and intimidation if not outright bribery and pay-offs.

June 28, 2018 Full Moon @6Cap28 12:52:54 am edt

This Full Moon is the culmination stage of the June 13, 2018 New Moon @22Gemini44--conjunct the natal Sun of Donald Trump--and conjunct America's natal Mars (note the militaristic events surrounding the recent Trump-Kim 'Summit' in Singapore, a 'new phase' in US-NK relations). Since Trump was born on June 14 (1946) this lunation was basically a New Moon in his Solar Return 2018 chart, a birthday gift from The Cosmos. A new cycle of activity in his solar year is indicated by such a fortunate condition which we previously discussed via Trump's Solar Return 2018 with His June 26th New Moon (horoscopes shown). It seems that cosmic synchronicity abounds these days for Donald Trump and therefore, for the American people. His fate is our own, more's the pity, though some continue to insist that this is a good thing. We'll see.

Well, that's my post on the upcoming Sun-Saturn opposition, US leadership, and the June 28, 2018 Full Moon, such as it is. My ongoing recuperation from eye surgery makes it difficult to spend much time in front of a computer screen so I'll close for now with the hope that this post has given either of you a little food for thought as we ponder the fate of our compromised, sold-out nation. jc

For more information concerning beautiful Saturn, don't miss astronomer Brian Ventrudo's helpful Guide To Seeing Saturn in 2018 for the ringed beauty will be 'above the Teapot' in late June!

Related: DC Horoscopes: All Four Cardinal Ingresses of 2018.

Dec 20, 2017

Saturn to Capricorn w GOP tax cut bill Winter follows

Update December 22, 2017: House and Senate voted to extend government funding until January 19, 2018 thus averting another lousy shutdown and, leaving work undone, have high-tailed it home for the holidays. Or, as WSB Radio's Jamie Dupree puts it, Congress Punts Most Decisions into 2018.

Update December 21, 2017: To avoid the bill's automatic Medicare and other cuts taking effect in 2018, an election year, Mr. Trump may not sign the tax cut (corporate give-away) bill until January 2018. If the trick is pulled, remember that little sleight-of-hand in November 2018 (midterms) with the GOP's massive cuts to social programs waiting around the corner in 2019. But such is the way of Politics, that "organized system of hatreds."

Original post begins here:

Wednesday December 20, 2017: As you've undoubtedly heard, in the wee hours of this morning GOP lawmakers passed their tax cuts and jobs bill not long after transit Saturn entered his own sign of Capricorn on Tuesday--almost as if congressional astrologers had planned it that way for the sake of symbolism. And though I've fussed over this giveaway to the wealthy who don't need tax breaks, I fervently hope that the alleged boost to the US economy will be a result of the legislation, secretive as it is with its "pass it to find out what's in it" flavor.

Mr. Trump hopes to sign the thing into law this afternoon which will make him and all of Washington's wealthy politicians and their meddling donors so happy for their long-awaited massive windfall!

In addition, Sun and Saturn conjoin tomorrow (12.21.17) at 4:08 pm est (00Capricorn) a few hours after Winter Solstice 2017 perfects (11:28 am est) as we see in the Solstice Horoscope and whatever benefits their hard work and loyalty bring lawmakers, corporatists, and other wealth-grabbers, benefits are not guaranteed for the rest of the country, or for the government since America's natal Sun-Saturn square will lessen the glow and may not be completely satisfied with the results of this bill.

Naturally, as 2018 goes on into 2019, Republicans will tout how necessary more cuts to social safety net programs will become due to America's emptying coffers--the coffers their tax cut bill will help empty. Note the GOP's half-hearted promise that they will eventually 'make permanent' the tax cuts for the non-wealthy at some point in the distant future, although emptying coffers suggest otherwise as income inequality grows.

Yet through all the greed, our national Sun-Saturn square (Cancer-Libra) demands taking responsibility for national problems and issues which include the care of seniors and the weaker members of society--and that responsibility is precisely what Republicans have dreamed of neglecting since the days of FDR. And if all this reminds you of an Ayn Rand scenario where The Corporatists take all their marbles and leave the society that made them rich--leave it to its own tattered devices--then you and I are on the same page. Now come to think of it, Ayn Rand must be dancing in her moldy grave which is something yours truly would not pay a nickle to see.

So for all Americans under threat of loss due to the GOP agenda (loss, one of karmic Saturn's more difficult lessons), the specter of a cold hard Winter knocks at the door and beckons us to take up our pitchforks against the thieves and villains of government. And yes, this is truly an 'eclipsing of America and We The People, thanks to the info-distorting Great American Eclipse @29Leo now influencing events and conditions via the 29Leo natal Ascendant of Donald Trump.

Yet 2018 cometh and we'll soon know more about the new conditions caused by this week's GOP tax cut bill for the next Solar Eclipse manifests @27AQ on February 15, 2018 as the 'We The People' Eclipse because it 'eclipses' our US natal Moon.

#GOPtaxscam #CorkerKickback

And here's a revised astrological analysis of the politics and ethics of Tulsi Gabbard by millennial astrologer Kevin Estes.


Dec 10, 2017

The Midpoint Pictures of Winter Solstice 2017

It's December 10, 2017 and Winter Solstice 2017 Approaches!

First, if you wish a gander here's my original post on the horoscope of Winter Solstice 2017 with the chart, as usual, set for our nation's capital.

Second, an astro-note about midpoint pictures: midpoints are the 'average' point in the Zodiac between two planets and/or points that combine the energies of both/all and then synthesizes them into a new, more powerful energy. These points of combined energy can then be activated by transiting planets, progressed planets or points, and so forth. If they are not activated or have no apex planet or point, they may remain dormant for the duration; or, only one potential of the picture may express--or, all of the potentials may express simultaneously or alternately for any given midpoint picture with the third planet or point being the transiting or progressed body. Often when I add midpoint pictures to a post, to cover such cases I'll include that, "any, all, or none may apply." Note that potentials may express positively and negatively at the same time.

The same cautions apply to the following midpoint pictures gleaned from the Winter Solstice 2017 Horoscope set for Washington DC, some of which are paraphrased, some quoted (see sources, below). The list begins with Sun and Moon as apex planets:

Sun-Moon = Pluto: biased attitudes or changed circumstances lead to critical phases of development or to separation from others; potential new perspectives in relationships; separation in order to start anew; souls torn by inner conflict; a critical time of development; focusing attention on personal goals; making startling new plans for life enhancement; drastic measures for self-protection; secrecy about the care or concern shown to family.

Mercury-Pluto = Sun (00Cap00): enhanced authority or prestige among people who control important information or news; use of force to locate or obtain information; championing an idea that prevails; the need for recognition; communication skill; a persuasive speaker.

Mercury-Pluto = Saturn: exposure to heavy or bitter attacks; a quarrelsome nature; irritability; skepticism; disappointment when releasing info which should be kept secret; added efficiency to the ruthless pursuit of the sources of data or rumors; unrelenting demands; insistence on point of view; driven by fear of failure; needing control.

Saturn-Neptune = Moon: activities which serve no real purpose and seem to come and go; hesitation about replacing that which no longer functions as intended; a low character; pessimism; depression; illness, chronic or otherwise; emotional drain; feeling inhibited.

Saturn-ASC = Moon: depression due to the environment; difficulty being accepted; ill humor and disagreeable moods; separation from females.

Sun-ASC = Moon: fruitful activity with others.

Moon-Jupiter = Venus: increasing value or monetary resources; harmony; pleasant relations.

Moon-Saturn = Pluto: repressed needs; the threat of loss; feeling isolated; rising in life by force and going one's way alone; the need for self-reliance; separation; delays and barriers to progress cause frustration; eliminating support for family or others; a strong desire to control or channel emotions.

Mars-Pluto = Mercury: desire to realize plans fanatically; using foul or abusive language to bring attention to yourself; techniques which transfer energy from others places; discussions or descriptions of powerful weapons of great destruction; battle noises; excessive nervous irritation.

Sun-Mercury = MC: ego awareness; successful communications; standing by one's convictions and speaking up; clarifying ideas and plans for accomplishing goals; clear communications that increase public status; business people and/or intellectual workers.

Mercury-Saturn = MC: wrapped up in one's own ideas; an urge to philosophize; winning through planning; mind over matter.

Saturn-MC = Venus: dryness in relationships; improvement in the job situation; renunciation; sadness or grief; reserve.

Midpoint Directory sources: Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets, M. Munkasey; The Combination of Stellar Influences, R. Ebertin; Solar Arcs, N. Tyl.

A related post: Dec 19, 2017: Saturn Enters Capricorn which is totally a cosmic 'winter picture' if there ever was one. But some of us better get out the heating pad for arthritic knees may be aching!


Sep 13, 2017

Winter Solstice 2017: a Neptune and Sun-Saturn Season

DC Horoscope Winter Solstice December 21, 2017: Watery Neptune Ascends and then...

That nebulous, scandal-plagued, hider of secrets, Neptune, rises at Winter Solstice 2017 in Washington, DC and considering the administration of Donald Trump, it seems his first year (barely holding) office will end much as it began--clouded by leaks and shrouded in mysteries with questions of fraud and conflicts of interests on America's menu as We The People move into 2018 with our actual needs and concerns, for the most part, unaddressed.

Now as an astrologer of sorts, I tend to think of higher octave planets as co-rulers or sub-rulers of their respective signs and can't quite bring myself to tag Neptune as 'chart-ruler' here. But the original or traditional ruler of Pisces, Jupiter, is very much so, though perhaps in a Piscean secretive and/or confused sort of way (rather than Jupiter's rulership of its own sign Sagittarius would suggest).

Yet expansive Jupiter's many potential roles in a mundane chart include politician, The General, thespian, banker, investor, CEO, judge, lawyer, mentor, and other masks that pertain to Politics, Religion, or Business.

Plus, as astrologers know, there is one curious thing about soft, mutable Pisces in a mundane sense -- military generals are quite often born under the sign with General George Washington as our primary example. And since America in 2017 is under attack by monster storms and floods once again, we may expect more oceanic actions from Neptune rising, chart-ruler or not, with plenty of confusion, scandals, leaks, corruption, lies, and fraud involved as well.

First, Let's Talk About Solar Eclipses

Now the 1 North August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse manifested in fiery Leo and was coined as 'The Great American Eclipse' by NASA, if memory serves. But did this manifestation of a 1 North Solar Eclipse trigger the fires which have consumed large ares of the West Coast and inland where the eclipse first 'hit' the US as its path of totality raced across our country and took its leave by way of South Carolina? How about hurricanes, typhoons, and floods in the US and across the globe?

As you know, natural disasters often accompany heavy-duty eclipses and total eclipses are the strongest instigators of all. Yet one theme of a 1 North eclipse is: information is distorted and possibly false (Brady) just as it was in 2001 to 2003 in order to finagle the American people under false pretexts into a Middle East war of plunder, racketeering, and conquest. Plus, the government's tactical use of fear is the usual accomplice in these bogus matters, as you know. Exs: the 9/11/01 attacks, "mushroom cloud", "WMD"...you remember Vulcan 'VP' Cheney and the 1% gang's neocon lies. Anyway, their lies are examples of events that demonstrate 1 North's 'info is distorted and possibly false' theme.

Winter Solstice 2017 and Sun-Saturn Energies

And since 1 North first manifested on January 4, 1639 @13Cap48--opposite what turned out to be America's natal Sun position (POTUS), the August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse in Sun-ruled Leo should be viewed through a (1639) Saturn-ruled Capricorn lens which in 2017 into 2018 provides a Sun-Saturn signature to events and activities which can be clearly seen in the Winter Solstice 2017 horoscope via Saturn entering its own sign of Capricorn conjunct the Solstice Sun (@00Cap00, a Cardinal World Point of Manifestation).

When Karmic Saturn pairs its restrictive energies with the Sun, at least two other Sun-Saturn signatures resonate with this chart and they both relate to current events:

America's natal Sun-Saturn square which denotes potentials for hard work and planning paying off, taking responsibility seriously, karma (reaping what was sown), separation/isolation, a lack of vitality; perseverance, determination. This 'presidential-and-lawmaker' square forms the base of a Fist of God (aka, a Thor's Hammer pattern) aimed directly at US natal Moon (We The People, if you use a late Aquarius position for our national Moon-- here on SO'W we'll soon consider the Solar Eclipse that 'hits' this natal Moon position on February 15, 2018 @27AQ).

Potential expressions of Sun-Saturn = Moon: instinctual caution and self-control; sensitivity to otherwise rigid frameworks; discipline in daily activities (Munkasey); fear; feeling inferior; emotional depression in part due to organic disturbance (Ebertin) (from lack of health insurance and much needed medical care? - jc.) Manipulating and controlling the American public is one of the primary goals of this pattern.

Expert astrologer and author Michael Munkasey, in his section on Politics and Business, adds the following Hegelian dialectic for Sun-Saturn:

Thesis: Form and definition in an enterprise; the will of the people as defined in the principal founding documents; the checks and balances within enterprises as implemented by various administrations.

Antithesis: Pessimism and gloom as a center focus of policy; unreasonable centralization of authority in one location; a leadership preoccupied with the various forms of law enforcement; older and more distanced leaders. (Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets, Munkasey)

Another Sun-Saturn signature now in force: transit Saturn's off-and-on-again visit to Donald Trump's natal planets: conjunct his natal Moon (which conjoins his natal South Node of the Moon, a Saturnian, separative conjunction denoting emotional distance, bad timing, and unpopularity with and odd attitudes toward women) and simultaneously Saturn's opposition to his natal Sun (ego, pride, goals, hero's journey) when failure to live up to his promises and a neglect of responsibilities leads to discouragement from authorities and a lack of success with his objectives, murky as they may seem.

What Jupiter Sextile Pluto Reveals

Now let's consider the chart-ruler's applying aspects to see how things will proceed from December 21, 2017 into 2018. Since I've already excluded Neptune as chart-ruler (but see Neptune's two primary aspects, below), let's look at expansive Jupiter @15Scorpio, the Eagle Point, posited in the 8th house of Corporations, CEOs, Shared Finances, Credit and Debt. Jupiter applies to only one Ptolemaic aspect in the chart, a sextile (60 degrees; 3A19) with powerful Pluto. If we consider the two planets as 'actors' in a scene we discover that Jupiter sextile Pluto denotes those who sabotage themselves by their rigid opinions, secretiveness, evasiveness, willfulness, inflexibility, and an obsessive fear of loss. In addition, they have a hard time letting go of old relationships which no longer serve or are now inappropriate, and are desperate to overcome feelings of vulnerability. Living by their own rules, their focus on loyalty or its lack can trigger problems in friendships and other alliances.

Taking offense when not treated with dignity, a Jupiter-Pluto sextile suggests those who continue to be motivated by past slights which are never forgotten, another example of being unable to let go. Good at psychological warfare and taking pride in their self-reliance, they often must face their losses and crises alone for others may abandon them, plus, they are reluctant to ask for help from other people. Another inability to let go is seen by a lack of forgiveness for those who withhold information from them or who misinform them in order to keep them 'in the dark' (Epstein). After all, knowledge is power.

Then if we consider the applying Jupiter sextile Pluto aspect by transit, it denotes a time of analyzing one's skills and talents with the goal of using them more efficiently in order to benefit from this helpful energy. Opportunities may arise for increasing one's power and control or for understanding how this may be achieved (Skalka). And naturally with contacts between Jupiter and Pluto we tend to think of people who promote large-scale projects (exs: infrastructure, wall construction, etc), wealthy donors, other huge investors, global bankers and financiers--and power-hungry plutocrats.

Winter Solstice 2017 for Mr. Trump

Now if you are familiar with the Solar Return 2017 horoscope of Donald Trump, you know that 00Cap00 falls within his SR 3rd house of Communications, Siblings, Short Journeys, and the Lower Mind. (Thanks, Pat, for catching mea culpa!) So one topic we might think of is his older sister Maryanne, a judge (via judgmental Saturn, the old man/woman, with Donald playing the solar role). Another thing that first occurs to everyone's mind when it comes to Donald Trump is communications--speeches, tweets, insults, and all so I shall leave it for you to decide how he may best use the astrological energies of Winter Solstice 2017 and beyond into 2018.

Perhaps a future SO'W post concerning Trump's Inauguration Solar Return 2018 will soon appear here--assuming that he continues in the role of POTUS until January 20, 2018 without hitching a ride on the helicopter of ignominy!

~:~

As you see, evasive Neptune is involved in two applying aspects in the above chart:

1. Mercury square Neptune (1A27) which echoes Mr. Trump's problematic Mercury-Neptune square of distorted perceptions, falsehoods, confused rhetoric, over-promising, indiscretion, and "the sneaky mind" (Oken); 2. Mars trine Neptune (3A59) denoting potentials for successful but hidden activities, investigations of the occult or perhaps probing into mysteries or crimes, medical breakthroughs, increased intuition or insight, and/or energetic work with charities, entertainment, oil or gas industries, marine life projects, photography pursuits, prison systems, military projects, the Internet, work in or against Big Pharma, and/or action concerning the trafficking of drugs and/or sex workers.

But wait! There's one more chart factor that relates directly to current events and that's the Earth-Air Sun Cap-Moon AQ blend of energies which 'click into place' as soon as the Sun reaches 00Cap00. You see, this blend has at least two former US presidents born under its influences--Woodrow Wilson and Richard Nixon. It's a blend of a "practical idealist" who is "up front' yet private, very ambitious, and has a good business sense. In their book Sun Sign-Moon Sign, the Harveys give two interesting Images for Integration for this blend:

"An historian points the way to the future...Having struggled unaided to the peak, a mountaineer hitches a ride on a passing helicopter." Wonder if this can possibly mean that Mr. Trump will follow the example of the resigning Mr. Nixon...?

Okay, there's my Political Astrology view of Winter Solstice 2017 as seen through my preferred 'common good' lens. How about yours? Care to share?

9.13.17 Update: here's a related post: images of DC Horoscopes 2017: Autumn EQ and Winter Solstice displayed on the same page...September into December into January and February until Spring Equinox (Aries Ingress), March 20, 2018.

Image: Neptune Ascends, a pencil drawing by Jude Cowell; this drawing originally appeared in my Secret Moon Art collection.


Sep 10, 2017

DC Horoscopes 2017: Autumn EQ and Winter Solstice

For the sake of comparison and because someone asked me nicely here are two 'DC Horoscopes', both 'coming soon' to Washington DC and thus to the rest of America:

Autumn Equinox Sept 22, 2017 (aka, Libra Ingress) 4:02 pm edt:


There are various reasons why this date in September is significant to Washington DC, some going back to its founding and before via certain founders' Freemasonry practices and rituals, Sacred Geometry, Venus worship, and other secret societies and 'higher' oaths taken. One obvious one for astrologers who use a natal horoscope of America set for July 4, 1776 at 5:09 pm is that this timing places the Aries Point on the IC and 00Libra00 at Midheaven (MC) where the Sun shines at Autumn Equinox each year. That the Venus-ruled sign of Libra is half of the Aries-Libra axis of war, diplomacy, partnership, and luxury has bearing as well. And as you see, 25Cap15 rises which brings along US natal Pluto Rx (27Cap33) with transit Pluto already risen and the transiting South Node of the Moon in 1st house, a difficult indicator of separation, unpopularity, and potential loss.

For chart details see my original post on Autumn Equinox 2017.

Winter Solstice Dec 21, 2017 11:28 pm est:

Before or around Winter Solstice each year the varmints and culprits of Congress have cleared out of the City on a Hill and left the place to its actual residents. Having been such a resident twice in my life, I can attest to the magical quality of a District of Columbia blanketed with snow and to the fact that even in the headquarters of worldly power in the US, the spiritual vibrations prevalent at this time of year cannot be completely squelched by DC's political corruption, cynicism, and downright unkindness. But politicians do sometimes seem to sport Grinch frowns on their mugs, don't they?

So let's forget all that! How about a higher view of Winter Solstice, one of the four times of the year that some say represent a spiritual path to awakening? Especially since, imho, America and the American people would definitely benefit from a major spiritual awakening right now! Oh but let's remember to hang on to the very important part where the country is founded on Religious Freedom, shall we?