New Year's Resolutions

I have been thinking about my New Year's resolutions and wondering if people ever base them on Saturn's sign, house and aspects. Christmas day falls in the month of Capricorn (ruled by Saturn), and it is a traditional holiday that we use to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Traditionally it is a time to bring family together, but it can also be a time of family burden and responsibility (Capricorn). It can generate feelings of guilt if we don't spend the day at our parent's house for Christmas, and it is easy to feel emotionally manipulated (Cancer) at this time of year. So sometimes it feels more of an obligation rather than celebrating it in the spirit it is meant to be celebrated. The Roman's held the festival of Saturnalia around the 25th of December, and decorated their homes with evergreens to celebrate their harvest god, Saturn.

I often feel Christmas is too materialistic now, but I hope this isn't Capricorn's shadow side. Perhaps my  own natal Sun-Saturn is turning into a scrooge, bah! humbug! Charles Dickens who coined that very phrase had Mercury (communication) in Capricorn and this sums up his miserly saying, perfectly. It is often used to describe people who are tight, mean and are dismissive of the festive spirit. The novel A Christmas Carol has become a classic at Christmas time, but Dickens also had Saturn in Capricorn in the 4th house. In England a scrooge type person often refers to a misery guts, and party pooper. The type of person who won't let the spirit of joy into his heart. At the time this book was published, transiting Saturn was in Capricorn, conjunct his fifth house cusp (creativity), and he was probably most likely finishing the book around his Saturn Return.

I love Christmas with children around and it can feel truly magical and exciting, its the heavy expectations around the day that can sometimes ruin it. You can see how I am describing the Christmas holiday in a more negative Saturnian way. I do enjoy the day, the traditional meal, and time with family and friends and so forth. The whole Christmas period with all its preparation is kind of like one big mood swing. You can feel the energy shift of spending wildly, expansiveness and hopefulness, which moves towards a growing responsibility and organization. This is represented by the adjacent signs, Sagittarius and Capricorn. In the month of Sagittarius and in a funny synchronised fashion the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. The country has a Jupiterian outlook on life with Sun conjunct Jupiter in Cancer and Sagittarius Rising.

Both fair and unfair generalizations of greed and over-optimism are fired towards the American people. On the other hand, England is viewed as possessing a far more reserved, conservative, mean and eccentric nature. I was watching a programme the other day here in the U.K, discussing how the childcare facilities in America, are much better compared to England. Perhaps it is the polarisation of Cancer and Capricorn. Maybe the Americans are more family orientated, although everything is bigger over there and they have more space.

I have a feeling that the depression rate increases around Christmas time, it is ruled over by Saturn. And if you are suffering from severe financial hardship, it can be a difficult and limiting time. The nostalgia of this time of year is probably related to the Cancer-Capricorn axis, as a parent we feel obligated to make it a special Christmas for the children. I think the material pressure on families with low income is extremely hard to face. The cold weather and increasing burdens can make it less than fun. The New Year, also brings us face to face with our unrealized ambitions, another year passes and we assess how closer we are to attaining our goals. This reflection describes Capricorn's sense of worldly achievements and rules our need to be self-sufficient. Where Saturn is placed is where we can be a bit scrooge like in expression and its also where we can achieve our greatest achievements, insurmountable as they may seem, and perhaps in the Christmas spirit, let the joy inside, and learn to be a little bit more generous in this sector of the horoscope.