Venus in Aquarius For the Holidays Helps Us Make Friends With Evil In-Laws, Kooky Cousins, Oddball Uncles

The mutual reception between Venus in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra is drawing to a close, capped off with a square between the two bodies December 18. If relations are a little stiff or difficult, expect things to ease coming out of this square. The Venus-Saturn square marks the culmination point in a process of sober-minded relationship reality check I wrote about here: 

From November 21, 2011: Venus-Saturn Mutual Reception November 26 - December 20: Ants Get More Play Than Grasshoppers 

As we close out 2011, we’re looking for the mature and responsible resolution of relationships past (with a little Uranus in Aries fire to drive us on) in order to put ourselves in strong position for concrete progress during the last jaunt of Saturn through the sign of its exaltation Libra. If we’ve learned and applied our Saturn lessons well, we’ll find ourselves in good position heading into the New Year – a big year for relationship with the Venus Transit and Venus retrograde in Gemini. 

Venus enters Aquarius around noon (Central) on December 20 just before winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the Sun’s ingress of tropical Capricorn late on December 21. This day is always a nice observance in the north as darkness breaks, and the daylight hours get longer from here. 

Venus, very influential over our man Saturn, remains in the sign of the water-bearer until January 13. Coming out of Capricorn, the mutual reception, and the square to Saturn, Venus is electric, eccentric, and looking to the possibilities. This is a breath of fresh and freaky Aquarian air in our relations with others. Expect a flavour of real friendship and comradery to emerge for the holidays with a new appreciation of each other as individuals beyond standard familial and social roles. Learning new and possibly startling things about the people we like and love as we all break out in new directions is part of the territory. Gatherings of family and friends could be very interesting this year, indeed. Luckily, Venus in Aquarius provides plenty of space and emotional detachment for all involved to be themselves, edges, angles, oddness and all. 

And speaking of luck, Jupiter goes direct at zero degrees Taurus on Christmas Day (December 25), adding a warm, jovial feel to the day. We’re able to experience the grounding benefit of our traditions here. And we might need all the jovial vibe we can get. The Sun in Capricorn squares Uranus in Aries December 22 and then moves to a New Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto December 24. The Sun in Capricorn conjuncts Pluto December 29. There will be conscious and not-so-conscious breaks going on, shifting us beyond traditional paternalistic structures into future-oriented egalitarian ones. This is not without its difficulty or even sadness. We’re aware that we’re pushing off into a whole new ballgame. 

The motions of the Capricorn Sun will add an edgy, unsettled underlayer to the holiday proceedings at times, but keeping an eye on where we’re going (Venus in Aquarius) as well as appreciating how far we’ve already come together (Jupiter in Taurus) soothes jangled nerves and touchy Plutonic trigger points. Enjoy time with those you love, enjoy your traditions, but definitely leave room for all involved to get a little of their Aquarian freak on!