December Talk with Susan Miller

Editor's Note: I caught up with Astrology Zone's Susan Miller again this month. Here she gives a preview of the next while astrologically. There's lot of sturm and drang, with major planets forming tensions to provoke social change. But there's also cosmic lucky breaks coming our way, "little goodies that everyone gets to taste." With her comments, I've included some highlights from her wall calendar The Year Ahead, 2010.

Susan says her favorite holiday gift is practically free to make, but created with a lot of thoughtfulness. It’s the mix of songs that her daughters compile for her I-Pod, made especially for her many moods and activities. She says, this year, why not consider making a gift from what you have. “Like a photo album or scrapbook that would be touching for them to receive.”

If you haven’t heard, there’s a Full Moon in Cancer, with a partial eclipse on December 31st. It’s a Blue Moon (the 2nd Full Moon in December), and might bring a “once in a lifetime” event. From The Year Ahead, 2010: The sudden events that occur are usually out of your control -- they actually seem quite unrelated to anything you did. This is why eclipses so often light us to action."

Eclipses are turning points, and this one has some harrowing squares and oppositions to watch out for. Susan says it’s wise to keep gatherings intimate and safe. “If you’re in a crowd situation or driving, you may be fine, but the guy next to you may not be,” she says. The eclipse comes with a caution to keep personal safety in mind. “And if you’re traveling, stay in the city where you’re celebrating.”

Eclipses can bring sudden news, and in Cancer, it’s to do with security, family, and for Americans, our national identity. Everyone may be seeking comfort, a sense of intimate connection, hominess. If you miss the big party at New Year’s, Susan says look to February as a time to celebrate. She says, “There’s a lovely Jupiter-Venus conjunction a few days after Valentine’s Day. This year, for the holidays, everyone is scaling back. So have a get-together at your house. People just like to be together.”

The economic changes have everyone trying to plan differently. Says Susan, “There’s been reports that the recession is over, and I don’t believe that.” If you’re in an industry that’s suffering, she says, chances are it’s going to continue to go that way. The answers might not be clear right away, so it’s time to re-learn self-sufficiency. Says Susan, “We can’t depend on the government or anyone else. We have to pull ourselves up. That’s the American spirit.”

She advises job seekers to go through the address book, though, to seek out those that might have a lead. Join online groups, clubs, and do everything you can to connect to people, she says. “Talk to people. You’ve got to leave the house…even if you go to the coffee shop.”

Susan sees more neighborly coming together, as Jupiter enters the sign of the Fishes on January 17th. “Carl Jung said Pisces is the sea, the universality, where all dreams mingle as one. Pisces is the sign that reminds us that we want the same thing.”

She continues, “We all want love, security, and to be valued for our work. We have to help each other. I feel there will be a renewal in meditation, prayer and an interest in ancient wisdom.”

From The Year Ahead 2010: "Artistic expression is another area to blossom enormously under Jupiter in Pisces. All the arts, including dance, painting, poetry, sculpture, music, film, photography, theatre and literature will get a boost."

”This is the year that the universe is having birth pangs to a new social order….and we have to change with the planets,” says Susan. “But it’s the very things we have to let go of that are simply no longer working.” From The Year Ahead 2010: This year, it will become clear that the old formulas you relied on in the past won't work anymore."

On the big changes ahead, Susan says, ”We’re not losing anything. We’re gaining a richer life. The planets will show us which planets are strong, and where we’ll need to reinvent ourselves.”

In The Year Ahead 2010, she writes that some new ideas may work, and some won't. But the main thing is that we realize we can't go back to the "good old days." She says, "because if we're honest, those days weren't so wonderful after all. Many fissures have been revealed, and it is likely more will show up in the coming year. Learning the truth -- even though initially shocking -- is always the first step toward recovery."

Susan says take heart, because February brings “an array of beautiful aspects that spill over into March.” The luckiest day of the year, she says, is February 27th, with the meeting of Jupiter and the Sun, and everyone gets little goodies to taste. “The area of luck is going to be in the sign (house) of Pisces, so it’s the area that has been giving each of us difficulties in the past.”

Saturn has been opposing Pisces causing limits and restrictions. In February, after that area has been stripped of non-essentials, we see a “lucky break,” says Susan, coming to offer a big correction from the universe. “These are going to be little goodies, like little sweet treats, that each person gets to taste and enjoy.”