Newsletter - December 19th

Carols have probably been stuck in your head all week, you’ve been buzzing from store to store trying to secure the perfect gifts from everyone, stockings are already hanging from the mantelpiece, & it’s absolutely freezing in Mill Valley—not to get yet another song in your head, but… it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The Week Ahead

Monday, December 20th → Welcome to Venus retrograde. I don’t want this to sound like a whole Welcome to the Thunderdome situation; I’m not trying to scare you (maybe just offer a couple words of caution). We’re still in the midst of Venus conjunct Pluto, only enhancing the strong feelings of hunger & pining as the planet of love goes retrograde. This rx is happening in the taskmaster sign of Capricorn, meaning it’s a great time to reflect on what you actually value and understand what you need in order to feel loved. However, don’t ruin what you have now to chase something that might not give you what you need—you tend to project onto others during this time. If a figure from a past life comes up and you think, wow, why did we ever end? Should we go back to that? remember that no, you probably shouldn’t. They were shed for a reason.

Tuesday, December 21st → Tuesday, you know what they say, busiest day of the week. Okay, so, maybe not, but that’s definitely the case this week. Today is the Winter Solstice: the shortest day of the year. With the Winter Solstice, we also see the start of Capricorn Season and the celebration of Yule. Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign—it’s all about strong, steady beginnings. Sagittarius brought forth a vibrant, passionate energy that went all over the place; now it’s time to see what stuck. Capricorn does not start projects with a passionate fervor, it plans, it rations, it waits until the perfect time to strike. The sign of the sea goat knows we’re still in the heart of winter, and we must have the wherewithal to make it through. Yule is a celebration of beginnings too—it’s seen as the rebirth of the Sun, and also viewed as an opportunity to celebrate the Earth. Connect with nature this Yule by going on a hike or making a wreath with the plants you have available, and celebrate the Sun by basking in it while it’s out today, or lighting candles after it sets to keep her glow strong.

Wednesday, December 22nd → Today is an excellent day to remember that rebirth doesn’t happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day; Muir Woods did not grow overnight. As the Moon moves into Leo, you might find your emotions ruled by a strong passion, likely towards rebirth, given yesterday’s events. Leo has that fighting spirit; however, today is not the day to show everyone your lion roar. The Moon will oppose Saturn (of discipline) and square Uranus (of progression), and, of course, let’s not forget, both Saturn square Uranus and Venus conjunct Pluto still hold steady in our stars. That leonine confidence might lead you to believe that you can triumph over these minor setbacks, but if they end up shoving you down and making you crawl right back under the covers, don’t feel bad. You can literally say the stars didn’t align today. Instead of action, use the present Capricorn stellium to draft up your well detailed plan towards victory.

Thursday, December 23rd →  The stars are gearing you up for the gift giving holiday: today, the Moon in Leo will oppose Jupiter in Aquarius, which creates a very activating energy between your emotions and the planet of bounty—they won’t let each other rest. Give into it! Share the love and well wishes with all your friends and family; let your emotions pour through you. Exercise caution, though, you do run the risk of over-extending yourself. Yes, you can bring your world-famous mac and cheese to the potluck, but don’t also bring the appetizer, the dessert, your espresso machine, and handmade trinkets for everyone; you’ll end up burnt out and miserable by the end of the night.

Friday, December 24th → ’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse—that is, unless the mouse just stumbled upon a “10 Best Gift Wrapping Hacks” YouTube video and decided to unwrap all its presents just to wrap them up again, but this time, better. It’s the Virgo Moon, can you blame her? Perfectionism is going to grip you tight Friday and Saturday as your emotions become honed in on this notion of perfection. As it moves through its course, it’ll trine the Sun, Uranus, Mercury, and, eventually, the Venus-Pluto conjunct. This will create harmony between the moon and you, progression, communication, and evolving love, respectively. And, if this love for all things perfect drives you towards a need for yet another gift, we will be open all day, 10am-6pm, Christmas Eve.

Saturday, December 25th → Merry Christmas! We will be closed on Christmas Day, celebrating with our families as hopefully all of you are. We sincerely hope your holidays are merry & bright (perhaps lit by some colorful candles from Monarch!) and that the time you have with your loved ones is valued and joyous. After Christmas, we will be returning to our standard hours, 11am-5:30pm, every day (yes, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day). Happy holidays!

Sunday, December 26th → So, you survived the holiday season. Venus retrograde conjunct Pluto in still in the skies, as is Saturn square Uranus, but you’re making it through that, too. And now, a little boost to aid you through. Enter Mercury sextile Neptune. As Mercury begins to loosely conjunct the already conjunct Venus & Pluto, it also reaches out to the planet of dreams and the subconscious, Neptune, forming a sextile with the blue planet. This creates a simple harmony between what we say and how we truly feel—use this wisely as we travel into the darkest night of this transit: Tuesday and Wednesday will be the gauntlet as Mercury, Venus, and Pluto all fuse together. But, you know what they say; it’s always darkest before the dawn. After this, they’ll all split.

A Message from Monarch

If you need any last minute stocking stuffers, we’ve got in alebrijes! These are delightful, hand-painted, hand-carved animals from Oaxaca, Mexico. Stop by and check them out! We also got in more mesh bracelets (gold & silver, all sizes) Our featured item of the week is our Essential Tarot deck, a minimalist take on the traditional Rider-Waite. It will be 10% off through Saturday (12/25) (Christmas!).