The Winter Solstice is exact at 11:48 pm Eastern (8:48 pm Pacific) on Monday, Dec. 21. The chart for winter's start contains a wonderful Grand Trine in Earth signs. This bodes well for all practical matters and hopefully that includes the economy and Mother Earth, as well. Jupiter is working its way through Virgo, improving conditions for the labor force and fostering a helpful attitude among people, especially on the job but across the board, as well.

Over the course of its retrograde cycle, it makes a trine with Pluto in Capricorn three times: 10/11/15, 3/16/16 & 6/26/16. These two planets are 8 degrees from an exact trine at the solstice but they're knotted together by Mercury's proximity to Pluto (less than 4 degrees away) and closer trine with Jupiter (under 5 degrees from exact). The Moon in Taurus (where it operates very nicely and is said to be "exalted") completes the favorable Grand Trine. With this combination, besides being pragmatic, we're likely to be warm and enjoy hugging and exchanging tokens of affection.

But wait - there's more! A Grand Trine is expanded into another exciting planetary pattern called a Kite when there's a planet across from a point in the triangle. In this case, there are two of these. Chiron in Pisces opposite Jupiter brings healing and solutions to problems. Venus in Scorpio across from the Moon adds the transformative power of love. The Water signs bring emotions into play strongly and turn up the volume of our ESP.

Oppositions aren't always so friendly. There's an abrasive one at the solstice between Mars in Libra and Eris in Aries. This poses challenges for relationships, especially if one partner is pushing in a self-oriented way and the other is acquiescing. This breeds imbalance and disharmony

The Moon-Venus opposition is in another pattern besides the Grand Trine Kite. It forms a T-square with Ceres in Aquarius. All three are in the stubborn Fixed signs, so we could use more flexibility in dealing with family (shown by the Moon), lovers (Venus's turf) and friends (ruled by Aquarius). I've seen worse T-squares, though.

The solstice chart is discussed in the December episode of LOOKING UP, which you can access from my homepage. Scroll down to find the "TV."

Mercury rules thinking, conversing and learning. Jupiter also relates to education and becoming more worldly. The Moon rules eating and nutrition. With a Grand Trine between these three at the start of winter, the season is ideally suited for opening your eyes far and wide, whether through films and television, reading or studying with a teacher. (Jupiter rules all forms of the media, including the internet.) Most people in colder climes like to snuggle under a lap throw and focus on something other than the temperature. Even if you're lucky enough to be in a temperate environment, winter is a reflective season when it's natural to withdraw more into your inner world, like the space between your ears. The Earth signs they occupy point us to useful information more so than fiction or poetry, but their Kite with Chiron in Pisces does suggest that escapism has its place.

I've been very busy these past several months writing all about next year to help you out. Sorry I haven't sent one of these newsletters since the autumn equinox and that's why. I'm almost done and the digital choices should be available within a week, with any luck! The past two years, I only offered digital Janet's Plan-its in a Kindle format. The 2016 will work with more devices. I am also trying to create a PDF that you can view onscreen or print desired pages.

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I hope winter will treat you well!

Yours in the Stars,
Janet Booth