Rainy Days & Solar Oppositions
Reflections & Inspiration For The Week Of 12/16 (The Monday Muse No. 9)
Greetings friends,
Today is Monday December 16th.
The Moon is waning, it is raining here at the lake (again), and we’ve just returned from the Hudson Valley after a weekend at our beloved sacred space, CoSM. Since I’m still buzzing from the strong doses of inspiration received from our mentors during this month’s workshops, and since the clouds will be keeping the skies hidden for the majority of this week, I’m focusing on more conceptual shares today.
Let’s begin by setting the mood with a soft mix of harp, piano, & soundscape pieces via my Alchemy playlist. It is currently just over 3 hours in length. Enjoy it as is, or follow any creative desires to curate your own alchemical mix!
While we are at it, let’s light a candle to combine the muses of sound & scent. My aromatic muse of the week is the Air Spirit candle, which features a blend of Frankincense & Myrrh. If you’ve been connected with The Moon Den since my early days, you might remember a candle called Invocations. This is the very same blend, now reimagined. Air Spirit was the third addition to my Elemental Magic collection which was finalized as of Spring this year. I’ve yet to properly reintroduce this collection, but it will be finding its way to the site in January.
Maybe you have a different kind of Frankincense candle, or perhaps an oil blend or perfume. Let that be your fragrant inspiration for this week as we welcome the Southern Solstice.
Additionally, we can complete the vibe with a comforting fireplace background. These have been my favorites lately. They go well with the playlist & a candlelit room :)
You may have noticed (or may already know) that when the Moon is Full it rises at sunset. I’ve mentioned the term Solar Opposition a few times in regards to Jupiter & Moon in a few different posts, but I think it would do us well to contemplate this celestial happening a bit more deeply, as it is truly one of the most interesting to observe. Did you see the Moon this past weekend? What feelings did it evoke? How gorgeous was the view?!
What Is A Solar Opposition?
Astronomically, the common terminology is simply ‘Opposition’, and this refers to a planet sitting directly across from the Sun, with Earth aligned between the two. I choose to keep “solar” in the name to keep things a bit more descriptive - it’s simply a personal preference.
Let’s look at a few different examples of Solar Oppositions, starting with a Full Moon. These aren’t exact down to the minute, but what you’ll notice is that the celestial body in question is sitting directly across from the Sun, with Earth floating between the two.
From this configuration, we learn that:
~ at sunset, the planet will rise,
~ the planet will be visible through the entire night, reaching the meridian midheaven at mid-night,
~ & at sunrise, the planet will set
We see the Moon at Solar Opposition once a month (Full Moon), Jupiter & Saturn at Solar Opposition generally once a year, and Mars at Solar Opposition generally once every two years.
What About Mercury & Venus?
You may wonder why I haven’t mentioned Mercury or Venus. Perhaps it is obvious to you, or maybe you have an idea why they’ve been excluded, but aren’t exactly sure.
These two ‘inner planets’ can never be seen opposite the Sun since their orbits sit between Earth & Sun.
Since they do not oppose the Sun, they are best seen during their moments of greatest Western or Eastern Elongation. We’ll look at Elongations next week. Of course if this piques your interest, the internet is there for you!
Below are two Earth - Sun - Mercury Alignments. What do you notice about these two configurations? How do they differ from the images above?
Yes, Earth does not come between Mercury & the Sun! Thus Mercury will never be visible in the night sky. We will never see a “Full Mercury” the way we see a Full Moon or outer planet opposition. The same goes for Venus.
Why are Solar Oppositions so exciting?
Scroll back up to my photograph of the Full Moon.
What do you notice?
It is bright. It is vivid. It is beautiful!
Using powerful binoculars or even a beginner’s telescope will reveal Mars, Jupiter, & Saturn in the very same way. The planets will be “Full” in their appearance, reflecting the light of the Sun, revealing themselves almost immediately as we enter the post-sunset periods of civil & nautical dusk.
The next planet up for Opposition is Mars who will be found rising in the East at sunset on January 15th, 2025. But like a Full Moon, you’ll be able to gaze upon Mars as it approaches & departs the degree of opposition on the days leading up to & following that exact moment.
After Mars, we won’t have a planetary opposition until September 21st, 2025 when Saturn opposes the Sun, so I implore you to bundle up & do as much sky gazing as you can this coming month !
Other Notes
For those in locations with clear skies, we are continuing to witness beautiful almost-winter sunsets this week which give way to sightings of Venus preparing to follow the Sun into the west at dusk.
Following the constellational zodiac in our sky dome, we can trace an invisible line eastward from Venus to meet Saturn nestled in the constellation of Aquarius, noting bright stars like Sadalmelik which appears to us from over 525 light years. Looking diagonally upward & to the left of Aquarius we find the Great Square of Pegasus. We continue east toward the constellations of Pisces & Aries, then suddenly we meet the Pleiades in the constellation of Taurus.
Moving eastward still, Jupiter glows like a great jem next to Aldebaran, the orange eye of the bull, and if we are out after 8pm we’ll see Gemini rising, noted by the two stars that mark the heads of the twins, Castor above & Pollux below. They rise on their side, followed by Mars who is now approaching the Beehive Cluster of Cancer which holds nearly 1,000 stars & is only 7.5 light years from Earth.
Cosmic inspiration indeed! I imagine it will continue to rain here every day until Sunday. Perhaps the skies will open up at random & allow some divinatory sky gazing for me.
We end this week with an oracle card contemplation on how to consciously navigate conflict. Listen to or watch the live reading & reflection below. I’m glad these thoughts made their way in because these have been recurring themes in my own life, as well as astrologically speaking.
Until next week!
Wishing you well,
~ Alyssa