#344-"They had Simply Increased Their Receptivity to Gravity"- Week of Dec. 22, 2025

This is a quieter week and that feels deeply appropriate. Across many spiritual and faith traditions, this is a time of holy pause—a moment when outer striving softens and inner meaning comes forward.

Rather than dramatic turning points, the sky invites integration:

What has been learned this year?
What is ready to be carried forward with greater maturity, honesty, and care?

Tuesday, December 23: Venus in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces

This is a tender, permeable alignment—beautiful, but not always clear.
Venus in Sagittarius seeks truth, meaning, and heartfelt enthusiasm.
Neptune in Pisces dissolves boundaries, blurs edges, and opens us to longing, devotion, and compassion.

Notice where idealism slips into projection—or where longing replaces discernment.

This can show up as:

• Romanticizing a path, a belief, or a relationship
• Feeling disoriented about values or direction
• Confusing spiritual yearning with actual alignment

This aspect also opens deep compassion, poetic sensitivity, and soulful listening—especially when we resist the urge to decide too quickly. Let your values be informed by both heart and grounded truth.

Reflection Question:
Where am I being invited to soften my certainty without abandoning my discernment?

Wednesday, December 24: Venus enters Capricorn (until January 17)

As Venus moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn, the tone of relating and valuing changes noticeably. Capricorn is the sign of commitment, integrity and long-term responsibility

Here, love becomes less about possibility and more about presence.
Values are no longer theoretical—they want to be lived.

This is not cold or restrictive energy; it is maturing energy.
Venus in Capricorn asks:

• What do I truly stand for?
• What am I willing to tend over time?
• What relationships, projects, and devotions are worth the effort?

Choose what you are willing to build—not just what inspires you.

Reflection Question:
What values am I ready to embody more fully as we enter the new year?

Saturday, December 27: Mercury in Sagittarius trine Chiron in Aries

This is a quietly powerful aspect—especially for reflection, conversation, and integration.

Mercury in Sagittarius speaks in big-picture language: truth, meaning, and perspective. Chiron in Aries holds wounds around identity, courage, and the right to exist as oneself.

Their harmonious trine supports:

• Healing conversations
• Reframing old narratives about who you are
• Speaking truths that restore confidence rather than inflame pain

This is not about fixing wounds—it’s about finding language that honors the journey. Words can become medicine here, especially when they arise from lived experience rather than theory. Let your story carry wisdom, not self-judgment.

Reflection Question:
What truth am I now able to speak about myself that once felt too tender or risky?

This is not a week for pushing forward. It’s a week for listening, tending, and integrating. Let faith—however you define it—be something you inhabit, not perform.

Podcast poem: Daybreak by Galway Kinnell

Transcript

0:07

Hello, welcome to Astrology Alchemy. I'm Sheila Bellagio, your host for this podcast. Alchemy is defined as a seemingly magical process of transformation. Spiritual alchemy is the process of pursuing the gold of your true nature. By transmuting the unrefined limiting parts of yourself. In this podcast, I'll offer you inspiring insights from current astrology cycles that support your path of turning your personal lead into gold. More resources are available at the website on the edges of change.com. Hello and welcome to episode number 344 of the Astrology Alchemy website. This is for the week of December 22nd, 2025, and I'm your host and guide, Sheila Bje. Here's a phrase from this week's poem. They had simply increased their receptivity to gravity. This is a quiet threshold week, integrating faith, meaning, and embodied wisdom. It's a quieter, weak astrologically, and that feels deeply appropriate. Across many spiritual and faith traditions. This is a time of holy pause. A moment when outer striving softens and inner meaning comes forward. Rather than dramatic turning points, the zodiac sky invites integration. What has been learned this year? What is ready to be carried forward with greater maturity, honesty, and care. And that is certainly questions to hold with us collectively as well as personally. There are three cycles that guide us on Tuesday, December 23rd. Venus in Sagittarius Squares, Neptune in Pisces, the seeker, Venus and Sagittarius meets the Mystic Dreamer Neptune in Pisces. This is a tender, permeable alignment. Beautiful, but not always clear. Venus and Sagittarius seeks truth, meaning, and heartfelt enthusiasm. Neptune and Pisces dissolves boundaries, blurs edges, and opens us to longing, devotion, and compassion. When these two meet in a square, meaning the two planets are about 90 degrees away from each other in the heavens, the invitation is to notice where idealism slips into projection or where longing replaces discernment. This might show up as romanticizing a path, a belief, or a relationship, feeling disoriented about values or direction. Confusing spiritual yearning with actual alignment, and yet the gift here in the cycle is profound. This aspect opens deep compassion, poetic sensitivity, and soulful listening, especially when we resist the urge to decide too quickly, let meaning reveal itself rather than be chased. Practice devotion without illusion. Let your values be informed by both heart and grounded truth. A reflection question for this cycle. Where am I being invited to soften my certainty without abandoning my discernment? Reminder? All of these reflection questions are in the show notes if you need them. On Wednesday, December 24th, Venus enters the sign of Capricorn until January 17th, moving from being the seeker to being the steward. As Venus moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn, the tone of relating and valuing changes noticeably Capricorn is a grounded earth sign of commitment, integrity. Long-term responsibility and honors that what endures that which endures beyond inspiration here, love The key aspect of Venus becomes less about possibility and more about presence. Values are no longer theoretical. They want to be lived. This is not cold or restrictive energy. It is maturing energy. Venus in Capricorn asks, what do I truly stand for? What am I willing to tend over time? What relationships, projects, and devotions are worth the effort? This transit also sets the stage for early January when Venus will align with both Mars and the sun activating themes of desire. Direction and embodied authority as we step into 2026. With this cycle, choose what you are willing to build, not just what inspires you. A reflection question, what values am I ready to embody more fully as I enter the new year on Saturday, December 27th, mercury and Sagittarius Trines, Chiron in Aries. The storyteller meets the wounded Warrior. A reminder, Chiron is a very unusual heavenly body in our solar system. It is kind of an asteroid comment. It's a shapeshifter, and it is aligned with the wounded healer archetype. This mercury Chiron cycle is a quietly powerful aspect, especially for reflection, conversation, and integration. Mercury and Sagittarius speaks in big picture language, truth, meaning, and perspective. Chiron in Aries holds wounds around identity, courage, and the right to exist as oneself. The Mercury Chiron harmonious trine supports healing conversations. Reframing old narratives about who you are and speaking truths that restore confidence rather than inflame pain. This is not about fixing wounds, it's about finding language that honors the journey. Words and thoughts can become medicine here, especially when they arise from lived experience rather than theory. Let your story carry wisdom, not self-judgment. A reflection question, what truth am I now able to speak about myself that once felt too tender or risky? I so recognize this is not a week for pushing forward. It's a week for listening, tending and integrating. Let faith, however you define it. Be something you inhabit, not perform. Let meaning arrive through presence rather than urgency. And may you listen deeply in the holy darkness time for the invisible blessings that come. And may you sit in stillness awaiting the returning light. The poem for this week is a wonderful poem that honors the deep gravity of Capricorn Venus going into Capricorn and the ability to shift some of our narratives and ideas about things. And also Mercury is a great bridge maker. This poem has a beautiful bridging of earth and sky in it. It's called daybreak by Galloway Canal. Daybreak on the tidal mud. Just before sunset, dozens of starfishes were creeping. It was as though the mud were a sky. An enormous imperfect stars moved across it as slowly as the actual stars cross heaven all at once they stopped and as if they had simply increased their receptivity to gravity, they sank down into the mud, faded down into it, and lay still. And by the time Pink of Sunset broke across them, they were as invisible as the true stars at Daybreak. So dear ones, may this week, you increase your receptivity to gravity and in some ways sink down into the mud and lay still and rest and recognize. Although it is invisible, the light returning is coming, and you have deep peace and wellbeing in this holy time. Thank you. Thank you for your presence, your listening hearts and ears deeply, deeply appreciate you. As we approach the threshold of a new year, I want to invite you to a free live webinar, astrology Sky Wisdom Cycles in 2026 on Saturday, January 3rd at 9:00 AM Pacific. In this free webinar, we'll explore the major planetary themes shaping 2026. How to work consciously with Sky Wisdom of the planets for personal and collective transformation, and how these planetary cycles support grounded soulful navigation through change. If you want an orienting view of the astrology shaping 2026 and how to work with these cycles in real life, join me for this free Live Sky Wisdom webinar. You can find the link to register on my homepage. My website on the edges of change.com. You can also find the link for my homepage website in the show notes. Thank you and bless your alchemical journey. You have been listening to the Astrology Alchemy Podcast with your host, Sheila Lange. Resources are available at the website on the edges of change.com. Thank you for listening. Bless your alchemical journey to embrace the gold of your true nature.