I am not a big fan of those who believe that every movement of the planets effect every person. Just because Saturn and Pluto might be doing a universal tango does not mean that every person is going to feel it or there will be universal repercussions resounding at every turn. Astrology is very personal. It is important to know what is happening in your chart and correlate the movement of the planets in relationship to that. Broad and bold astrological statements are just too vague.
There is a fair amount of hysteria and hyperbole in the astrological world now because from Dec 25 – January 6 no planets will be in retrograde. A planet is in retrograde when, from our perspective on Earth, they appear to be moving backwards. When born when a planet is in retrograde, one has to experience a balancing of karmic energy. For example, if Saturn is retrograded the person will have underused or overused their connection to authority in a past life and now must learn to handle that challenge better. It is neither reward nor punishment, just learning.
I speak from personal experience when I say that having no retrogrades in your birth chart, while being a little leg up because you don’t have to work on that left over karma, does not guarantee a hassle free life. It is a bonus card, it is not a get out of jail free one. One client of mine is also retro-free and yet faces several painful and lingering illnesses. As I said, it helps but it isn’t food proof.
On Christmas Day, Uranus, the last of the big planets that have been retrograded, will go direct. From then until January 6, no planets will be retrograded. While this is a nice to have happen around the holidays, it will not usher in a New Year of peace, joy and wonderment. It will, however, give us a good resting point to collect ourselves and do make positive plans for 2016. Think of it as the universes Yule gift to allow us to get our ducks in a row- use it wisely but don’t expect it to change the world.