By Will Harrison

Hello there! I’ve studied astrology every day for a couple years now. It’s truly one of my chief passions in life and one I love to share with whomever is willing. Whether it’s studying the energies a person has from birth, the energies of relationships or the current energies, exploring how the astronomical bodies of our solar system affect us human beings and our beautiful world has always fascinated me. I love to give astrological advice and helpful tips on how to best ride out the energies of the day, so we’ll definitely focus on that in this column in general. However, I also wanted to craft this column with your help, answering any questions you may have, so please feel free to ask them in the future.

Finals are here, so let’s focus on how to best deal with the energies at hand in order to make the best grades possible with the least amount of stress.

By the time this issue comes out, both the Sun and Mercury will be in Sagittarius, which means we’re all feeling a little antsy at this time, and it will be hard to focus in-depth — embrace your philosophical side to help you get through this time, knowing all that studying and hard work will pay off. Plus, it’s worth it to expand our horizons, learn more about ourselves and the world in the process. Scheduling some downtime to play will definitely be in order as well. Go guilt-free to that party on Friday if you know it’ll help you focus on Sunday when it counts. Yes, finals are a time to buckle down, but let’s not forget to live with our friends.

Mars is just entering social Libra from studious Virgo — group projects will flow swimmingly now, as long as direct communication is at play. Be sure to express your stress and frustration healthily at this time, not by cutting other people down verbally. Arguing for the sake of arguing is not so much fun and won’t lead anywhere positive. This energy will also need us to have a little fun and not be so serious; just remember that at some point, all that studying will have to get done. Take it at your own pace, though. A whimsical conversation or game can be a wonderful pre-study ritual.

Luckily, Venus is in Capricorn, giving us all a grounding energy for all that air (Libra) and fire (Sagittarius) energy. Working hard to prove to ourselves, make progress and succeeding will help us focus when need be to get the job done. However, try not to be so focused during this time that you shut off to those around you, whether they are strangers or loved ones — we can be serious without being cold.

Jupiter takes about a year to transit each sign, and I’m happy to report that Jupiter is currently in the region of space we codified long ago as Cancer; this energy suits higher learning and growth through the expansion of our awareness and consciousness — what a great time to be going to school! Yes, every Jupiterian energy can help us to study, learn and grow as human beings, but Jupiter in Cancer helps us to patiently nurture ourselves to reach new heights in our lives. The beautiful news is that Jupiter will be in this energy until next summer, meaning that this entire next semester will be full of wisdom as well as knowledge.

Jupiter is retrograde until March of next year, so this wisdom will be much more introspective and geared toward our inner growth more so than growth in society. Focusing on your inner awareness will be deeply rewarding at this time.

With winter break we’ll be finishing up Sun in Sagittarius and proceeding through Sun in Capricorn, marking a time of the year for fun, joviality and enjoyment (Sagittarius), and then settling down into seriousness, patience and perseverance (Capricorn).

Have fun these next couple weeks with all of the playful, child-like enthusiasm of Sagittarius, knowing that when the studious energies of Capricorn and Aquarius approach with the new semester, you’ll be ready to focus once more on your learning and continue in your wonderful journey of growth.

I’m truly looking forward to chatting astrology with you guys next semester. Find me on Facebook  under “Will Harrison, Metaphysician” if you want to, and email me through williamharrison@live.com if you have any questions. Happy holidays and namaste.

Will Harrison studies French and Spanish. He can be reached at opinion@http://archive.archive.nevadasagebrush.com.