Here in Bremen, I live with two Venezuelans, and today was a day of celebration for them. My lover’s nephew came downstairs and told us that he had just heard the news on BBC. Chávez’ constitutional changes were defeated by a close vote, with a lot of abstentions.

There was some good stuff in that referendum, it’s true. But can a revolution really happen by giving one man a great deal of power, and weakening the public voice of the opposition? What is the difference between a revolutionary leader who passes his power along to the next person, as Nelson Mandela did, and one who has a death-grip on power, like Fidel Castro? Who believes more in the people?

I realize that there’s a lot of left-wing approval for Chávez. I might be one of those cheering him on, if I didn’t live with Venezuelans. But they’ve taught me not to confuse the person with the rhetoric.

In the past, when Chávez has compared GW Bush to the devil, I’ve had mixed emotions. On the one hand, it feels kind of good to have somebody put down this US president, who is doing his own level best to consolidate all possible power. On the other hand, insulting people is one of Chávez’ favorite political tools, and what does it really accomplish?

Last month, I was traveling in Spain, and the biggest thing on TV was the exchange between Zapatero and Chávez. At the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Zapatero leaned forward and asked Chávez to quit insulting former Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar. Politely, he said that it wasn’t respectful and it wasn’t necessary, but Chávez kept interrupting him. Finally the king of Spain leaned forward and told Chávez, “Why don’t you shut up?” Like everybody else, I watched it a couple more times on YouTube.

I am a big fan of Zapatero, who really is a revolutionary. Because of him, gay people have more rights in Spain than they do anywhere outside Scandinavia. And the king of Spain is not a bad guy either. He could have run the country after Franco died, but instead he promoted a free election.

Sometimes Chávez looks like a mirror image of GW Bush to me. One is on the left, one is on the right, but they are both using negative emotion – hate and fear – to manipulate people. One of the main differences is that Bush has so much more power to harm, and he uses that power every day. When I think of that, Chávez seems besides the point. But I’m still happy for the Venezuelans in my life, who are celebrating.

There will be a lot of celebrating in December, and that’s not just because of the holidays. This is also the last sharp flame of some very ardent energy. At the new moon on December 9, there’s a stellium in the passionate fire sign Sagittarius – the sun, moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto all in this sign. And so it will be the last chance to do some wild, crazy things.

The energy of a new century doesn’t always start right away, when the calendar turns to the year 01. It doesn’t really pronounce itself until Pluto has entered the first new sign. In the case of the 20th, the century saw itself as hip and modern during the early years. I’m sure that kids went around saying, “Oh, that’s so nineteenth century!” to their parents. But it wasn’t until that archduke was murdered in Sarajevo that something major shifted and the century began in earnest. It was in the spring of 1914 that Pluto entered Cancer, a sign of emotion, attachment, and tribal sentiments.

2008 will be the true beginning of the 21st century. It will commit itself, define itself, show us its character. Last century, Pluto’s first new sign was Cancer, and this century, it’s the opposite sign, Capricorn. This points to a more formal, disinterested time, one in which organizations and systems will overpower mere human emotion. In some ways, it will be a reaction to all the tears and fears and hugs and sticky needs of the 20th century. Quite possibly an over-reaction.

So for now, let’s party. Some folks will be setting off all the bombs they have left, some people will be drinking the last of their liquor. There’s an added intensity to the celebrations this December, a feeling of being on the verge of something different. Something a bit more austere and buttoned-up. The dollar sinks and everyone drinks.

At the same time, there are two influences which hearken back to the past, and they both stop us in our tracks, turn us around, and help us make better use of the excitable energy of this Sagittarius new moon.

For one thing, Mars is now retrograde, and it won’t go direct until next month, a few days after Pluto enters its new sign. It’s in Cancer, where it’s expressive and emotional, full of tears and hugs. And some of that energy will go into reconciling old enmities that have held on for the last hundred years. The last time that Mars was retrograde in Cancer, the second World War had just ended, and the UN was holding its first meeting.

The second backwards-looking influence is Saturn, which goes retrograde in Virgo during December. For a lot of people, this means things will move very slowly. While the fiery energy of Sagittarius contributes to frenetic movement in certain areas, other things will seem to be stuck. But that’s just so we can get a good look backwards, and see what we might have forgotten, or ignored, or left undone.

Will this energy slow down our leaders? Chávez has had his setback. And it looks like Bush will be blocked too, since Saturn is going retrograde right on top of his Mars. He will be stymied, although the extent of his frustration may never be revealed. Naturally I’m still holding out hope that the forces of change will sweep him out of office. This is the last chance for that, too.

And so December brings a mix of fast and slow energy, of passionate surges and static points. This is a time to call down all our gods, and thank them for their service. We won’t need them any more. We can also let go of all the things we used to believe, releasing them like colored balloons into the sky. Then we’ll set off a few firecrackers, and watch the new year come in. First there will be lights and noise and colors, and then, some hours later, a cool clear dawn.

Index of Jenny Yates' Writings on Lesbian.com