A court in Argentina has ruled that Sandra, an Orangutan being held in an Argentine zoo, can be freed and moved to a sanctuary after the court recognized the ape as a ‘non-human person’ being unlawfully deprived of its freedom.

Animal rights activists, seeking to free Sandra, filed a habeas corpus petition, which are traditionally used to challenge the legality of a human being’s imprisonment. The association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights made the case that Sandra had sufficient cognitive functions and that it’s wrong to treat her as an object.

The court agreed that Sandra, who was born into captivity in Germany 20 years ago deserved the basic rights of a non-human person.

The shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice, is today. A most remarkable New Moon is occurring on the solstice at 0 Capricorn! Both luminaries will be on the true cusp of Sagittarius and Capricorn today, as evidenced by each disk of the Sun and Moon, exactly conjunct at 0 degrees 6 minutes Capricorn, partly in tropical Sagittarius and partly in tropical Capricorn. What this means is a bit beyond the scope of my newsletter, but it might contribute to an edgy month. The ingress chart, pictured above (or below if you’re seeing this on my Facebook page) has Apollon-Saturn-Sun forming aspects to one another. “Delayed multiplication of consciousness” could be a theme for this month, along with the edginess (which could be a plus, well used) and Mars and Uranus playing ping pong in mutual reception. What a cacophony of energies on the first day of the solar month!

Your heart has a story to tell. Your heart may rightly feel that you have scrimped on it, for one reason or another. You haven't let your heart be in full bloom. You have contracted your heart. What is big, you have made small, of lesser importance to the mind. The mind has its place. However, the mind was never meant to cramp your heart. In terms of the world, everyone has a heart, yet hearts have been subjected to egregious repression, as if a heart has to be less than it is, as if you are to be a little embarrassed by or ashamed of your seeking heart. Be proud of your heart. Give it the honor it deserves.

It may be true that your heart's work which is to throb has a large playing field. Your heart can go anywhere. Let's face it: Your heart plays a much larger role than you may dare express and expose. Let's right now give 3 cheers for your heart! Let your heart play the music it loves! Let your heart be a heart and not a repressed heart that can only come out on certain established conditions. Your heart is not designed to follow orders. Your heart is designed to be the leader, the initiator of your life.

Your mind is not to outline your life. Oh, no, your life is to be free to follow your heart. Your heart is not meant to have an overseer. Your heart is meant to point the way. Your heart is not made to stay still.

By Simon Vorster

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

The zodiac does not enact life, it merely reflects it.

As the sun leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricorn, a new evolutionary journey of our consciousness begins. Out of the mutable fiery, jovial energy that is Sagittarius we go, we once again return inward and into the depths of our soul’s inner reality. It is here where we are asked to slow down, take time and start to reflect again on the meaning behind the special purpose we feel awakened to.

Much of our cosmic journey so far has brought us great awareness towards wanting more fulfilment out of life. With both Jupiter in Leo and Uranus in Aries stimulating and activating these fiery creative aspects of ourselves it is most certainly something we cannot ignore. With the Sun and Moons movement into Capricorn where they join Venus and Mercury the seeds for this next evolutionary cycle are created. The stage is set for this month’s theme: Inner reflection and finding Soul purpose.