Image by Damian Peach of the Space Exploration Network (SEN), taken from the NASA website.

Comet Lovejoy has been in the news lately, being visible to the naked eye, and expected to be at its brightest in the first two weeks of January.  This celestial survivor was first spotted on the December 2, 2011 by an amateur astronomer named Terry Lovejoy.  It was expected to head into our Sun and be destroyed, as are many small comets.

Much to the surprise of seasoned astronomers, Lovejoy did not disintegrate, but emerged once again from the Sun’s corona intact.  To add mystery to its miracle, its tail began to “wag”—a phenomena nobody can currently explain.

Astrologically, I am captivated by this mighty tyke.  Historically, comets are considered harbingers of great change—often associated with the death of kings and the overthrow of empires. As a believer in synchronicity, I think it is no accident that it has received the name Lovejoy.  It calls to me as a beacon of hope, signifying that the small and insignificant will triumph over the big and brazen.

It reminds me of the Occupy Movement, and the 99%, struggling against economic influences as powerful and far-reaching as the rays of the sun.  Perhaps it indicates that the smallest of us will indeed survive and supersede the massive corporations and rampant greed that currently rule the planet.  If nothing else, it should remind us to continue to shine our light, to carry on in the face of overwhelming forces.

The “wiggle” in Lovejoy’s tail has been likened to a serpent—which in astrological and archetypal terms represents a couple of things:  the healing energy that is Snake medicine, associated with the caduceus; the wiggle of spermatozoa as they carry on the genetic line and also represent survival against great odds; and the twisted strands of DNA, the very source of life, so tiny and yet so ubiquitous, carrying the very power of life itself.

Comet Lovejoy is thought to be part of a group of comets (the Kreutz comets) that are part of the debris of the Great Comet of 1106, which broke apart.  It was observed on February 2, 1106 AD and was recorded all over the world, by observers in England, Europe, China, Korea and Japan. A chronicler in Wales took it as an omen the presaged the death of Henry IV, the Emperor of Rome later that year; his son was made Emperor as his successor.  But the pieces of this great comet are thought to have formed the Kreutz comets, so our little Lovejoy may be a part of a family of comets that includes the Great Comet of 1882 and Comet Ikeyi-Seki in 1965. 

Comet Lovejoy has been observed now for over three years and over the next few days can be seen in the southern sky, just below the star Rigel in the constellation of Orion on January 3. It will be moving upward and toward the west over the coming days. Once the full moon passes, it will be the most visible to the naked eye during the second week of January.

Since comets are associated with earthquakes in the astrological lore, perhaps we should look for earth-moving events possibly occurring in the next few weeks. 

I welcome any speculation on what our new little Comet Lovejoy means for us, astrologically speaking. For now, I prefer to think that Lovejoy is a little beacon of hope, meant to inspire us to keep shining even in the face of larger forces.