The astrology for this week of December 11th through the 17th of 2023 can have us hustling and bustling with the holidays as a healthy distraction but under the influence of the last of this year’s Mercury retrogrades.
The week begins with us in high spirits. We might make time to reconnect with friends and family. Holidays do that for us. We are in a celebratory mood this week triggered by the Sagittarius New Moon on Tuesday that influences the next two weeks up to the Cancer Full Moon on the 26th.
Socializing, partying, engaging good cheer can all be part of this week, although there could be hiccups along the way due to the Mercury retrograde that begins early Wednesday morning and continues into the 1st of January in the new year.
Similar to the three previous Mercury retrogrades this year, this Mercury retrograde has Mercury transiting through an Earth Sign, Capricorn, until Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius on the 23rd.
The Mercury retrogrades this year have coincided for some people with major health problems, many of which have related to skeletal issues. It is important that we watch our back during this Mercury retrograde and keep in mind the wise Taoist saying: “Bend like a reed or break like an oak.”
Rigidity and getting stuck in one’s opinion might trigger nasty pushbacks and demand that eventually we engage flexibility and adaptability.
The latter part of the week would be a good time for us to attend to holiday preparations such as gift shopping, greeting cards and emails, and social gatherings.
The weekend might have us engaging in social get-togethers, holiday events and various diversions of the holidays. We do need to be judicious in our decisions and our behavior since there can be confusion, unexpected delays, and a sense that what we see is not what we get.
We end the weekend with us liable to be fatigued and exhausted by all the merry making that does not always leave us feeling merry. Let’s pace ourselves and avoid going from extreme exhilaration to complete depletion. ‘Moderation in all things’ is still wise counsel, hard to engage during the excesses of holidays.
Monday, December 11th – From a Little to a Lot – Pluto, Moon Void-of-Course, Saturn, Mercury, Venus. Monday begins the week with the Scorpio Moon sextile Pluto. The Moon then goes Void-of-Course for over two hours with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Scorpio and before the Moon moves into Sagittarius where today the Sagittarius Moon squares Saturn. Mercury sextiles Venus. Proper planning before we start out on our day would be advised. A ‘to do’ list would keep us on track, focused, and able to utilize time management skills to accomplish a lot. We might feel a little overwhelmed as we face our day and our week ahead. But it would be wise to keep in mind that we are on the ‘dark side’ of the Moon prior to tomorrow’s New Moon. We also have Mercury turning retrograde on Wednesday and retrograding through the end of the year. Completing certain matters, doing our holiday preparations, and tying up loose ends would be a good use of this day prior to the increasing ramp-up of the holiday celebrations. This is a day to catch up with friends and relatives whether by greeting card, text, or phone. The more we can accomplish today without feeling crushed by everything we need to do, the less we shall have on our plate as we approach Christmas and New Year’s.
Tuesday, December 12th – All This and More – Mars, New Moon, Sun. Tuesday continues with the Sagittarius Moon with the Moon today conjunct Mars and the Moon conjunct the Sun at the time of the Sagittarius New Moon [6:32 PM EST]. We can be fast out the door as we start this Tuesday. Nothing may seem too much. On the contrary, we are likely to want more, ever more. This thrust of energy can impact us today and over the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 26th. These holidays could accentuate excess and indulgence with our focus being on having a good time. Our desire to enjoy ourselves might be an attempt to make up for all the deprivation we have suffered through, or imagined we suffered through, over the past two years. This New Moon is in wide orb of a square to Neptune and occurs just before Mercury turns retrograde tomorrow. We are liable to be led by our senses and our emotions. Although we can fully engage the holiday celebrations, it would be wise for us to keep tabs on our expenses, curtail long-term commitments, and avoid getting snookered by bright, shiny things that look good but hold little value for us. Enjoying ourselves does not have to come with exorbitant costs. Although we might prefer to put the pedal to the metal and engage turbo-thrust, delays and miscalculations could hamper our forward progress. Today and over the holidays, it would be wise for us to have contingency plans in mind just in case of disruptions to our plans or our intended trajectory. Let’s be of good cheer while staying mindful and fully aware.
Wednesday, December 13th – Structural Breakdown – Neptune, Moon Void-of-Course, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury retrograde. Wednesday begins the day with the Moon completing its transit of Sagittarius with a square to Neptune. The Moon then goes Void-of-Course for almost nine hours with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Sagittarius and before the Moon enters Capricorn where today the Capricorn Moon sextiles Saturn and the Moon trines Jupiter. Mercury turns retrograde [2:09 AM EST] with Mercury retrograde through the end of the year before turning direct on January 1st. Today, tomorrow, and early Friday are good times for us to resolve outstanding matters that we do not want to bring into the new year. We do need to be diligent about what we are doing and how we are doing it. With Mercury turning retrograde today, things can get squirrely with situations being convoluted and confusing. Contingency plans are called for, just in cases. This Mercury retrograde in Capricorn can make us aware of the breakdown of various structures and systems. Things may not be functional but rather challenging. With the holidays upon us and people traveling, travel difficulties may occur. Staffing shortages, weather disruptions, backed up traffic and other travel issues may hamper getting easily and expeditiously from here to there. We also need to watch our own personal health, especially back and skeletal issues. Let’s keep in mind that we, both as a society and as an individual, are going through significant transformations with various aches and pains as old structures give way to new systems.
Thursday, December 14th – Make it Easy – Mercury, Venus, Uranus. Thursday continues with the Capricorn Moon with the Moon today conjunct Mercury and the Moon sextile Venus to begin the day, and the Moon trine Uranus in the evening. We can attend to our responsibilities and to our holiday preparations by drawing upon our time management skills. We may be more astute regarding any shopping that we might do, able to find the right items and at good prices. This is a day when we could feel as though everything is fitting neatly into place. There is also a sense of the spiritual essence of these holidays, which could bear witness to exciting developments in the evening hours. Surprises can delight us and reaffirm the magic and mystery not only of this time of year but offer witness to the mini-miracles of the paradigm shift we are living through. We are living during a dynamic time, a turbulent, tumultuous time when things occur in the most extraordinary manner. We might find unusual situations to be challenging, but we could also discover that things do truly work out for the best. We just need to be flexible and adaptable to shifting conditions to fully appreciate the strange twists and turns of these times, all leading to better days ahead. Thursday evening suggests we be open to the magic of these times to receive the profound gifts of the present.
Friday, December 15th – Ready for the Weekend – Neptune, Pluto, Moon Void-of-Course, Jupiter. Friday has the Moon finishing its transit of Capricorn with the Capricorn Moon sextile Neptune and the Moon conjunct Pluto before the Moon goes Void-of-Course for almost two hours with the Capricorn Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Capricorn and before the Moon enters Aquarius where late today the Aquarius Moon squares Jupiter. The last two days provided the energy to bring various matters to completion. Due to the Mercury retrograde, it would have been important for us to check and reevaluate our endeavors to be certain that nothing had fallen between the cracks or that we made any miscalculations. The early part of this day gives us the impetus to tie up loose ends and resolve various matters. And then it’s time for us to enjoy the weekend. We could be so much in the holiday spirit[s] that we might easily go overboard in having too good of a time. With the volatility of these times, it’s important that we seek and maintain balance and not go to extremes. If we are shopping or having a night out, it would be important to keep our finances in mind. It would be wise for us to keep track of our expenditures and adhere to a budget. We do need to avoid overindulgence and excess this evening and over the weekend.
Saturday, December 16th – Stuck in the Muddle – Mars, Lunar T-Square, Venus, Uranus, Sun, Neptune. Saturday has the Moon in Aquarius with the Aquarius Moon today sextile Mars and the Moon triggering a Fixed Sign T-Square with the Moon square Venus in Scorpio and the Moon square Uranus in Taurus. The Sun squares Neptune. Once engaged, we could be at top gear, high speed, all of which would be fine if the coast were clear and unobstructed. Such may not be the case and we might feel as though we are caught in a pachinko machine banging against various pins, obstacles, as we make our way through the day. Delays, disruptions can be frustrating. Perhaps we are trying to do too much. Perhaps someone is getting in our way. Whatever the impediments might be, we may be slowed down in our forward movement. Plans are liable to go awry, so it would be wise for us to have contingency plans. If we can’t go through things in a direct movement, we may need to go around, adding time to our course of action. Let’s avoid any sense of frustration but recognize that we are only trying to make our way through during a most dysfunctional period in the world. Yes, things can take longer with obstacles in our way, but we need to keep in mind the importance during these disruptive times of being flexible and adaptable to the conditions which we encounter along our way. We could fall prey to playing victim, but why go there when impediments are only a reflection of the state of affairs in society right now? We might have a sense of being stuck in the muddle today and choose to indulge to salve our emotions. Patience is called for today with a sense of bemusement regarding the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Sunday, December 17th – Catching a Breath – Sun, Moon Void-of-Course, Saturn. Sunday begins the day with the Aquarius Moon sextile the Sun. The Moon then goes Void-of-Course for almost eight hours with the Moon making no further connections to the planets as the Moon completes its transit of Aquarius and before the Moon enters Pisces where the Moon conjuncts Saturn. We might awaken feeling better about things than what we might have felt yesterday. We have a better appreciation for the people in our life and can share an uplifting morning with someone. It’s almost as though the sun has come out and shines upon us. Any recent frustrations seem to melt away and we can have a better sense of things and a more upbeat spirit. Holiday festivities might engage us, as we look to take the energy down a notch or two. Instead of being caught up in the holiday frenzy, we are better able to enjoy the celebrations, the decorations, and the good cheer of camaraderie. After a delightful morning, we might choose the afternoon and evening to catch our breath, replenish our spirit, and take some ‘down time’.
