December begins on a positive note, marked by a shift towards greater focus and seriousness. We are less likely to operate on impulse and more from in-depth consideration.
Mercury exits Sagittarius on the 1st. Mercury is in Detriment in Sagittarius where our thoughts may be wide-ranging but tend to be diffuse and scattered.
With Mercury entering Capricorn on the 1st, our thinking becomes more organized, allowing us to prioritize significant matters over fleeting interests.
The transition continues the 2nd as Mercury sextiles Saturn, providing an opportunity for careful planning and scheduling before the upcoming Mercury retrograde on the 13th. It’s advisable to get our affairs in order and thus avoid complications during the holiday season.
Caution is urged on the 3rd as Venus squares Pluto, potentially straining relationships.
One of the tragedies of these times is the divisiveness in our society. Unless we are in total agreement, each of us can find some issue or minute matter that divides us rather than solidifies our connection. It’s as if we not only need other people to be on the same page that we’re on but down to being in the same paragraph with us. Diversity is being heralded, except when it comes to diversity of opinion. I emphasize opinion since our perception of reality is based upon our personal perspective and may not be the true reality of a situation. The emphasis on unity amid diversity is crucial, reminding us not to sever important connections over trivial disagreements.
Venus exits its own Sign of Libra and enters Scorpio on the 4th [1:51 PM EST]. Scorpio is a Sign of Detriment for Venus, where relationships can become edgy, fostering possessiveness, jealousy, and secrecy. These characteristics are not a great mix for convivial interactions. We might restrict ourselves to those with whom we have total agreement demanding that ‘either you’re with me or against me’.
On the 5th, Venus trines Saturn and encourages reconnecting with trustworthy individuals from our past. We may feel more comfortable with those people whom we have known and shared past experiences through the thick and thin of our life’s journey.
Neptune turning direct on the 6th [8:20 AM EST] heightens our sensitivity and reinforces belief in something greater than ourselves. Neptune transiting through its own Sign of Pisces offers us incidents of awakening, a greater sense of something beyond the mere mundane, a feeling of piercing the veil of Maya and cutting through the illusions and delusions of myopic physical reality. Our faith in a meaningful purpose to our life can be renewed.
Practical magic may guide us on the 7th as Mercury trines Jupiter. We could see existential purpose to our experiences, to our endeavors, and to our interactions, the very essence of our life and living. We can be enthusiastic about our direction and put spirit into action.
One of the key opportunities and challenges for each of us in our life journey is to find and maintain balance. During this paradigm shift with its extreme volatility and significant changes with hardly a moment’s notice, balance can be hard to come by. But these times are also increasingly dynamic and offer dramatic transformations quickly and suddenly.
On the 9th of December, the two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, oppose each other. The teeter-totter between too much and too few could be engaged. While it would be advised to enlist the sentiment of ‘moderation in all things’, it is a suggestion often made, rarely engaged. Our balance can be tested as we are liable to whipsaw between indulgence and restraint. As if locked in a Goldilocks conundrum, we need to determine what’s ‘just right’.
In the question of balance, Mercury can play a key role between the 7th and 11th with Mercury sextile Jupiter on the 7th followed by Mercury sextile Venus on the 11th. Vetting and practical considerations could help us pare down excesses. An associate with an objective viewpoint may provide valuable input and wise suggestions as to how we might devise the most effective and expeditious means to realize our goals. Second opinions are often beneficial, especially when we are liable to see many options but unable to clearly perceive the details in our alternatives.
The Sagittarius New Moon on the 12th when the Sun conjuncts the Moon [6:32 PM EST] is in orb of a square aspect to Neptune and has Mercury stationary, retrograding on the 13th [2:09 AM EST].
This New Moon signature influences us to the Full Moon on the 26th. Although we may be feeling the holiday spirit[s], we could also find ourselves being led by our desires and a liability of narcissism, where we want what we want, see what we choose to see, with little regard to reality, facts, or specifics. If we are not mindful and careful, we might be off on a race… to nowhere.
While this time of year suggests that we be of good cheer, put aside our daily concerns and mundane matters, and engage instead holiday spirit of good times with good friends, let’s be wary of too good a time and the expenses that may come due later in the early new year.
The three previous Mercury retrogrades this year have all been in Earth Signs, and this Mercury retrograde lasting from the 13th of December into January 1st also transits largely through an Earth Sign, Capricorn, before retrograding back into Sagittarius on the 23rd of December.
I found it fascinating that the Mercury retrogrades this year brought up issues of structure, both the structure of our ways forward in our daily routine under dramatically tightening financial conditions and issues with our health with various people needing medical procedures, often unintended.
With this Mercury retrograde ending on the 1st of the new year of 2024, this three-week period would be a good time for us to close out a chapter of our lives, bringing completion to matters unresolved that we would prefer not to bring into the new year with its anticipation of a new year and new beginnings and starting the new year with a clean slate.
Abetted by the Mercury retrograde, the Sun square Neptune on the 16th of December can have us confused, muddled, and wondering which way is up and how best to go forward. Unexpected incidents could throw us off course, and we need to avoid precipitous decisions or actions. It would be wise for us to step away from pressing demands, allow some time to pass, before reevaluating what is going on and the best course of action.
The 18th of December has Mercury trine Jupiter, a repeat of the energy configuration back on the 7th, but this aspect with both Mercury and Jupiter retrograde. Giving thought to our prospects and our intentions for the new year would be far better than implementing new trajectories. We may be confident and optimistic, much of which may be more hopeful expectations than realistic projections. Being how this is holidays times, we can use this energy to reconnect with past contacts. Keeping in touch with friends and colleagues and significant connections of the past may be pleasurable encounters and can reinvigorate our contact list, our network of friends and associates.
We end the autumn season on the 21st with Venus opposed Uranus and Mercury sextile Saturn. Strange encounters with someone might remind us of the saying ‘what have you done for me lately?’. We could be surprised by a person’s turn in character. We may realize the truth to the biblical admonition ‘cast ye not your pearls before swine’. The importance of selectivity and where we choose to place our energy will become increasingly evident. The universe works and even when we choose to fool ourselves, the universe is likely to step in, strip off the mask and provide us a fresh dose of transparency.
Tidying up, getting rid of the extraneous, and completing old matters would be a good way to close out autumn and enter the delirium of the holidays as we come into winter.
The winter season begins with the winter solstice as the Sun exits Sagittarius to enter the Cardinal Earth Sign Capricorn in the dark of the night on December 21st [10:27 PM EST].
The entry of the Sun into Capricorn triggers a Stellium in the Cardinal Earth Sign as the Sun joins Pluto and retrograde Mercury in Capricorn.
We may be involved with the holidays, but it would be wise for us to keep attentive to our costs, our credit card purchases, and our finances. We could easily get caught up in the holiday spirits with a tendency to being overly generous and overindulgent. Let’s keep in mind that often ‘less is more’.
The worth of a gift is not ascribed to the cost of the item but rather true value revealed by the intent of the gift giver.
The 22nd has the Sun conjunct Mercury just prior to Mercury retrograding back into Sagittarius on the 23rd. Drawing upon the Stellium in the Cardinal Earth Sign, the 22nd would be a good day for us to complete certain matters or devise a game plan for conclusions before the year is out. We do not want to bring certain outstanding matters into the new year. We may not start the new year with a totally clean slate, but we might choose to have space on which to implement our intended projects for 2024.
The Capricorn Stellium ends on the 23rd as retrograde Mercury backs out of Capricorn and re-enters Sagittarius [1:18 AM EST]. Our focus could shift once again as we reengage holiday celebrations and put aside our daily obligations. We may have already started the long holiday of Christmas – New Year’s, and our social engagements can increasingly diminish our daily mundane concerns.
Christmas Eve on December 24th has the Sun sextile Saturn. With everyone under the guise of holiday cheer, this would be a time to reach out and connect with those people we consider important in our life and who could prove beneficial to our interests.
With Venus trine Neptune on Christmas Day on the 25th our appreciation for home and hearth can be enhanced. Even if we have disagreements with family members or friends, discord could drop away as we realize the essence of our connections, the depths of our love that transcends differing opinions or varying conditions. Ever more so, we might realize that we are all one. Our personal circumstance and our relationships might seem close to idyllic. Joy to the world!
December 26th has the Cancer Full Moon as the Cancer Moon opposes the Capricorn Sun [7:33 PM EST]. Balance is a key testament to ‘right’ living, and the balancing act for each of us is between our professional life, often seen as our identity as to what we do, and our personal life, often indicated by the character of our personality as to who we are. The internal – external conundrum requiring integration to achieve the true integrity of be-ing.
The 27th – 28th of December could prove challenging and confusing. The 27th has the Sun trine Jupiter, Mercury conjunct Mars and Mercury square Neptune, followed on the 28th by Mars square Neptune. We could feel confident with a thrust of energy to draw upon, but the larger question would be where and how we expend our energy. We need to be wary of overconfidence and any tendency to leap ahead without fully considering the conditions and circumstance in which we find ourselves. Arrogance and narcissism can prove our undoing with a liability of being accident prone due to rash actions and overly optimistic assumptions. These two days threaten acting out the age-old saying: “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
Venus sextiles Pluto on the 29th before Venus exits Scorpio, a Sign of Detriment for Venus, and enters Sagittarius [3:24 PM EST]. With Venus in Sagittarius, we have a Sagittarius Stellium re-engaged as Venus joins Mercury and Mars in the Mutable Fire Sign. We’re likely gearing up for the new year, getting our house in order, and ready to close out 2023.
On the 30th of December Jupiter ends its four-month retrograde cycle and Jupiter turns direct [9:40 PM EST]. We may be judicious in moving forward but moving ahead is our intention and doing so in a calculated, practical manner.
December 2023 concludes with preparations for the new year, emphasizing balance, discernment, and thoughtful actions in the midst of holiday celebrations and the transition into winter.
December 2023… making happy the holidays…
