Astrology of December 2019 | the end of the line - part 1

This is a mega-important month kicking off with Jupiter's move into the hot zone and culminating with the Sun crossing the South Node - bye-bye Capricorn karma!

Let's see if we unpack the month all at once if we can make a little more sense of this than we can going week by week.

We have FIVE planets in Capricorn now, including Jupiter who left his home sign and moved into Cappy (for the first time in twelve years) just a few days ago - Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, Venus and Ceres.

We are building toward a meeting of Saturn and Pluto on January 12, 2020 - these bad boys haven't met in Capricorn in over 500 years (and other players make the January story even more complicated, although perhaps offer us, humanity, a way collectively and personally, through this challenge).

Keeping in mind it is not really possible to predict astrological happenings down to an exact date (we are already in the process of the January aspects) on January 12, 2020 we are going to have the conjunction of Pluto, Saturn, Ceres, Mercury (all at 22 degrees Capricorn) and the Sun (at 20 degrees). This is happening with Jupiter in Capricorn, two days after an Eclipse and while squaring (let's burn this whole thing down) Eris at 23 degrees Aries.

In the meantime, it is hard/impossible to look this far ahead because we have TWO eclipses - ie cosmic resets, anything can happen - before January 12th with the first coming on Christmas night conjunct Jupiter (instead of the usual 4, and the sometimes 5 eclipses we get in a year - we get 6 in 2020, so enough twists and turns to keep everyone from getting too settled in).

Even with all this Capricorn building to the most powerful 'winter' of our lives, keep in mind, until the Solstice on the 21st, we still have the Sun in Sagittarius!

There is still some time to take advantage of any of Jupiter in Sag's parting gifts! And there are still gifts that are going to show up.

The first week of December is HERE.

DECEMBER 7th - Mercury gets to 28 degrees Scorpio and begins walking NEW degrees. Bye-bye Mercury retrograde shadow - don't let the door hit ya'. New communications, information, ideas will begin to FLOW. Whatever got stopped up back in the middle of October can start moving again. Mercury also rules our local community, teaching, writing, siblings and transportation - as well as your natal Virgo and Gemini houses.

DECEMBER 8th - the Sun in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces at 15 degrees. There are a couple of challenging Neptunian aspects this month and this is one of them.

Situations could be confusing. We want to avoid thinking we have all the answers now because we don't. Holding a strong opinion, ie offering up a judgement now might not be such a good idea. Zip it. If we can stay open without judging there can be a powerful spiritual message now. Stay curious. Don't get locked into any one position here. Work through things in your imagination, but don't jump into anything that looks too good to be true.

This aspect can dilute our focus and sap our energy - even make us sick, so do whatever you do to avoid catching a cold, etc. Our boundaries are large and whisper thin. Squares are tension and frustration. Maybe between that greener grass/opportunity to expand our reach and lies/dishonesty/or our own wishful thinking/escapist tendencies/inability to grow a backbone.

At the same time, and here is the silver lining part, Venus sextiles (opportunity) Neptune. So now we have a clue what to do with this. Focus in on what is practical. This is a time for practical (Capricorn) magic (Pisces). Maybe Neptune softens Venus in Capricorn's hard edges and Venus (in stabilizing Capricorn) offers Neptune's 'dream' something real to hold onto.

A tricky day, but that Venus/Neptune sextile offers opportunities. 

Something to keep in mind with Venus is she is back where she was last February. 

The difference between now and then is since that time both Saturn and Pluto have gone through their retrogrades and stationed direct. 

We have been through karmic endings/the death that was postponed/the mess that needed to be cleaned up. 

Hopefully we are back here, older and wiser, humbled and streamlined.

(opportunities from last February can return now, too, with a new twist based on how we processed and moved through the 2019 energies)

DECEMBER 9th - Mercury FINALLY climbs out of the Scorpio muck (I am a Scorpio rising, so allowed to call Pluto territory muck, you might not be able to get away with this without getting popped by a Scorpio) and into the bluer skies/greener grasses of Sagittarius. The scope of information available to us broadens. All the little details we have been immersed in during Mercury's transit through Scorpio fade from view a bit. It's like we have applied a wide angle lens to our camera.  

There is more to see (know) but less to specifically look at.

People will start thinking and talking BIG. Making BIG plans. Using BIG persuasive language. It's a good time to sell your "whatever it is", but also a good time to be sold a bill of goods. Keep in mind that words and information could mislead us as our focus moves away from those pesky details and onto the larger landscape.

Mercury is considered in his detriment in Sagittarius because he/she rules Sagittarius's polarity sign of Gemini. It is Mercury's JOB to focus on the details and in Sagittarius he can't see the trees for the forest. But, I think this year he/she (as us) will be aided through the "forest" because Sag ruler Jupiter's wide lens is  tempered by Jupiter being in Saturn ruled Capricorn. The focus will be more on reality and actual results which will be a good thing, plus she helps extends Sag season a bit!

Also on December 9th, Jupiter will square Chiron - we are open to healing, or maybe the hurt gets so big we can't ignore it any longer - OUCH.

DECEMBER 10th - Almost immediately after entering Sagittarius, Mercury trines Chiron. Words are medicinal. Confident language brings courage. It is easier to say the right thing.

DECEMBER 11th - Full Moon in Gemini with the Sun and Moon squaring Neptune and inconjunct Saturn. Venus conjunct Saturn. So a rock and a hard place to Saturn with so much of our chart answering to him now including this Full Moon with Mercury ruler of Gemini in Sag and Sag ruler Jupiter in Capricorn! And many, many people's charts answering to him too - I'm talking to you Taurus risings, Gemini risings, Virgo risings, Libra risings, Scorpio risings (sort of), Sagittarius risings, Capricorn rising, Aquarius rising - who does that leave?

Not such a fun Full Moon. Money and relationship stuff is serious business. We are maybe needing to be like Saturn in order to feel the love (goal-oriented/business-like) and then not able to feel the love because we are like Saturn.

With that square to illusive Neptune from Gemini, we might not know if we are coming or going. This would NOT be the time to make an important decision. Of course look at the date, it could just be everyone is uber busy with the holidays and running out of time (Saturn)!

DECEMBER 13th - Venus conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn, Mars trines Neptune and Chiron stations direct in Aries. The trine is good for moving ahead with creative projects, support from behind the scenes (and behind the veils), healing, charity work. Chiron's direct station will be strongest felt by people with planets/points near 1 degrees Aries or the other cardinal signs. What have we learned about our wounded masculine energy since Chiron stationed retrograde in July? Venus meeting Pluto speaks of the rising feminine energy; claiming our power/claiming ownership. What are we stepping into now?

A powerful day.

And, of course, it's Friday the 13th!

And for the last few days we have been building toward DECEMBER 15th's uber powerful big aspect Jupiter trine Uranus - BIG CHANGE. We will talk about this tomorrow.  

Back tomorrow with Part II

xo all

photo by the amazing ankazhuravleva

Today's Astrology Forecast | December 6, 2019 - taking ourselves seriously, honoring what we value while still moving forward, courage and confidence, smooth pavements and roadblocks

The Moon continues moving through assertive and independent Aries today - squaring Venus at 5:57PM EST (tension  around what we need to do to get what we want and the rules/limits blocking us, a need to adjust our sails) and trining the Sun at 8:04PM EST.

This month's waxing trine (brakes off) with the Sun at 14 degrees Sagittarius and the Moon at 14 degrees Aries, is sandwiched between today's square to Venus (love, money, our values, self-esteem, beauty) and tomorrow's squares to Saturn and Pluto, all in "serious as a heart attack" Capricorn. If you are making important decisions now, I hope you are taking them seriously. 

The trine moves things forward through courage (Aries) and confidence (Sagittarius) or maybe through initiative (Aries) and faith (Sagittarius) or maybe this is really the same thing.

A trine is a 120 degree aspect in astrology. Two planets (or points) are forming one side of a triangle. They are working in harmony, stimulating each other toward increased activity and SUCCESS.

We want (and always have) some of these in our natal birth chart. They are our subtle super powers. We can't see through a wall, but maybe we can see when someone is bullshitting us. We can't leap tall buildings with a single bound, but maybe we can leap over obstacles without getting mired in indecision.

Or we could think of them like a tool we are carrying in our pack for this lifetime. We need a screwdriver. We pull it out without thinking, we use it, it works, we put it back. It's something that's there. And it's helpful.

Once a month, during the Moon's waxing (growing) cycle, the Sun and the Moon reach 120 degrees apart and form a trine.

So although Aries always trines Sag - courage and confidence, initiative and faith always work hand in hand - here is the time in the lunar cycle (and this is brief, but powerful energy and we will only get this particular trine once a year) when we get access to the tools we need to move this month's very particular New Moon energies FORWARD.

Of course, this year, all the Cappy energy, which is impacting ALOT right now (but not EVERYTHING) is squaring the Moon, because Capricorn squares Aries, so it creates a need, even with that smooth-flowing trine - to take certain limits/rules/authority/responsibilities into account now. With Venus there could be financial/resource limits or maybe a partner isn't on the same page with us, with Saturn rules/tradition/authority, with Pluto power - maybe somebody else is calling the shots or holds all the cards - or maybe it just look/feels like they are. We are approaching Sunday's square between the Sun and Neptune - everything is not exactly as it seems now. Stay open and flexible. Don't get to wedded to your beliefs.

At the same time we have the Sun moving through an awkward inconjunct to a retrograde Vesta moving through the middle of Taurus. Here is a rock and a hard place. The Sag Sun wants those greener pastures/to expand his reach, but here is this thing that we once were devoted to/held sacred/kept us up at night - this thing that must still be honored. Maybe it's a resource. Maybe it's what we have earned/valued.

With the Sun trining an Aries Moon (brave action) at the same time, we don't exactly want to let this stop us dead in our tracks, we want to keep moving with courage and confidence, but we don't toss the baby out with the bathwater and we DON"T (those approaching lunar squares to Saturn and Pluto) NOT - yes, I love double negatives -  take this seriously. So, take this seriously, don't move into something stupid, just to move.

What are our values? What's most important?

Maybe we can't have the adventure and keep all those benjamins in our piggy bank (for example), so what's it gonna be?

Mars is in Scorpio - very strong, in a sign he once ruled - and the Aries Moon is answering to him.

Let's keep moving forward.

Let's keep digging for truth, looking under rocks and shaking things out.

Tomorrow, Mercury, will reach fresh territory for the first time in nearly two months, we will know what we are looking for when we see it.


xo all

photo by the amazing oprisco

Today's Astrology Forecast | December 5, 2019 - a long void moon followed by a second wind, nurtured by men, pushing through obstacles and moving forward

Our Moon in imaginative, spiritual and escape-prone Pisces went void off a trine to Mercury (at the final degrees of her 'third time's the charm' re-walk through Scorpio) at 3:14AM EST.

She will be void until 2:44PM EST when she moves into the 'fresh start' energy of Aries. So wrap things up early in the day, focus on practiced production rather than on starting anything brand new. Expect some wonk and do-overs. That closing trine - brakes off - to Mercury, deep in Scorpio, makes this a good day for deep communications (intimate/financial) or digging through the underpinnings of something.

In Aries, the Moon will have us nurtured/comforted through interactions with men, independent action, initiation, our passions/anger and impulsivity.

She will square Jupiter at 4:08PM EST. Life gets busier - is this possible, yes it is! - we get involved, push through obstacles, make adjustments and make things happen. Aries/Capricorn squares are the old making way for the new or the new making space for the old. Jupiter adds confidence and enthusiasm. We could feel some over-confidence, but maybe that's what we need now!

We have Pluto, Jupiter, Venus, Ceres and the South Node - all in Capricorn with Saturn and answering to Saturn. We have Uranus in Taurus (answering to Venus who's answering to Saturn, and even if we see Uranus as answering to Ceres, as I sometimes play around with, Ceres is also in Capricorn and answering to Saturn), so Saturn is dispositing Uranus. We have Mercury headed into Sagittarius in just a few days (answering to Jupiter who's answering to Saturn), so Saturn will disposit Mercury, too. Yes, it is Saturn's world and we just get to live in it!

It might feel like the heavens have decided we should skip the holidays and rush right into 2020 "New Year - join a gym and work extra hours to pay off the bills" mode. Maybe this is why so many people felt the need to put their holiday decorations up so early this year!

All this Saturn is not necessarily a bad thing (did I actually just write that?!), but it is all rather extreme what with Saturn being our daddy/authority figure and ruling the way we use and misuse our own authority, responsibilities and commitments. Alot of attention is tossed on what power/authority can (and cannot) do now, also on the finality/repercussions of choice we've already made.

Keep in mind though we still have the Sun in sunny Sagittarius for the next couple weeks (before he moves into, you guessed it Capricorn ... and although, yes the Sun in Sagittarius is answering to Jupiter who is answering to Saturn, the Sun is above getting disposited, although certainly some Cappy flavoring is added, but we will never  feel this anyway with all the other old-man Saturnian energy we are having to deal with), we are still fueled through optimism/through a focus on the greener grass over there.

Until a few days ago Jupiter was in his home sign of Sagittarius for the last year. Everyone was given opportunities in 2019 even as we've dealt with these Cappy endings. Jupiter in his home sign lived up to his end of the bargain even though I feel (and I may not be seeing this clearly or maybe I am seeing it perfectly clearly because transitting Neptune has been sitting on my natal Jupiter for what feels like forever) his squares to Neptune dissolved some of our "luck". Still, the opportunities have been there. And if we are feeling like we didn't take advantage/notice them, there are still some twists and turns ahead, folks, our "luck" has certainly not run out!

The Sun in ONLY halfway through Sagittarius. Is the glass half-full or half-empty - that is up to us! The field may have narrowed, but there are still open doors and doors still opening. Optimism and courage in the pursuit of something that expands our reach is still driving everything. Mars is nearing the middle of Scorpio - the ancient ruler of Scorpio, he is the strongest right now that we are going to see him for many, many months - it is a time to be moving things forward.

I don't want to see us beating our heads against the wall, but nothing is really 'dead in the water' while Mars is still in Scorpio!

Once the Moon gets passed the square to Jupiter and conjunction with Chiron tonight (maybe an old pain is triggered when we push too hard, this doesn't mean we give up, we can move past this quickly!) - we will almost certainly start to get a second wind.


xo all

photo by the talented DeBally

Today's Astrology Forecast | December 4, 2019 - intuition, connection, partnership challenges, connecting with our goals and ambitions, turning on the light

The Pisces Moon squared the Sagittarius Sun - this month's waxing square - while we slept (EST). This is tension/frustration/the need to adjust between our dreams and wisdom. The Pisces Moon answers to Neptune, in his home sign, and the Sagittarius Sun answers to Jupiter in serious Capricorn - our decisions/beliefs are important and we can probably feel the weight of them.

Looking ahead the Sun (and later in December, Mercury) is going to square Neptune - so even as we finish up Mercury's final walk over his retrograde degrees - he starts walking fresh territory in just three days - there could still be some adjustments needed with our thinking and our beliefs. Hands still in play. Big changes ahead with the eclipse. We still don't know what we don't know.

The Moon then meets Neptune (10:18AM EST) - deep emotions, creativity, spirituality, connection, we might want to escape from any challenging situations brought on by the waxing square, but let's see if we can't go with the flow here instead, offer connection instead of judgement. This afternoon the Moon will move through some opportunistic sextiles with Saturn (3:14PM EST) and Pluto (9:41PM EST). Focus, work, this is good energy to get things done, connect with our goals, authority and responsibilities in creative ways.

Venus (also in serious Capricorn) is going to square Juno, so there is some tension between love/money/our values/self esteem and our contracts/relationship agreements. With Venus in ambitious Capricorn (not her usual loving self) and Juno in diplomatic and partnership-focused Libra, love can be difficult. 

The Pisces Moon will increase our intuitive powers - pay attention to your dreams and imaginative meanderings, watch for signs. At the same time, with all the Cappy energy today, we will likely be connecting with our goals, career situations, authority. It's good - as long as we take things seriously and know there will be some adjustments needed (the squares).

The big news today probably happens while we sleep - that Sun square Moon - and even though we spend most of the day with the Moon having moved on - keep in mind the Sun will still be at 11 degrees Sagittarius (where they met at 1:58AM EST) keeping this energy active until tomorrow, we might have to stand up for what we believe in now or adjust our beliefs.

Sag/Pisces can amp up the creativity and imagination, but also the "lala" factor, so it would be a good day - especially now with this powerful Cappy stellium - to face the stuff we might usually try to avoid. Slay the boogeyman, who only really exists in the dark anyway ...

xo all
(working on a December post so we can see further ahead!)

photo by the talented emptyredhead