December is an “8” Universal month [12 (December) + 5 (2021) – 17 = 1+7 = 8] in a “5” Universal year (2+0+2+1=5). We have come to the last month of the year with our frenetic fast-paced 5 energy and we are now integrating the lessons of the year to make space and (hopefully) move on by the beginning of January. The 8 energy is associated with the infinity sign and the Ouroboros – it has neither beginnings nor ending but is in a constant state of movement. You can expect December to fluctuate quickly between the highest highs and lowest lows – if you feel this way throughout the month, know that you are right on time.
This energy is further accentuated by the astrology of the month: we have four planetary shifts (the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, Mars into Sagittarius, and Jupiter into Pisces, a personal planet (Venus) retrograde, the shifting of the guards as our lunar nodes moves from Gemini-
Sagittarius into Taurus-Scorpio and the final square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. That’s a lot for one month! Hold onto your butts, we are in for the ride of the year.
Depending on your personal numerology, birth chart, and personality in general you may love or hate the 8 energy. The 8 is very associated with karma – in order to harness the energy of the 8 you have to let go and have faith in the lessons that unfold. Karma is often misunderstood as “What Comes Around, Goes Around” and that is an oversimplification that can really trip you up when managing the energy of the month. While it is true that the infinite nature of 8 energy means that all soul lessons will return to you until you have concurred them, it is a reminder that karma is personal and that, no matter how much we may wish, we have no control over the karma of others – even our most important “Others.” We are each on our own evolutionary path as dictated by the moment of our birth and no matter how well we know somebody, they will always remain a mystery.
As the energy of our fixed square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus weighs us down we may feel overwhelmed and it would be easy to attempt to rid yourself of it by passing the weight of your lessons onto an/other but this is a month where it is imperative that you learn to shoulder your own burdens. Beware or projections – what are you blaming on an/other that is truly a result of your own karma that needs addressing? Any time that the lunar nodes switch signs, we all have to come up against our greater life lessons. If this scares or worries you, it is a sign that you have some work to do – get to it. To quote Karen Kilgariff of “My Favorite Murder Fame “You can run away all you want, but you will still be you.”
2021 has been a challenging year – our ongoing Saturn-Uranus square on the fixed axis has been showing up to highlight the areas in life that must be broken down and recycled that we can all move on into a new and better future. This is our Force Paradox: Saturn in Aquarius is the immovable object and Uranus in Taurus is our Unstoppable Force. Some part of each of our lives has been caught in the vice of pressure in-between. Though it is difficult for anybody to manage this much pressure, it is worth remembering that pressure makes both diamonds and oil, two of the greatest commodities of the modern world.
These kinds of changes don’t happen overnight and for many, 2021 may have felt like a year of stagnation or constant obstacles. This was very out of alignment with the “5” energy which is impatient and restless – if this is coming up for you, know that the shifting of energy of December will open great pathways if you can just hold on for a few more breaths. We are almost to the finish line. December is a great month to mine your past for what is worth carrying with you into 2022 and beyond – what is worth keeping in your life? What do you need to let go of? Watch for the things that you are holding onto out of fear of the unknown – what you put down now will inevitably make space for greater things in your future.
We begin the month of December in the eclipse gateway (the two weeks between the lunar eclipse on 11/19 and our solar eclipse on 12/4) – this energy will amplify and accentuate the pressure exerted by our Saturn-Uranus square. Our solar eclipse in Sagittarius is the last eclipse on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis which has been highlighting the dichotomy of truthfulness vs. lies both in our external and internal lives. The unfortunate reality is that many people live lives entirely built upon lies – both lies that they have told themselves and lies that they have told others. These falsehoods are coming due. We are being asked to step authentically into who we really are – not who society has taught us to be, not who are parents have taught us to be, not who our Others want us to be – who we were born to be.
Depending on where you are on your personal journey, this may feel like a destructive storm or a homecoming – acknowledge this truth and try to integrate it into your understanding of yourself and your path. It’s okay to not be where you want to be yet – what is important is to be truthful in your self-analysis during this time. If you are living in a state of denial, you will never make the changes that lead to self-alignment. Our solar eclipse on 12/4 is a moment to make a clean break for the parts of you that you have created to appease others or mindlessly “fit in” – Sagittarius is a sign associated with radical freedom, now is the time to embrace yours.
These lessons will be intensely personal as Venus has already entered the shadow of her retrograde on which begins on 12/19. She will be moving backward from 26-11 degrees through the sign of Capricorn highlighting the ways in which we seek to control rather than let our lives unfold, especially around the Venusian portfolio of love, relationships, and money. Capricorn is ruled by the God of Karma Saturn which is very at odds with the needs of love, relationships, and money to flow. Expect conflicts to arise in your personal relationships and in the workplace around these themes through Venus’s retrograde cycle which will continue all the way through to 3/01 when she finally exits her post-retrograde shadow.
It is worth noting that Venus will retrograde in almost exact conjunction with our planet of death and extreme change, Pluto which is a strong indicator that a drastic change in the ways in which you view some Venusian aspects in your own life. Maybe you are holding onto a relationship or job with a death grip even though you KNOW in your heart of hearts that it has served its purpose and you need to move on. Or, you need to completely reinvent the way in which you think about/interact with love or money.
Here again, you see the energy of December playing out and amplifying three times over. Our Saturn-Uranus square is breaking down the outdated things in our lives, our eclipse season is forcing us to become more honest about who we really are, and the Venus retrograde cycle is leaning heavily into the energy of Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto in Capricorn’s energy played heavily into the cardinal energy of 2020 that instigated this breakdown/break-up cycle. Trust what is coming up for you. If it isn’t working yet – if it hasn’t worked through all of the past two years – that is likely either a sign that you need to let it go or radically transform. The choice, of course, is ultimately up to you.
As Mars, the planet of action, moves into Jupiter ruled Sagittarius, he will immediately form a conjunction with our South Node on 12/13. Again, we see a sign that we need to let go of the past (action = Mars, the past = the South Node) to embrace greater freedom (Sagittarius) for ourselves and all of our others. If you are prone to reaching for control when things get rough, make a game plan to avoid these actions because it is highly contraindicated during this month. Nobody wants to get told what to do during the best of times and these are not the best of times. This is your cosmic reminder that your Others are also living through this intense astrological upheaval – how can you give them the space to grow into who THEY need to be?
That will be one of the big flexes of December – to grow your own way while letting your Others grow their own way. Even if it appears that they are growing away from you. Our vision may be clouded during the Venus retrograde cycle as she makes a number of sextiles to Neptune in watery Pisces. Beware of your desire to dictate how your others need to grow or evolve – their path is their own. This will hit especially hard for people who experience codependency themes in their own lives – see this as a chance to rework your own patterning so that you can show up better for your Others in the future.
As we move into the new year we will be stepping into “6” universal energy (2+0+2+2=6) – this energy will be good for mending bridges, reestablishing closeness of all kinds, and connection with chosen family – use this last month of the year to work on the ways that you bring toxicity to the table rather than love so that you can show up better in the future. As the holidays bring up old family dramas and repeating cycles, learn into the Sagittarius drive to learn from your past rather than repeating it. We were all raised by imperfect human beings – another big flex this month will be to identify the unhelpful traits that we picked up from our childhoods (signified, again, by the South Node) and let them go once and for all.
Or at least begin the process of releasing them by Naming them. Here again, I will refer to the nature of the retrograde cycle. In the pre-shadow, we fall into a hole that we did not see. During the retrograde cycle, we see the hole but we (most likely) fall into it anyways. During the post-retrograde cycle, if we’ve been doing the work, we see the hole and know how to avoid it. Depending on your personal journey and self-awareness, this cycle can take one retrograde cycle or many. The deep lesson here is that each time you encounter that hole, you have the chance to recognize it and walk around it.
As this process unfolds this month, give yourself the benefit of the doubt, as much kindness as you can muster, and practice your very best self-care. When times get astrologically intense, it is wise to wake each morning and ask yourself: what do I need today? Have I drunk enough water? Did I go outside? Did I remember to take my medications? Do I need more sleep? Do I need less sleep? Where am I letting my shadows control me? Am I being authentic to myself? The evolution of the self is an ongoing and never-ending process, pat yourself on the back for how far you’ve come – the holes that you now avoid – and take another step forward, no matter how small.
The Details:
Per usual, I will bold important aspects for emphasis.
12/01 – Neptune stations direct at 20° Pisces – this will have a muted effect, perhaps making the day quiet and introspective
12/02- Moon in Scorpio T-square with Saturn and Uranus, Moon trine Venus, Moon conjunct Mars – this is a big CAUTION day, with Mars and our Saturn-Uranus square activated, go slow. Don’t pick that fight.
12/04 – total solar eclipse at 12° Sagittarius, Moon conjunct Mercury in Sagittarius – This is a big reveal day. Keep your eyes peeled for what the universe is trying to tell you.
12/06 – Mars in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn, Moon conjunct Venus, Moon conjunct Pluto – major changes may be in order, keep an open mind and look before you leap
12/07 – Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces – stay aware and truthful, lies are very ill-advised during this time
12/08 – Mars in Scorpio square Jupiter in Aquarius, Moon in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus – another big CAUTION day – still with Mars and Uranus involved, lay low
12/09 – Venus conjunct Pluto begins – this aspect will be exact within 1° for 18 days
12/11 – Venus conjunct Pluto EXACT – this aspect will repeat two more times – while Venus is retrograde on 12/25 and again when she is direct on 3/03
12/12 – Sun in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces – watch out for lies
12/13 – Mercury enters Capricorn, Mars enters Sagittarius, Mars conjunct N. Node – something needs to change to make space for what is to come
12/14-12/15 – Moon square Saturn, Moon conjunct Uranus – Another big CAUTION day(s), look before you leap
12/16 – Saturn square Uranus begins – as of today, Saturn and Uranus will be within 1 degree of each other, bringing up unresolved conflicts from throughout the year
12/18 – Full Moon in 12° Gemini, Mercury in Capricorn square Chiron in Aries – With the full moon in Gemini, there may be a lot to think about, this is further accentuated by Gemini’s ruler squaring off with our Wounded-Healer Chiron – pain may be very close to the surface
12/19 – Venus stations retrograde at 26° Capricorn, Sun in Sagittarius sextile Jupiter in Aquarius, Chiron stations direct – things may move slowly and pain is still close to the surface
12/20 – Mercury in Capricorn trine Uranus in Taurus
12/21 – Sun enters Capricorn, the Winter Solstice
12/22 – N. Node enters Taurus, Moon opposed Saturn, Moon square Uranus – another big CAUTION day
12/24 – Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus
12/25 – Venus retrograde conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, Mars trine Chiron – pass number two of this tough accent, watch out for what you are holding on to make space for the future
12/26 – Mercury sextile Neptune – a watery day great for divination but not much else
12/27 – Jupiter in Aquarius square N. Node in Taurus – where are you being too much? Where are you holding on too tight?
12/28 – Jupiter enters Pisces – Jupiter in Pisces brings expansion to Piscean themes of the unconscious, emotions, and magical powers
12/29 – Sun square Chiron, Mars sextile Saturn, Mercury conjunct Venus retrograde, Mercury enters its shadow at 24° Capricorn – a pain day but one in which may guide us into the future if we stay open and let it
12/30 – Mercury conjunct Pluto – this aspect will repeat 3x during the Mercury retrograde cycle