The Set Up
We begin the month with the Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Sagittarius, retrograde Mars in Gemini, Jupiter and retrograde Neptune in Pisces, Saturn in Aquarius, retrograde Uranus in Taurus, and Pluto in Capricorn. By month’s end, the Sun, Mercury, and Venus will have entered Capricorn and Jupiter will have entered Aries. Additionally, Mercury will have begun its fourth and final retrograde of the year and Neptune will have stationed direct.
All eyes will be on three major astrological energies: our deepening Mars retrograde, Mercury’s final retrograde which will conjunct Venus and complete a cycle that has been ongoing all year, and Jupiter’s re-entry across the astrological divide between Pisces (the last sign in the zodiac) and Aries (the first sign in the zodiac). We have things that need doing – and moreover – things that need ending and wrapping but – but retrograde Mars isn’t going to make the doing easy for us.
The Nitty Gritty
As often happens with endings, there’s little easy astrology during the month of December.
The week of December 1st has a lot of tough stuff to get through both before and after the demarcation of the change in months. Mercury and Venus, who are sitting conjunct one another in Sagittarius both oppose retrograde Mars in Gemini all week which means that the energy is going to be quick moving and personal. There may be a truth that needs to come forward and be examined (both Gemini and Sag are concerned with truthiness versus “the lie” in some way) but it is certainly not one that anybody wants to look at.
All of this is happening in t-square to retrograde Neptune in Pisces (a sign that seems to love being lied to) which will station direct on Saturday 12/03.
If you are trying to maintain a lie or keep a secret, this is a week to lie low and say less. If you’re looking for truth – whether terrestrial truth or something more esoteric and specific for you – this is a great week to do this week. This is a week to watch what you say. Tempers will be high and retrograde Mars in Gemini has zero off switch.
In the best of times, Gemini and Sagittarius can be great companions. Gemini wants to explore and Sagittarius can keep them moving. Sag wants to expand and Gemini can give them the knowledge to apply their relentless energies. These, unfortunately, may not be the best of times, though, as Mars is never particularly at ease in the mutable air sign of Gemini and is very out to lunch while retrograde in the sign of the twins. If you’ve got supplies of energy to get things done – get to it. But conflicts are more likely during this time than cooperation.
Neptune’s energy is just likely to make things muddy. It may be difficult to feel seen or heard. This is break-up weather (hard aspects between Venus and Mars always are), so say it if you need to; but know the consequences of your actions BEFORE you take them. Some words cannot be unsaid so tread with care if you can.
The first full week of December is still fraught with retrograde Mars energy as the Sun makes an exact opposition to Mars on Thursday 12/08. This is definitely a day to lie low as egos will be high and tempers explosive. Additionally, both Mercury and Venus will both square off with Jupiter in Pisces before transitting into Capricorn (Mercury on 12/06 and Venus on 12/09). We may feel like we are out of luck and out of time.
The full moon at 16° Gemini on Wednesday 12/07 will be closely conjunct to retrograde Mars which isn’t helping to cool down everybody’s hot heads. Unless you like the flames, get out of the fire. This will be a powerful day to change your mind or take the first steps to change your life, but for little else. Avoid the person that you can’t help but quarrel with if you can.
On Monday 12/12, our Sun in Sag makes a constricting sextile to Saturn in Aquarius and Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow at 08° Capricorn. We are being forced to face the consequences of our actions – perhaps the consequences of our impulses during the full moon from the week beforehand. Remember that every aspect that Mercury makes from the point it enters its shadow until it begins its retrograde will be repeated thrice – there are lessons here.
The only other significant aspect of the week is our Sun squaring off with Neptune in Sagittarius on Wednesday 12/14 which is just going to make the week feel weird and murky. Don’t expect to get a lot done.
The energy will pick up again in the third week of December. On Tuesday 12/20, Jupiter re-enters Aries after its brief sojourn back into Pisces during its retrograde cycle. The next day our Sun enters Capricorn (Happy Winter Solstice!) and immediately forms a square with Jupiter. Luck energy will be high here, but I want to qualify that this doesn’t mean “good” luck necessarily – luck goes in all directions. Aries wants to move and explore while Capricorn wants to solidify and maintain – there is often no common ground to be found between these two cardinal energies. If you pick a side (explore OR solidify) and luck is on your side, much could be done with this energy but it will take careful management.
There is a wild card in play as both Mercury and Venus make quick-moving trines to unpredictable Uranus in Taurus on either side of the Solstice (Mercury on Saturday 12/18 and Venus on 12/22) – Capricorn and Aries have seen a lot of action since 2020 and you may need a push to reevaluate and wrap up some of the events that it instigated in your life. It’s worth noting that Mercury will form this trine to Uranus three times over its retrograde cycle showing us that something about the ways that we express our Mercurial natures must be revolutionized in some way. Our new moon at 01° Capricorn on Friday 12/23 will still be square with Jupiter in Aries – this is a day for a new start, for good or for ill. Channel the cardinal energy to get things done at this time but beware of being too stuck in your idea of where you are going.
The final week of December will be slow as Mercury will have stalled to a near standstill in anticipation of its retrograde on 12/29. This is business as usual – personal planet retrogrades are always felt both internally and externally in advance of the moments that they change course.
It is worth noting that at the moment Mercury stations retrograde, it will be exactly conjunct to our planet of love, comfort, and getting what we want Venus, and nearly conjunct to Pluto, our planet of death and transformation. This is significant because both Mercury and Venus both went retrograde simultaneously at the beginning of 2022 while conjunct to Pluto. This created a beautiful butterfly effect between what we want (Venus) and how we verbalize it (Mercury) which impacted the energy of the entire year.
Said another way, we still have some work to do. If all went well, we may have a better idea of the lessons we were meant to meet in 2022 but for many of us, they will likely carry on, at least through the beginning of the next year. If you’re still lost on what lessons you are facing – you can look at your natal birth chart. Mercury’s retrograde cycle will be from 08-24° Capricorn – what house/s does that fall in? Does it make any important aspects with your personal planets? These often offer hints as to how a particular transit will impact you specifically.
The Details
12/01 – Mercury in Sagittarius square retrograde Neptune in Pisces, Venis in Sagittarius opposed retrograde Mars in Gemini,
Venus in Sagittarius sextile Saturn in Aquarius
12/03 – Neptune stations direct 22° Pisces
12/04 – Venus in Sagittarius opposed Neptune in Pisces
12/06 – Mercury in Sagittarius square Jupiter in Pisces, Mercury enters Capricorn
12/07 – Full moon 16° Gemini 12/08 –
Sun in Sagittarius opposed retrograde Mars in Pisces 12/09 – Venus in Sagittarius square Jupiter in Pisces, Venus enters Capricorn
12/12 -Sun in Sagittarius sextile Saturn in Aquarius, Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow 08° Capricorn
12/14 – Sun in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces
12/17 – Mercury in Capricorn trine retrograde Uranus in Taurus
12/20 – Jupiter enters Aries
12/21 – Sun enters Capricorn (Winter Solstice), Sun in Capricorn square Jupiter in Aries
12/22 – Venus in Capricorn trine retrograde Uranus in Taurus
12/23 – New Moon 01° Capricorn
12/24 – Mercury in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces
12/28 – Venus in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces
12/29 – Mercury stations retrograde 24° Capricorn, Mercury conjunct Venus 24° Capricorn