Skywatch, my monthly report on planetary news is posted now on my website.  There’s lots going on this month so be sure to stay tuned right here for up-to-the-minute news on planetary effects and how they effect our inner and outer worlds.

December is a busy astrological month, with lots of planetary configurations. Uranus, representing sudden change and reversals, has just changed direction which is likely to turn a number of things on their heads. At the same time, Pluto has re-entered Capricorn where it will remain until 2023. We are entering the time of change, and none of us will be able to hold onto the past now. Some of us embrace change and some fear change, but nothing is as certain as change and that has never been truer than it is over the next few years.

Saturn and Uranus are still in opposition to each other, creating a tension between a radical pressure for change (Uranus) and the need to maintain stability and retain the structures which solidify our lives (Saturn). Saturn has slowed down to a crawl as it prepares to turn retrograde at the end of the month so these two will be facing off throughout the next couple of months as they lead up to their second opposition in early February of next year. The influence of Saturn will be powerful throughout the month since it is nearly at a standstill (stationary), leading up to the Capricorn New Moon on the 27th with six planets in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn). Saturn insists that we face the harsh light of reality fearlessly and without the gloss of illusion or self-deception.

December begins on the heels of a New Moon in lively and optimistic Sagittarius, with the Sun, Mars and Mercury in tight conjunction and still in Sagittarius. Sag is a fire sign, and there is a lot of energy right now – a dynamic pressure that needs to find expression through our ideals and beliefs in a way that defies boundaries.

Venus and Jupiter are exactly conjunct on December 1, in the practical and responsible sign of Capricorn signifying an open and optimistic way of looking at the world that desires to take a solid form. Saturn (structure, discipline) rules Capricorn, and Saturn trines both Venus and Jupiter in Capricorn so this is a “double whammy” to let us know how important this optimism (Jupiter) /discipline (Saturn/Capricorn) connection is right now. The expansive principle of Jupiter and Sagittarius needs to balanced with the Saturn and Capricorn urge for restriction in order to create a solid foundation. This is key to our being able to successfully navigate the other astrological pressures at work right now.

Mercury (communication, ideas) is also at work during the first week of December, forming a harmonious aspect (sextile) to Chiron, the Wounded Healer on the 3rd; a challenging aspect (square) to Uranus, planet of radical change, on the 5th, and another challenging aspect (square again) to Saturn, planet of restriction and isolation. Chiron helps to facilitate healing now, but with Uranus and Saturn both squaring Mercury there will be an uncomfortable combination of a restless hunger for something new (Uranus) wrestling with a somewhat sad and lonely sense of desolation (Saturn). Fortunately Mercury wraps up this week of mental gymnastics with a harmonious aspect (sextile) to Neptune which brings in a creative influence that enhances our intuition and helps us to see beyond the veil into a world with more magic and a greater sense of the Divine.

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