December MMXXI | A.W. Clovenhopf

Starting the month of December between two eclipses and nearing exactitude of a Saturn/Uranus squares bodes ominously if you were hoping for a peaceful end to the year. Neptune heads direct on the 1st, casting a foggy pallor over events. The total solar eclipse on December 4th is at 12 degrees Sagittarius, held tight by asteroid Vesta, representing the home, and swift Mercury with his speedy communication. A rapidly developing situation merits a thoughtful response, but we likely do not have all the information required to make the best decision. Mars challenges Jupiter with a square on the 8th, forcing us to leave our comfort zone, while also enhancing the regenerative powers of Pluto. Venus conjoins Pluto shortly after, her first rendezvous with the dark side before she initiates her retrograde motion later in the month. On the 13th, Mars enters Sagittarius. The barbed planet entering the domicile of the spear bearer emphasizes keeping your wits about you, lest there be a burning arrow with your name on it.

The full moon of the 18th is at 27 degrees Gemini. With a pleasant nod to Jupiter, it offers some mild respite. Take a pause to find your footing. With the action happening in communicative, thoughtful air signs we may feel information overload, or a bubbling enthusiasm for a new endeavor. Venus is stationary now, allowing the attentive among us to absorb the clues about our changing needs in pleasure and finances.

Venus moves retrograde from 26 Capricorn to 11 Capricorn through December and January, highlighting the degrees of the zodiac earmarked by Saturn/Pluto conjunction in early 2020, 21 Capricorn. Astrologers have been associating the potent Saturn/Pluto combination with kicking off the coronavirus pandemic. The Saturn/Uranus square follows in hot pursuit. This tense angle between the planet of restrictions and planet of careening IDGAF’s has coincided with strange weather patterns when it was near exactitude on February 17th, 2021, with a winter storm knocking down the power grid in Texas. June 14th 2021 saw extreme heat in the American west and flooding in Europe. What occurs on December 24th, 2021 remains to be seen.

With Venus’ second conjunction with Pluto on the 25th, we may find that our old way of life no longer holds any value. An emptiness fills the halls, and we are left wondering how to rebuild. Gaze into the starry abyss and enjoy the darkness of the night, because Jupiter hearkens a new dawn not far off. On the 28th, our celestial benefic graces his favored domicile of Pisces. Gifts are bestowed, though perhaps not in the material form we are anticipating.

HOROSCOPIC PERSPECTIVE FOR DECEMBER

ARIES: The need to escape an odious situation becomes ever more pressing at the beginning of the month. You may find a trap door emerging from a seemingly fixed position early in the month. By mid-month, you should be able to use your gift of gab to talk your way out of whatever you’re unable to sneak out of.

TAURUS: A necessary ending may sting a bit in early December. The planets have been doling you plenty of lessons about not clinging too tightly, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to adapt. Hang tight – the full moon on the 18th lands in your abundant house of material goods, and you may find something new to treasure.

GEMINI: The eclipses of the past year have all been rocking your partnership houses, forcing you to realize what you really want from your relationships and what you bring to the table. Early December puts the icing on the cake when your ruler Mercury is in conversation with hearth-keeper asteroid Vesta. Maybe time to talk about that 5 year plan? The full moon in your sign mid-month seals the deal.

CANCER: You’re really feeling a lot this month. Uncomfortable, unrecognizable things, even for your tender, intuitive sign. With Mercury so near your ruler, finding ways to articulate these strange new emotions is part of your cosmic to-do list. The full moon on the 18th occurs in your house of closure, secrecy, and release. Perhaps a ritual where you drop some of that weight into moving waters may be helpful for you.

LEO: Having fun is a serious undertaking for you, Leo. As the class clown of the zodiac, a day without jokes is no laughing matter. The eclipse early in the month desperately wants you to discover what brings you joy – and not just in a trivial ha-ha-avoiding-feeling-anything-icky kind of way, but in a “you need to do this in order to pass go and collect $200” kind of way.

VIRGO: Snug as a bug in a rug? Not in your house, Virgo. With your ruler and dedicated asteroid Vesta tucking in the total solar eclipse in early December, your house cleaning routine is on overdrive. With the full moon in your house of career mid-month, are you procrasti-cleaning? When you do all the chores you never do because you’re avoiding facing down an uncontrollable and difficult to digest issue? Many issues with anxiety can be tracked down to avoidance – just deal with it, Virgo. You’re more than capable.

LIBRA: How are your rhetoric skills, Libra? You may find yourself playing the unexpected role of orator at the month's start. Spare them no dramatic intensity, your fair-minded, noble sign deserves the right to get unfathomably artful about a situation and provide an earful to your unwilling opposition. The only catch is that full moon in your ninth house of learning and philosophy on the 18th – perhaps you’re inviting a few ouchy retorts because you really need to hear them in order to grow.

SCORPIO: That eclipse on the 4th is a doozy. A change in circumstances is in order, but moving surprisingly swiftly. Creating a philosophical separation between the spiritual and material only cuts you off from your own energy. You’re giving and getting in equal measure. Whatever you’ve created is beginning to sustain you, with a corresponding level up in resources.

SAGITTARIUS: This is the last month of eclipses in your sign, Sag! For twelve years! There’s something important to mention about the closure of a cycle now. Take some time for introspection and notice how much you have changed since May of 2020 – perhaps not all the shake ups have been so bad. The full moon in your sister sign, Gemini, finds you settling into this new version of yourself.

CAPRICORN: You’re in the home stretch of a challenging situation, but knowing your temperament, that likely means you’ve already got another mountain to climb lined up in the distance. The Venus retrograde happening in your sign is asking you to consider your relationship to yourself – which may mean temporarily cutting out some of your more ambitious projects.

AQUARIUS: Is a group project taking a little more out of you than you figured? This commitment to social change stuff just doesn’t always jive with your noncommittal attitude. It’s time for a wakeup call – and the cosmos are handing you the bugle. Tell those bureaucratic shnooks to get a move on. Letting your perpetual cool be ruffled a little might be the thing to get the process moving again.

PISCES: Big changes on the career scene have you rethinking your commitments. The full moon mid-month in your cozy sector of home has you wondering if this “great resignation” may be something you’d like to sign off on. Balance is the key. With Jupiter’s move into your sign at the end of the month, a leap of faith may be in order, but only if you’ve done your due diligence.

DIRECT COSMIC INQUIRIES