Holy moly folks! There is so much to discuss this month in what is quite the grand finale to our 2021 year. We’ve got a solar eclipse, Venus retrograde, the Winter Solstice, a third Saturn-Uranus square, and Jupiter’s entrance into Pisces among other celestial events. Let’s dive in!
Dec 1 – Neptune direct
After being retrograde since June of this year, Neptune switches direction and stations direct today. A nice way of thinking about this change in direction is that our spiritual longings and creative inclinations may start to bubble a bit from inside where they have been stirring for the past five months; you could be more inclined to find an outlet for these special pursuits.
Dec 3 – Solar Eclipse at 12 degrees Sagittarius
Here’s the second half of the eclipse we saw in November. A solar eclipse is essentially a New Moon on steroids, and this one occurs at 12 degrees of Sagittarius. Should you have any planets or angles within a couple of degrees of this point, it might be interesting to pay particular attention to this area of your chart in the weeks (even months) ahead. As always, the advice concerning eclipses is to be wary of starting new things or taking on too much within a few days of either side of this influence because there is usually some part of the story that remains hidden, and it usually takes at least a few days for the situation to surface.
Dec 7 – Mercury square Neptune
With Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune, communications can be all over the place today. It’s a great influence for getting inspired, attending a spiritual or religious event, but for practical, every day matters? It can be a rough one. Seek not clarity for a couple of days on either side of this influence!
Dec 8 – Mars square Jupiter
Sometimes a Mars-Jupiter square manifests on the world stage through larger-than-life events, but it really depends on where these planets are travelling in your natal chart to know if you’ll feel any repercussions.
Dec 11 – Venus conjunct Pluto
Today can feel a bit full-on for relationships, aesthetic/beauty issues and/or financial matters. (Remember how today feels because this influence returns in a couple of weeks.)
Dec 12 – Sun square Neptune
Here’s your stay in bed and watch Netflix day of the month. You know you need one.
Dec 13 – Mars enters Sagittarius | Mercury in Capricorn
Mars leaves its dark, brooding waters of Scorpio and enters passionate, feisty and restless-as-hell Sagittarius today. Mars in Sag works pretty well. It’s usually very enthusiastic with boundless optimism and faith that everything will work out as it should. This same day, Mercury sees some sense (sorry Sag!) as it moves out of Sag and into Capricorn. (My dear Sag friends: Mars does better in your sign than Mercury does. It’s a fact!) Mercury in Capricorn is more cautious. It scrutinizes information way more than Sag does, and this more restrained approach could be welcomed.
Dec 19 – Venus stations retrograde
Okay, as a Venus riser, I am never a happy camper when Venus stations retrograde. It’s going to be retrograde in the sign of Capricorn until January 29, 2022. It doesn’t leave Capricorn until March 7, 2022 (incidentally, the same day next year when Mars will enter Aquarius too). So we have a long haul of Venus in Capricorn ahead of us.
Venus in Capricorn isn’t known for being flashy. She has #relationship goals. She is usually measured in love and likes to feel in control. She’s practical; she’s that friend who is there with the hands-on help you need. She values security. While she might be a bit on the frugal side, she also likely has a solid appreciation for good quality and would rather sink her money into one or two things of value than a room full of fun but disposable articles.
Look, Venus in Capricorn isn’t the most romantic or spontaneous of placements, and being retrograde is even more ‘meh’, so recognize it for what it is and go with the influence. (I’ll be decorating a baby nursery the month of January, so I will be leaving myself various reminders to not decorate the entire room beige!) I usually say avoid decorating during a Venus retrograde, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. To refresh your Venus retrograde dos and don’ts, pop over here!
Dec 21 – Winter Solstice | Sun enters Capricorn
And just like that, here’s the official start of winter, although I’ve been freezing for about six weeks already. With our tropical zodiac at 0 degrees of Capricorn, we welcome the Winter Solstice. Technically, daylight begins to increase, but OMG. When you look out the window at 4:15 pm and it’s nearly dark, you just want to cry. And drink lots of wine. And eat lots of chocolates. And it’s Christmas, so you can. Whatever. You’ll deal with the fallout in January, won’t you?
Let’s take a moment to recognize our Capricorn friends. They are the CEOS of the zodiac for a reason: hard-working, ambitious and determined. But do you realize how many comedians and musicians and incredibly creative and talented individuals are Capricorn-dominant? It might shock you. Caps often get a bad rep for being “all business” or “too serious” but they often have an incredible sense of humour (usually on the drier side) and prolific gifts. Musician Dave Grohl comes to mind as a double Capricorn with his Ascendant and Sun in the sign. These types of Caps also have such a modest, grounded way of looking at the world, it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.
Dec 24 – Saturn square Uranus
Okay, here’s the third exact Saturn-Uranus square of 2021. (Spoiler alert: there’s one more exact hit towards the end of 2022, so we’re not clear of this influence yet.)
Last December 2020, in my year ahead forecast, I wrote the following about the Saturn-Uranus square in 2021. Here’s a refresher:
This tension, this yearning to preserve our individual self-expression while still moving forward in an inclusive, enlightened way, can be found in the aspect that dominates most of 2021: the Saturn-Uranus square.
Much of this upcoming year will play out this struggle:
- How can we keep the individual alive while we advance our social norms of equality?
- How do maintain our humanity in the face of so much technology?
- How do we stay connected in an era of disconnection?
- How do we distinguish between fake news and real news?
- How do we set-up laws and governance around our social media and networks without becoming a police state?
- How do we show support and compassion to the minority without imposing significant limitations on the lives of the majority?
These—and so many more—are the very difficult questions we will be grappling with this year.
The Saturn-Uranus square goes exact three times in 2021: In February, June and then December. The month or two around each of these exact dates will magnify the potential for intense conflict between what seems like two opposing views. There’s a battle this year between those who are clinging to the pre-2020 past and those who want to propel into the post-2020 future. Once again, these are two extremes where most of us fall somewhere in the middle. We shouldn’t be picking sides, but rather be choosing the best of both worlds and moving forward in that direction.
If I had to summarize 2021, I might say: My sense is that for those who are happy to follow rules (imposed by the government, other institutions and/or a majority population) this year shouldn’t throw you too many curveballs. For those who are not willing to compromise their individual voices, this year will likely be more difficult.
As Friedrich Nietzsche said: “Do you want to have an easy life? Then always stay with the herd and lose yourself in the herd.”
Well… in retrospect, I think that just about hits the nail on the head. I feel like 2021 has been the most divisive year of at least my lifetime. This influence will be magnified again in time for the holidays. Oh. Joy.
Dec 25 – Venus conjunct Pluto
Here’s the second (backwards) hit of this influence we felt December 11, and there will be one more hit of it in early March when Venus travels direct and meets up one more time with Pluto. Nothing says Christmas like a Saturn-Uranus square and Venus-Pluto conjunction. Jee-zus. Not exactly the best combinations for small talk. Don’t be surprised if “can you pass the mashed potatoes please” quickly turns into “and the carrots, you judgemental know-it-all.” Merry Christmas!
Dec 28 – Jupiter enters Pisces
Hooray! Hip hip hooray! Woot! Exhale everyone. This is such a lovely influence for the next five months. I know, it’s sad it won’t last longer than that, but we will appreciate every moment of it. Anyway, I’m going to write a whole lot more about Jupiter in Pisces for my 2022 Year Ahead Forecast, but for now, let’s just say that Jupiter is very much at home here. I love the idea that Jupiter (planet of faith and expansion) is moving away (finally!) from Saturn (planet of rules and restrictions). It’s an optimistic way to enter a New Year despite a lousy Venus retrograde and Saturn-Uranus square, and I’ll take it for now (before diving into the astrology of 2022). So, let’s just leave the year here for now on this lovely note.
Wishing you all a beautiful holiday season where hopefully we can actually see each other’s smiles again although it’s not looking too promising. I’ve gotten in the habit now of looking at people’s eyes to see if they’re smiling because you can’t tell with all our masks on. This year I’ll be raising my glass to big smiles, beautiful teeth and red lipstick!
Until next time astro friends,
M
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