THE MOOD: Love Responsibly
💫 The month opens with a whoosh -- Sagittarius, all decked out in holiday gear, gallops in as a rush of joy, light, and flame against the cold air. The tinkling ring of sleigh bells reaches a choral cacophony before fading into the distance, disappearing just as quickly as they arrived. 📯
Typically, ‘tis the season for bright buoyancy, festive preparations for twinkling light shows and jubilant celebrations. Sagittarius will deliver, but this year, it carries a heavier weight. For most of December, Venus in Capricorn edges closer and closer to Pluto, making contact on December 11, then retrograding on December 19. Amidst the dizzying flurries of Sagittarian merriment, Venus arrives somber, zipped up tightly in a leather jacket and bearing the gift of a pandora’s box. 💣 The secrets and slights-of-hand that surge beneath the surface in our relationships with family, friends, and lovers come to a head. As Venus zigzags with Pluto, we are pushed to reflect on the unspoken ways we work with -- and against -- those closest to us in our lives. ❤️🔥 As we also continue to navigate an evolving global pandemic that embodies true Plutonic power, Venus and Pluto’s grip in Capricorn stresses that love in these times is a life-or-death responsibility. 💉 In practical terms, make vaccinations, boosters, and tests the foundation for responsible celebration, connection, and indulgence. Pleasure can only be enjoyed by recognizing the streams of power and accountability that course through it.
While the realities of Venus and Pluto bite hard, the sleigh bells reappear in the first and second week of the month, ringing in dreamy echoes as the Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces. Big ideas and big spirit spring forth, wrapped in glitter and bows and stars. 🤩 However, these are more like momentary mirages. In this weather, we can lose ourselves to wild cheer, grandiose proclamations, and drunken soapboxing. We can all use some of this exuberance, but we must remember that we are bound to material realities, too.
The jovial swell comes to a hard stop when Saturn in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus on December 23. This is the third and final square of these cosmic heavy-hitters; think back to January and June for insight as to what these forces of tradition and change bring to the party for you. ⚔️ Saturn, crystalline in Aquarius, wants everyone to follow the rules, regardless if everyone truly agrees with them or not. Uranus, upset in Taurus, smashes plates and wine glasses in response. Our dinner table of reality is overloaded with food, drinks, and Black Friday presents, and it threatens to collapse under its own weight. The question is, though, do we want everything that is on the table? 🍽 In this standoff, we see that our (perhaps outdated) ideas have material consequences. What ideologies must be upended, once and for all? 🎳
By the end of the month, Jupiter slides into Pisces, skating and twirling along smooth, glassy ice. ⛸ In one of its beloved signs, Jupiter brings a dose of teary-eyed joy, an opening into something divine. Jupiter’s re-entry into Pisces notably lightens the mood, repeating its dip into the sign in May. 🎏 Despite the intensity of Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto’s otherworldly tussles, Jupiter ushers us into something nice, a breath of fresh air, a bigness of being that cannot be understated. Have a drink and stay a while, it will say. Relax, let go, and have faith -- even if only for a moment, as the bell rings in a new year -- that something better can, will, must come. 🎊