Yowza. December is quite a month.

Most of us know that old Bible verse (and Byrds song), for everything there is a season, a time for every purpose, etc. The Bible also mentions quite often the signs of the times being shown in the heavens.

I’m not trying to push religion here, I just want to introduce the idea that human beings from all walks of life have been watching the skies for millennia. And we have noticed cycles and synchronicities between events up there and down here. From this, the art of astrology has evolved and been refined over the years.

December’s skies tell quite a story. At the beginning of the month, Mars and Mercury are still retrograde. Mercury retrograde, which comes around every 4 months and lasts for 3 weeks, ends on December 3. Mars retrograde, which comes only once every 2 years and lasts for 10 weeks, ends on December 9.

You may be thinking, “Oh goodie! These troublesome things are ending.” With Mercury, this is bound to be a plus. But with Mars, I still see caution lights even after the end of the retrograde.

With retrogrades, the thing to watch is the stationary point. This is the place in the sky where the planet changes direction. Because the retrograde phenomenon involves the planet slowing down, coming to a halt, and then slowly moving the other direction, planets remain at their stationary points for unusually long periods of time. This may be a good or a bad thing, depending on the positions of the other planets at the time.

The good news

Mercury is.. well, Mercurial. He retrogrades more often, and tends to get moving again faster than other planets. Watch how things feel at the end of November and the first few days of December. During Mercury retrograde, things tend to move slowly, not gelling, not connecting. Then the momentum begins to build a few days before the retrograde period ends. Then.. sproooiiinnnng! Often with a nice whoosh of energy, things start moving again. Within 4 days of the end of Mercury retrograde, Mercury is moving almost at full speed.

Mercury’s stationary point on December 3 is 25 Scorpio1. Between December 4 and 10, Venus happens to be around 60 degrees away from Mercury at 25 Capricorn. The 60 degree angle, or sextile, signals opportunity. Venus symbolizes sweetness, love, connections, and money. Mercury is communications. This is where growth opportunities are. Talk (Mercury) things out. Better yet, listen. Your listening skills are of greater value than your speaking skills during these days. Wait for your moment.

Except for Monday the 5th (when the Moon hits the grand cross that I’ll address in a moment), the first 10 days of December are relatively easygoing, and a good time to take care of business that needs to be done this month. But don’t overload your calendar or expect things to go swimmingly. There are still some potholes in the road.

The bad news

On December 9, Mars retrograde officially ends. Mars represents anger, war, violence, fire, bombs, action. Retrogrades turn the energy inward and to the past. So Mars retrograde may be likened to capping a volcano and sending the energy inward. (If you have Mars retrograde in your natal chart, you may know what I’m talking about.) So what happens when you take the cap off the volcano? That’s right: boom. This is what I’m thinking about the post-retrograde, and here’s why:

This Mars retrograde is unusual in that Mars’ stationary point is at 08 Taurus, directly involved with three other planets in the sky, especially Saturn at 11 Leo and Jupiter at 09 Scorpio. These signs are all fixed (uncompromising) in nature, and since the numbers are so close, they are very near perfect right angles, or square (squared off, in conflict, all wanting different things). Another planet, Neptune is a little farther off at 15 Aquarius, completing a formation called a grand cross. And post-retrograde Mars doesn’t come back up to full speed nearly as quickly as Mercury does. Whereas Mercury remained within two degrees of the stationary point for about 12 days, Mars takes six weeks to cover that same distance, after which he is still not up to speed.

Of course, not everyone will witness violence and explosions, but most of us will feel the pinch. This is a time when any volatile situation in the world or in your life, involving repressed or frustrated anger, may produce an explosion, or an implosion.

Another part of the grand cross comes to the fore December 10-17: Jupiter square Saturn. This one comes around every 10 years, pits the energy of expansion against that of limitation, and tends to bring economic and political problems. As Jupiter governs courts and judges, the travel industry, publishing houses, religious institutions, and higher education, this could signal difficult situations and scandals involving them. On a personal level, we may find ourselves frustrated and dissatisfied, but unsure or fearful of the next step. It will come in time. But this month, things are still very unsettled.

What can you do? The best thing any of us can do during this time is to stay centered. We all have to deal with whatever comes up, that’s part of the reality of this time. And it’s much easier to deal with these intense issues from a place of inner quiet. Resist the urge to blame someone else, which puts you in a powerless place. Instead focus on you, and how you can shift your awareness, or change your situation in the smallest way. Even if all you can do is to breathe more deeply in this moment. This is where your true power is.

Power will certainly be an issue as the Full Moon is tied up with Pluto on the 15th. Pluto is the ruler of the underworld. He is both destroyer and healer. It’s a great moment to focus on letting go and forgiveness, rather than control and vengeance. The cosmic garbage truck is coming, so clean out those closets, and leave as much as you would like on the curb. Invite Pluto to open those wounds (gently! lovingly!) and remove the poison.

These squares in the sky tell of very powerful forces at work here on earth. The kind of situations that bring some folks to the breaking point, where one must either change or die. With issues like this coming up, we can all benefit by keeping things as simple as possible, cutting out as much of that unnecessary consumer culture holiday clutter as possible, turning off the TV, and focusing on what is truly important in life2.

One more thing

One more thing you need to know about is Venus retrograde, which begins on December 24 and lasts until February 3. Venus retrograde happens every 18 months and lasts for six weeks. Venus retrograde temporarily skews our sense of value and aesthetics, and tends to slow down or delay money coming in. If you work in retail, here’s your heads-up: I expect that there will be a lot of post-holiday sales, and returns. This is a time when you can get a fabulous bargain, if you know the market very well. It’s also a time when you can spend too much money on junk you’ll never use. Keep this in mind as you hit the post holiday sales. And check out my Venus retrograde article for more information, and see how love relationships fare while the love goddess moves in reverse. I will write more about Venus retro in my January article.

Easing tensions

A good deal of the tension and frustration should begin to dissipate after Mars squares Saturn for the last time, on December 27. Although the grand cross still looms, it is weaker. And we’ll have a pretty good stretch of days from December 28 through the first couple of weeks of January. The New Moon in Capricorn on the evening of December 30 should liven things up and have you ready to focus on your goals and ambitions.

Here’s an astrology trick: there is magic in the New Moon3— so make your New Year’s resolutions a day early. Wishes and intentions that are put out on the cosmic airwaves at the time of the New Moon have a way of reaching into your unconscious, bringing subtle changes to the way you think and feel about things. This subtle shift can eventually change your life in profound ways. These wishes are like little babies. They can die from starvation or neglect. But if you feed them and nurture them, they will grow to maturity and sustain you in the long run!

Any quitters out there, trying to quit cigarettes or booze or what-have-you, my astro-tip for you this holiday season is to cut down or cut it out just before the New Moon, on the 28th or 29th. This is the time of the month when the body is most able to let go of toxins.

1 The ecliptic, or the circle in which the Sun and planets appear to move across the sky, is divided into twelve sections of equal size, called the Zodiac signs. Each of these Zodiac signs is 30 degrees. 30 × 12 = 360, a full circle. We can mark precisely where a planet is by noting both the sign and degree. 25 Scorpio means 25 degrees past the beginning of the sign Scorpio.

2 Just a personal note. A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Andi wrote me an e-mail asking me if I would mind if, in lieu of a Christmas present this year, she made a donation to charity in my name. I was delighted! I don’t know who first came up with the idea that we needed “stuff” to show our loved ones that we care. But I imagine they probably owned a retail store!

3 For more on New Moon magic, see Jan Spiller’s most excellent book, New Moon Astrology.