Important astrological energies for the month of December 2016

• Full Moon with Sun in Sagittarius and Moon in Gemini occurs on December 13, 2016. This is the third of the supermoons which occur during the full Moon time period this year.
• Mercury in Capricorn turns stationary retrograde on December 19, 2016. It re-enters Sagittarius in retrograde motion on January 4, 2017. It turns stationary direct in Sagittarius on January 8, 2017. It re-enters the sign of Capricorn on January 12, 2017.
• Sun enters the sign of Capricorn on December 21, 2016 and the Winter Solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Saturn in Sagittarius forms a trine to Uranus retrograde in Aries on December 24, 2016. This is the first time in this triad sequence this aspect occurs. The next time it will occur is on May 19, 2017 when Saturn is retrograde and Uranus is direct. The last time it occurs is on November 11, 2017 when Saturn is direct and Uranus is retrograde.
• Jupiter in Libra forms an opposition to Uranus retrograde in Aries on December 26, 2016. This is the first time this aspect occurs in this triad sequence. The next time that it occurs is on March 2, 2017 when Jupiter is retrograde and Uranus is direct. The last time that it occurs is on September 28, 2017 when Jupiter is direct and Uranus is retrograde.
• New Moon with Sun and Moon in Capricorn occurs on December 29, 2016.

December 2016 – Solving Problems Together

By Misty Kuceris ©2016

During the month of December 2016 there is a lot of healing which can take place in your life if you tune into your spiritual nature and understand the importance of working with others. At the same time, there are major aspects which occur later this month that indicate a shift in global politics. This shift will either enable you to move forward in your life or slip backwards into the fears of the past. This is a month of solving problems through working with others as you prepare for the paradigm shifts you’ll experience during the year 2017 and beyond.

As the month of December begins, Chiron in Pisces turns stationary direct and Mars forms a trine to Jupiter on December 1^st. While you may not be conscious of Chiron turning stationary direct, you’ll gain a better understanding of how you can heal from situations which caused you pain in the past. You’ll know how to let go of things that no longer matter.

When Mars forms a trine to Jupiter later in the day, you’ll feel that you can achieve anything. As you feel your energy surge today, take care not to rush into situations and get in over your head. Keep your commitments to a minimum. Find ways to do things which help you implement your long-term goals. At the same time, try to keep boundaries in your life so other people don’t use your enthusiasm for their gain.

On December 2^nd, Mercury enters the sign of Capricorn. When Mercury is in the sign of Capricorn, you take things more seriously. You want to know the facts. You want to create a plan of action. You don’t like taking risks. You are very cautious about your communication style.

Some people may feel that you’re cold and distant because you to find solutions rather than dwell on the problem. You may even appear dispassionate about situations. But, Capricorn is an earth sign. Once you see the practical reason for doing something, you’ll find the passion to succeed.

Your sense of optimism continues on December 3^rd as Mars forms a sextile to Saturn. However, this optimism is tempered with a sense of responsibility. While you feel that you can achieve a lot, you also realize that you need to set boundaries and work within those boundaries. While it’s tempting to do everything, you also realize that it’s important to involve others if you want to achieve your goals.

December 6^th is another day of optimism as Mars forms a sextile to Uranus retrograde. This is the third positive aspect that Mars has formed since the start of the month. The first aspect, on December 1^st, was a trine to Jupiter. The second aspect, on December 3^rd, was a sextile to Saturn. Now with the sextile to Uranus retrograde, you want to take what you’ve learned over the last few days and experiment with this knowledge. You’re open to new ideas. You’re willing to take risks. Just be cautious that you aren’t so open to new ideas that you don’t consider all the consequences of your actions. You may rush into situations too quickly and regret it later.

Venus enters the sign of Aquarius on December 7^th less than one hour before Mars forms another positive aspect, this time a sextile to Ceres retrograde.

Venus in Aquarius is an interesting placement. Venus wants to feel passion, yet Aquarius is not accustomed to feeling emotion. Rather, Aquarius is an air sign which would rather discuss matters and approach situations rationally. But, it’s important to note that Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn and Saturn is exalted when Venus is in the sign of Libra, another air sign. So, what does this really mean? When Venus is in Aquarius, the group consciousness is important. Value is placed on working with people from diverse backgrounds so more can be achieved. You find that it’s easier to get things accomplished if you work with others and don’t try to do it all alone.

This is a good time to think about ways to make a change in the world by working with other people. This is also a good time to contact your friends, especially those you haven’t seen in a while. You may be surprised at how much they appreciate it.

Once again, Mars makes a positive aspect on December 7^th, this time by forming a sextile to Ceres retrograde. When Mars forms a sextile to Ceres retrograde, there is a desire to experience your nurturing side. You want to protect the world and people you love. You want others to feel as if they can rely on you. This also applies to people in your life. They want to help and protect you. This is a good day to reach out and ask for help. You’ll find a lot of support from others.

On December 9^th, Ceres in Aries turns stationary direct. It turned retrograde on August 31, 2016 when it was in the sign of Taurus. It re-entered the sign of Aries in retrograde motion on October 13, 2016. With Ceres in Aries, especially retrograde, you feel as if you need to do everything on your own. It’s not easy reaching out and asking for help from others.

When Ceres was retrograde, you discovered what you could and couldn’t do on your own. You may have felt lonely because you didn’t know how to ask for help. But now that Ceres is direct, you can determine where you need to do things on your own and where you need to work with other people in order to succeed. You may feel as if you want to rush into situations, but it’s important to hold back and survey your environment. Find out just what you can and can’t do. Understand where you need to ask for help. Don’t expect to do everything on your own.

Mercury will be turning retrograde on December 19, 2016, so it’s not surprising that when Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune on December 10^th, this is one of the three sextiles that it will form in this triad sequence. Mercury will form the second sextile to Neptune when it is in retrograde motion on December 26^th and the third sextile in direct motion on January 23, 2017.

There is a sense of optimism when Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune on December 10^th. You may not see things as clearly, but your level of intuition is extremely high, so it’s important to listen to it.

This is a day where you can tap into your creative nature and come up with some interesting solutions to problems. Just be careful with the facts because you may not have them all. You don’t want to take things at face value. While you may come up with some interesting solutions, you don’t want to sign any contracts or make any financial commitments.

If you are an artist, this is going to be a great day for you. Because you’re able to tap into that creative energy at a deeper level, you’ll find that you can create better works of art. You’ll feel inspired by the world around you.

The full Moon which occurs on December 13^th is the third supermoon of this year that occurs at the time of a full Moon. The other two supermoons during the full Moon time period occurred in October and November. The November supermoon was the strongest of these three supermoons but that still doesn’t negate the importance of this December supermoon.

When a supermoon occurs it’s because the Moon is closest to the Earth and perigee. The Moon has a stronger pull on the earth’s tides and if coastal storm occur, they are more intense because the tides are higher. This term, supermoon, was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle over 30 years ago. But, according to earthsky.org, the term is now in common use with astronomers. (Go to http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-supermoon#what-before for more information.)

This full Moon occurs with the Sun in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini. Because the emotions are pulled closer to the surface during this full Moon, you may find that you need to explain your actions and intentions to other people. You may feel a more scattered. You may have difficulty finding your direction.

This full Moon forms a square to Chiron indicating that you’ll need to deal with any fears which are standing in the way of your success. You’ll need to find ways to heal from the pain. But there is hope. The Sun forms a trine to the Uranus retrograde/Ceres conjunction and the Moon forms a sextile to the Uranus retrograde/Ceres conjunction. If you are willing to let go of the past and consider your current environment, you’ll be able to heal from past indignities. If you are willing to discuss matters with other individuals you’ll find ways to work together in achieving your goals. You may even come up with new ways at approaching your life.

This is really a full Moon where you need to communicate with people around you in order to determine how to move ahead with your life. You can’t just do things on your own, as much as you might like to. You also need to be open to new ideas in order to succeed. If you can do that, you’ll be fine.

Mars enters the sign of Pisces and Mercury in Capricorn turns stationary retrograde on December 19^th.

Mars is not comfortable in the sign of Pisces. Pisces wants to retreat from the world, pulling a cloak over its head, and hoping for divine inspiration. Meanwhile Mars wants to take action and experience life. When Mars is in Pisces, you need to learn how to experience spirituality in your life. If you don’t take that time, you feel frustrated because you can’t seem to get going. It’s difficult to feel motivated in your life. But, if you take the time to meditate on spiritual matters, you’ll find that you can use the knowledge you gain from meditation to your advantage. You create a deeper understanding of your needs.

Just a little more than one hour after Mars enters the sign of Pisces, Mercury in Capricorn turns stationary retrograde. It will re-enter the sign of Sagittarius on January 4, 2017 and turn stationary direct in the sign of Sagittarius on January 8, 2017.

When Mercury is in Capricorn, you take life seriously. You try to understand your place in the world. You put work first, pleasure and family second. With Mercury now turning retrograde, it’s time to re-evaluate your responsibilities. You may want to consider a new job. You may feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities. You may even need to consider dropping some of your obligations so you can spend more time with family and friends. When Mercury retrograde re-enters the sign of Sagittarius on January 4, 2017, you’ll have a better understanding of what obligations need to be dropped.

At 5:45 am EST on December 21^st, the Sun enters Capricorn and the Winter Solstice begins in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the shortest day of the year for those of you living in the Northern Hemisphere and it marks the beginning of the winter season when you start pulling back into your homes and finding ways to keep warm. But this also represents the last quarter of the astrological year when it’s time to think about things that you’ve done this past year and how you want to carry the lessons learned into your future.

The solstice occurs a day after the waning Moon formed a square to the Sun. This indicates that you need to let go of emotional trauma if you want to move forward with your life. The Uranus/Ceres conjunction in this chart indicates the importance of realizing that while you want to do things on your own, it’s easier to achieve success when you work as a group towards a common goal.

Saturn is moving towards a trine to Uranus retrograde which will occur on December 24^th and Jupiter is moving towards an opposition to Uranus retrograde which will occur on December 26^th. Both of these upcoming aspects indicate the world is once again going through changes which could result in another major paradigm shift or a healing from events which occurred in 2013 and 2014.

On a more personal level, this solstice means that while you want to live your life in a responsible manner, you still need to be open to new ideas which will bring changes to your daily life. You also need to understand how other people influence your life and that there will be times when the choices you make really depend on others. During a Capricorn solstice, there is the temptation to pull back into your cave and let the world just pass you by. But, Capricorn is symbolized by the Mountain Goat. If you’re even seen one climb a mountain, it looks like it’s floating over the peaks as if lifted by the wings of an angel. Embrace the symbol of the Mountain Goat as a way of moving forward with your life. Accept the help of those who love you as a means of staying connected with the earth. Realize that with the changes which will occur in 2017, having the love and support of family and friends is the greatest blessing you can receive.

Throughout this month you experienced opportunities where you could heal and also reach out to other people in your life. You saw that you didn’t need to do everything alone. At the same time, you may have felt that a paradigm shift was either occurring or about to occur. Now, between December 24^th and December 26^th two major aspects are indicating change in the world, especially in the arena of global politics. Saturn forms a trine to Uranus retrograde on December 24^th and Jupiter forms an opposition to Uranus on December 26^th.

When Saturn forms the trine to Uranus retrograde on December 24^th, this will be the first of three similar trines over the next several months. The second time this trine occurs is on May 19, 2017 when Saturn is in retrograde motion and Uranus is in direct motion. The third time this trine occurs is on November 11, 2017 when Saturn is in direct motion and Uranus is in retrograde motion. This is a triad sequence which will last from now, December 24, 2016 until November 11, 2017.

When Saturn is in Sagittarius, you need to understand how to aim for your long-term goals in a structured manner. Instead of just rushing into unknown circumstances and hoping for the best, you need to think about your plans and whether they will succeed as you move forward with your life.

When Uranus is in Aries, you don’t want to figure out how to move forward. You just want to rush into situations so that you can make the changes without any regard to the end game. You know that you don’t like the status quo but you really don’t know what you want to replace it with.

When Saturn in Sagittarius forms a trine to Uranus in Aries, you have an opportunity to think about the changes you want to make in life while realizing that you need to create a plan of action which will allow those changes to occur in a safe manner. You need to slow down your approach because you suddenly care about the end result. You no longer want to rebel. You’ve actually matured.

This underlying energy will help a great deal. For the last several years changes have occurred so quickly that you don’t know what they mean in your life. New technological advances have opened doors for some of you and closed doors for others. Life feels as if it’s rushing at you and you’ve felt out of control. Now there will be this underlying energy that you can start making sense of certain situations in your life. You can find a way to slow down and take time to implement these changes in a meaningful way. Most of the new technological advances will actually take the current technology and find ways to use them in a daily basis. People will start being more skeptical of all the streams of information. You’ll feel as if some rules and regulations are coming into place.

The aspects that Venus makes on December 25^th may actually help you understand how to move with this paradigm shift in your life. Venus will form a trine to Jupiter, a sextile to Uranus retrograde, and a sextile to Saturn within a few hours of itself.

As Venus forms these aspects to Jupiter, Uranus retrograde, and Saturn, you want to approach any changes in your life both optimistically and realistically. While you’re willing to take some risks, you don’t want to do anything that will either hurt you or relationships in your life. And, while you may not want other people to tell you what to do, you also know the importance of working with others in a group and not doing everything on your own.

On December 26^th, Jupiter forms an opposition to Uranus retrograde. But before that occurs, Mars forms a conjunction to the Moon South Node. After that occurs, Venus forms a sextile to Ceres and Mercury retrograde forms a sextile to Neptune.

Mars in Pisces indicates that you need to experience spirituality in your life. When it forms the conjunction to the Moon’s South Node, it indicates that you need to release any fears which are preventing you from moving forward with your life. It also indicates that as much as you want to rely on your own resources, you still need to understand that you can’t do everything on your own. You need help from others.

The opposition that Jupiter forms to Uranus retrograde is part of a triad sequence. This is the first time that Jupiter is forming this opposition. The second time that Jupiter forms an opposition to Uranus retrograde will be on March 2, 2017 when Jupiter is in retrograde motion and Uranus is in direct motion. The third time that this opposition occurs is on September 28, 2017 when Jupiter is in direct motion and Uranus is in retrograde motion.

Even though this is the first time this opposition is formed in this triad sequence, you feel a sense of déjà vu because this opposition now creates the energy of a cardinal T-square between Jupiter, Pluto, and Uranus that began in November 2016 when Jupiter formed its first square to Pluto.

Although Jupiter is now in Libra, this is not the first time that a cardinal T-square is created by Jupiter, Pluto, and Uranus. A cardinal T-square was created in 2013 and 2014 when Jupiter was in Cancer. So, what occurred during 2013 and 2014 is going to reverberate between now and September 2017. This means that it’s important for you to remember that in August 2013, Edward Snowden released classified documents to Wikileaks and was granted asylum by Vladimir Putin of Russia. Violence occurred in both Syria where it was proven that President Bashir Assad had used chemical weapons against his own people and in Egypt where Coptics were assaulted for their religious beliefs. Later, Egypt’s elected President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown by military leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, now President. Terrorism also increased with the rise of the Islamic State. You’re already seeing the impact from these events, but the full global reaction behind these events is still not known. Cyber security is a legitimate concern. Border control will increase. Alliances between various nations will change. But there is a major difference between the cardinal T-square in 2013 and 2014 and the cardinal T-square in 2016 and 2017. The difference is that Jupiter is in Libra.

Jupiter represents the desire to move into the future with optimism and hope. Uranus represents the need to just rush into the future and make changes without considering the end result. So, upheavals occur. People are disillusioned and don’t want the status quo anymore. They may want to “turn back the clock,” but it’s too late. Society can’t and won’t turn back. Or, they may want to implement their rules and regulations so they feel secure and have the mistaken belief that they can keep the world from changing.

With Jupiter in Libra there is hope that people will continue to find ways to work together. But with Uranus in Aries there’s this feeling that only you are right. A balance needs to occur: That’s what the opposition represents. You need to find a way to understand the needs of others who aren’t like you. At the same time, you need to stand up for your own rights and not give them away. But when your rights conflict with the rights of other people, what do you do? Do you just ram your ideas through with no concern for others? Or, do you try to find a way to work with people. It’s hard. It’s not easy. And sometimes it’s not pleasant. But trying to find a way is the only solution as the world continues to feeling like its crashing around you.

It helps that Venus forms a sextile to Ceres and Mercury retrograde forms a sextile to Neptune after Jupiter forms the opposition to Uranus retrograde.

With Venus forming the sextile to Ceres you’re willing to try new things. You understand the importance of listening to other people even if their opinions conflict with yours. You’re willing to take risks, especially in relationships. You want to find ways to work with other people and solve problems.

You just need to be careful not to be too idealistic about your ability to be successful when you’re working to try and solve problems with others. This is especially true when Mercury retrograde forms a sextile with Neptune on December 26^th. This is the second time that Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune. The first time it occurred was on December 10^th when Mercury was in direct motion.

It’s a good thing that Mercury retrograde is in Capricorn at this time. It helps when Neptune is involved because you want to find realistic ways to express your ideals. The first time that this sextile occurred you may have thought that you had all the answers. Now you’re finding out that you still need more information. You need to listen to what other people are saying. But that may not be as easy as it seems. Perhaps other people are too idealistic as well. Or, perhaps they don’t really want to tell you the truth because of their fears. At this time, use this energy to listen. Don’t necessarily take any action right now. Mercury, when it is again in direct motion, will form a third sextile to Neptune on January 23, 2017. Perhaps by that time you’ll have all the information you need.

The new Moon occurs on December 29^th and Uranus turns stationary direct a few hours later. With both the Sun and Moon in Capricorn, you feel that you really do need to look at the rules and regulations that run your life. You need to find a way to create a structure that works for you. You need to take your responsibilities seriously. This is not the time to just rush into situations even though you want to start something new.

This new Moon forms a conjunction to Mercury retrograde and emphasizes the need to write down your plans and think about them. This isn’t the time to act on them especially since this new Moon also forms a sextile to the Mars/Neptune conjunction that will be occurring a few days later. If you rush into situations, you won’t have all the facts right now. You may even be trying to implement some unrealistic dreams. Do the best you can to move slowly.

With Uranus turning stationary direct a few hours later, it may not be easy to move slowly, but it’s important that you do. While you want to make certain that you are doing what’s important for you, it’s also critical that you think of the impact of your plans on the people you love. It’s important that you include them in your plans. They could help you understand what’s realistic and what’s an illusion.

As the year and the month ends, Jupiter forms a quincunx to Chiron on December 31^st. If you rushed too quickly into situations, you’ll find that you caused some injury that now needs to be resolved. Be careful not to get blindsided by situations beyond your control. Try to work with other people so you can find ways to achieve results. Listen to people in your life before you take action. Find a way to include them in your plans. As shifts continue to occur during the year 2017, it will be important to realize that the best way to bring in the new paradigm is to work together to solve the problems.