December 2010: Time for Introspection

The month of December is a time for introspection as the energy floats between the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn. Sagittarius represents reaching for spiritual ideals. It is a sign of preparation as you seek to understand greater understanding of your place in the world. Capricorn represents striving for goals. It is considered the sign of initiation as you move forward into a world where you can achieve what you want without losing sight of your spiritual needs. This month is also time for remembering what occurred to you during the final weeks of November 2010 and the decisions you made at that time. What you will find with the month of December is that many activities you want to undertake won’t come to fruition until the month of January 2011 when Mercury is direct.

As Mars in Sagittarius forms a sextile to Neptune on December 2nd, you have the opportunity to increase your awareness of your spiritual needs in life. You’ll understand how to bring healing into your life. You may feel a little lethargic, but that’s only because you energy is really going towards meditation and reflection, rather than physical activities. This is not a day for a lot of commitments but rather for relaxation.

Relaxing is also important on December 3rd when Mars forms a sextile to Chiron and a square to Uranus retrograde. If you didn’t relax the day before, you’ll feel scattered. It will be easy to make mistakes. You could find yourself on edge or even accident prone. However, later in the day, Mercury in Capricorn forms a conjunction to Moon’s North Node and you may be approached by others to take a leadership role. Or, you may wish to start a new project. However, be careful of any decisions made or projects begun right now. Mercury will form a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node a total of three times: December 3, 2010; December 16, 2010; and January 15, 2011. This means that whatever you do today may need to be re-evaluated later.

When the new Moon, with Sun and Moon in Sagittarius, occurs on the 5th, you may feel that it’s time to develop spiritual goals. The best way to do that is by understanding how your values fit into the bigger picture. Another way of understanding your spiritual goals is to know when to compromise or when to just listen without revealing too much.

As Mercury in Capricorn forms a conjunction to Pluto later in the day, you’ll realize that developing spiritual goals also means accepting the real you, warts and all, as well as accepting other people, warts and all.

What’s interesting is that less than 30 minutes after Mercury forms a conjunction to Pluto, Uranus turns direct. As Uranus turns direct, you’re able to understand long-term goals better. You don’t feel as stuck.

Mars enter Capricorn on December 7th. This is a comfortable place for Mars because it helps you focus on your goals and strategies. You gain a better understanding that rushing into things isn’t such a good idea. You’re more willing to take time and develop a very good foundation for your future. You may also find yourself going through a process of soul searching.

On the next day, December 8th, Venus in Scorpio forms a sextile to Pluto, again emphasizing the need for soul searching. Venus isn’t always comfortable in Scorpio because there’s a need to pull inward. However, because Pluto rules Scorpio, it aids Venus in feeling more comfortable. You begin to understand that loving others means understanding their needs. You also understand that loving others doesn’t mean you have to give up your real self. Rather, you understand that when others love you, they accept you as you are.

Mercury turns retrograde on December 10th and remains retrograde until December 30th. During this retrograde period, Mercury will move from the sign of Capricorn and return to Sagittarius. Again this emphasizes the floating energy between Sagittarius and Capricorn which you’ll feel during this month. It’s a time for more introspection. Decisions don’t need to be made quickly. You can take your time.

On December 11th, when Mars forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node, don’t let the frustration of things moving slowly get in the way of thinking about your goals. With Mars you want things to happen quickly. However, if you move too fast, you may not achieve your most important goals. You may miss some important facts that need to be considered as part of your overall plan.

December 13th will be an intense day as Mercury retrograde and Mars form a conjunction. The conjunction of these two planets also forms a conjunction to Pluto. First of all, you need to be careful not to let other people bully you into decisions you are not ready to make. Also, you may want to get into arguments because you feel that you need to justify your position. But none of this tension will help you. It’s better if you can keep things to yourself and not let someone else’s drama control your life.

It will be easier to let go of the drama on December 16th when Mercury retrograde forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. This conjunction occurred earlier this month on December 3rd when Mercury was direct. If you were asked to take a leadership role earlier in the month, you may need to re-evaluate your decision. If you started an important project at that time, you may need to reconsider how you organized the project. And, even if you think you have all the details now, you’ll find on January 15, 2011, when Mercury forms another conjunction to the Moon’s North Node that you still need to make some serious changes.

Mercury retrograde re-enters Sagittarius on December 18th and will stay in the sign this second time this year until January 13, 2011. The last time that Mercury was in Sagittarius was from November 8, 2010 to November 30, 2010. As Mercury re-enters Sagittarius in retrograde motion, you may find that activities that occurred in November need to be re-evaluated. If you do need to re-evaluate them, think about your spiritual needs and whether those activities are supporting the spiritual needs. Also, think about the commitments you made in November and whether you are now overcommitted with external activities. If you are, you may need to start saying no to some of those commitments.

December 20th is a day when you can make amends and go back and fix some problems that occurred during the end of November 2010. On December 20th, Mercury retrograde forms a sextile to Chiron. This sextile occurred earlier on November 27, 2010. This is a time period where you can go back and “fix” problems with other people. If you said something you regretted, you can correct that. If you felt that other people said hurtful things to you, you can resolve those problems. It’s possible to bring healing into your life. And, if you can’t quite get it right with others at this time, you’ll have another opportunity on January 11, 2011 when Mercury forms another sextile to Chiron.

A little while after this aspect occurs, Mercury retrograde forms a square to Uranus. This square first occurred on November 27, 2010. At that time you may have felt very frustrated about life and things that you heard. You may even feel that way again. You may need to rehash old arguments, but perhaps this time it’ll be easier to hear what others have to say and resolve them. If that doesn’t quite work out, you’ll have another chance on January 10, 2011 when Mercury once again forms a square to Uranus.

Your beliefs may come into question on December 21st when Mercury retrograde forms a sextile to Neptune. This sextile occurred before on November 27, 2010. At that time you may have wanted to accept some beliefs but didn’t have all the facts. Now that comes into question again. Be very cautious with decisions that have a permanent impact on your life. You’ll have another opportunity to revisit those decisions on January 10, 2011 when Mercury once again forms a sextile to Neptune. Just be very careful not to sign any contracts that involve a lot of money. There’s a tendency for the facts to be obscured.

On good thing about this aspect is that you may feel connected with your spiritual beliefs to the point that they are easier to express to other people. While this may not be a good time to sign contracts, it is a good time to meditate on various aspects of your life and let information you have stored in your subconscious mind surface to conscious reality.

The last eclipse of the year, a total lunar eclipse, occurs on December 21st. A total lunar eclipse occurs at the time of the full Moon. In this case, the Sun will be in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini. For people who wish to observe this eclipse, the best place will be in southern California and Baja Mexico, although people living in North America and western South America will also see the eclipse. For people interested in eclipses, this eclipse is in the Saros 125 cycle.

This eclipse will be very interesting because it is actually void-of-course. This means that many things which occur during this time period will be obscured. Events during this period are important, although you may not understand their importance. People may say that they want to do things, but they don’t really start. Or, people may say that they want to finish things, but that doesn’t happen. This eclipse will make some sense in January 2011 when Jupiter returns to 29 degrees of Pisces and in March 2011 when Uranus returns to 29 degrees of Pisces. During those time periods more information will be revealed and you’ll understand what changes you need to make in your life. This is especially true if you are a Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces.

On December 21st, the winter solstice in the western hemisphere occurs and the last quarter of the astrological year begins. There is a heavy influence of Capricorn during this winter solstice with the Moon’s North Node, Pluto, and Mars, joining the Sun in this sign. On a spiritual level, Capricorn is seen as the sign of initiation, a period where you encounter your spiritual needs and determine how those needs fit into your daily life.

There is a lot of intense energy in this solstice. You need to think about your future and how you’ll put your plans in action. Yet, with Pluto involved, you may not understand or know everything because there is a secretive nature to Pluto. You may also feel that you lack the power to take control of your situation. However, it’s important not to let frustration take over. The nature of this solstice is that things are going to move a lot slower than you expected. Change isn’t going to occur overnight. While you may want things to happen right now, you’ll need to understand that everything in life is a cycle and sometimes the wheel moves slowly.

A little while after the solstice occurs, Mercury retrograde forms a square to Jupiter confirming that things aren’t going to occur as quickly as you’d like them to. You saw this on November 25, 2010 when Mercury formed a square to Jupiter. And, you’ll see this again on January 11, 2011 when Mercury forms another square to Jupiter. Take time to understand your dreams right now. Hold on to those dreams as a means of building a path for the future. This will become easier on December 22nd, as Ceres forms a sextile to Jupiter. Ceres is the energy of compromise and consensus. You’ll be able to reach out to others and find support for some of your goals. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the timing necessary for your personal growth.

Be very careful on December 26th when Ceres forms a sextile to Uranus. Both Ceres and Uranus can indicate the unexpected. This could mean that it’s easier to get involved in an accident if you’re not careful. However, it could mean that you receive some unexpected information that helps you understand a situation better.

As the year ends, Mercury turns direct on December 30th. Suddenly things make more sense to you. You are able to understand your spiritual values. You can communicate with other people about your goals. This is a good time to be in contact with people who share your spiritual values.

Questions about justice will be very important right now. This is a time when you think about people who have different values than you do and determine whether it’s important to communicate with them so that you understand them. It actually will be easier to talk to people who have different value systems than you do. Both of you may even come to a deeper understanding which can bridge any gaps.

What is important to remember about the month of December 2010 is that things will move slowly and changes won’t start occurring until January 2011. Perhaps a month of introspection is one of the best ways to end the year so that you can move forward into a new year with a better perspective on your goals.