Over the last two months, the main theme has been a fixed T-square that left you with a feeling of sluggishness and frustration that things weren’t necessarily moving forward in your life. As the month of November came to an end and Jupiter entered Sagittarius, some of this sluggish feeling was beginning to dissipate.

Now, with the beginning of December 2006, the theme of the fixed T-square is over and a new theme is emerging: that of many planets forming a stellium in Sagittarius through most of the month.

Sagittarius is a mutable, fire energy that wants you to look forward into the future and start making some serious long-term plans. It wants you to think about your life from different perspectives and at times take risks to achieve the long-term result. It represents the need to approach life from a spiritual and ethical perspective. Yet, it also represents the ability to justify any behavior and give you the feeling that you can do anything that you want, no matter what the rules or law states. The keyword for this negative aspect of Sagittarius is hubris. The keyword for the positive aspect of Sagittarius is opportunity. The balance of Sagittarius is to learn how to take opportunities available to you while staying within the perimeters of society.

With many of the planets in Sagittarius this month, there will also be an energy square to Uranus in Pisces and an energy trine to Saturn in Leo. Energy aspects, such as squares and trines, mean that the planets may not be in applying aspect (within 3˚) of each other; but, there is a relationship between them on a mundane level because you can feel the vibration operating.

With the various planets in square to Uranus, there is a need to maintain your independence and individuality. If you feel that you are losing yourself, stress builds up in your life. On those days where this energy is close, the stress increases if you feel you’ve lost your direction.

With the various planets in trine to Leo, you have the ability to create a structure that can lead to success for your future plans. You have the opportunity to organize your life.

On December 4, 2006, Mercury forms a square to Saturn and the energy of the fixed T-square finally draws to a close. This is confirmed when the full Moon occurs later that evening with the Sun in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini.

Mercury forming a square to Saturn indicates that you may still feel frustrated or tired on this day. It’s a day for you to organize your thoughts and take a critical look at the direction of your life. However, a critical look doesn’t mean a harsh judgment of either you or your situation. Rather, it means developing an understanding of your options. The occurrence of the full Moon a few hours later represents the time to think about changes in your life and even discussing these changes with your loved ones. There are four planets (Jupiter, Sun, Venus, and Pluto) in Sagittarius right now. And, this collection of energy represents the importance of following a spiritual path so that you can understand the power of your abilities. With so many planets in Sagittarius, it’s easy to justify your behavior. But, if your behavior is out of harmony with your life and loved ones, this justification will only cause distress later.

On December 5, Saturn turns retrograde. For some this is a subtle change. Leaders re-evaluate their past decisions, primarily to justify their behavior. If you are in a leadership position, the Saturn retrograde period, from December 5, 2006 to April 19, 2007, is a good time to re-evaluate your decisions. You can review the plans you made to determine if they created the right structure for success. Even if you are not in a leadership position, this is a good time to organize your life and even toss out the garbage that doesn’t belong. That garbage can be literal: the items that you were holding on to “just in case” you needed them. Or, that garbage can be metaphorical and represent thoughts that prevent you from moving forward with your life.

When Mars enters Sagittarius less than one hour later on December 5th, the energy of Sagittarius increases because now five planets (Mars, Jupiter, Sun, Venus and Pluto) are all in this fiery, mutable sign. Mutability can often be defined as a shape shifter. When you are truly mutable in your life, you have the ability to flow with the situation or assess other people’s perspectives and develop a rapport with them that enables them to feel comfortable with you. Therefore, you have a chance to make changes in your life and adjust to current situations. At the same time, Mars likes to rush things and you may find that instead of developing a rapport with others, you are trying to convince them of the rightness of your decisions. This need to rush things could cause you to miss out on some important facts and create some erroneous actions or decisions. Baby steps at this time are better than rushing forward without thought.

In the early morning (eastern time zone) hours of December 7th, Venus forms a trine to Saturn. In the late evening (eastern time zone) hours of the same day, Venus forms a conjunction to Pluto. This can be a good day for you financially. If you have been working on any major financial deals prior to this time, this is a good day to put closure on those deals.

On an emotional level, the 7th of December is a good time to communicate your feelings of love and affection to family members. They may feel that you are moving forward too rapidly and maybe even away from them. But through sharing your thoughts of love, you’ll reassure them of your commitments both to them and to future success.

As Mercury enters Sagittarius on December 8, 2006, the intensity of the Sagittarius energy continues to grow. Now six planets are in the sign of Sagittarius (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Sun, Pluto, and Venus). Mercury is moving into a conjunction to Mars, which occurs the following day, and a conjunction to Jupiter, which occurs two days later on the 10th of December.

Mercury is not comfortable in the sign of Sagittarius because it prefers the rational understanding of facts. When Mercury is in Sagittarius, it seeks to understand how systems work. Yet, at the same time there is difficulty in knowing what these systems are. As Mercury forms a conjunction to Mars on December 8th, you may feel frustrated because the facts as you knew them do not make any sense or fit your current situation. You want to rush forward, but you may find yourself only rushing forward with your mouth. If you’re not careful, you’ll say things that you regret. On the other hand, Mercury forming a conjunction to Mars can indicate that you are ready to finally talk about the important things in your life. This may shock some of the people you know. Or, it may finally make them feel like they are getting to know you. Just be very careful not to rush into any contracts right now that have long-term financial obligations. You may find the thought of signing the contract exhilarating, but you may also not read all the small print and miss something important. It’s better to wait until after December 10th, because when Mercury forms the conjunction to Jupiter on December 10th, you may still be willing to take risks that are over optimistic and again miss all the fine print in the contract.

The good news about Mercury forming a trine to Jupiter is that you are able to come up with better solutions to your problems. You’re able to look at things from a more optimistic point of view. You’re able to understand different perspectives and even determine different avenues for success.

When Venus leaves the sign of Sagittarius and enters Capricorn on December 11th, you may feel a slight relief from the Sagittarian energy. However, this relief is very slight. There are still five planets (Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Sun, and Pluto) in Sagittarius and Mars is ready to form a conjunction to Jupiter a few hours later. Plus, Venus is not comfortable in the sign of Capricorn. The Venus energy wants to be generous while the Capricorn energy wants to conserve and hold back. Again, the key here is to be careful in your conversations with other people. You may feel exuberant because Mars is forming a conjunction on this day. But, you may also talk too much and find other people criticizing your ideas.

Since Mars also represents physical vitality, this is a good day to start any health programs. You’ll be able to develop plans that relate to your physical well-being. And, if those plans are realistic, you’ll find them easy to maintain throughout the year of 2007.

On December 15th, Mercury forms its square to Uranus. You may feel frustrated that while you are coming up with some solutions in your life, everything is just taking too long. It’s very important not to take your frustrations out on others. There is a tendency to be argumentative when Mercury forms a square to Uranus. And, any arguments during this time period do not resolve matters. Globally, this can also be a period of disruption. Again, any disruptions at this time will not lead to any solutions. It’s important that calmness prevails or you will regret the consequences of your actions.

This sense of regret increases on December 19, 2006 when Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune. Neptune is a planet that indicates guilt over actions. It can also indicate that you are not being honest with yourself. But, at times when there is a sextile, this can indicate that any deceit in your life is revealed. Meanwhile, there is some protection here because on the same day that Mercury forms a sextile to Neptune, Venus also forms a sextile to Uranus. Not only is there an opportunity for unexpected information to surface, but there also is an expected opportunity for people to be willing to negotiate a solution.

The new Moon occurs in Sagittarius on December 20, 2006. The new Moon always indicates the time of the month when you consider new directions in your life and let go of the factors that don’t work for you. This new Moon, with six planets in Sagittarius (Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Pluto, Sun, and Moon) indicates that your new beginning needs to involve spiritual and ethical choices. This is a time period to see how actions, especially those you take with friends and acquaintances, can lead to fair treatment for everyone. Globally, this is the time that people need to prepare for negotiations of long-term plans that increase fair treatment of all people involved in the negotiations. This is the time to develop structures that assure all groups, even minority interest groups, have some say in the direction of their government.

There is an opportunity to live your dreams and put them into your long-term plans as the Sagittarian planets form an energy sextile to Neptune. However, Saturn in its retrograde position is moving back to form an opposition to Neptune indicating that any dreams not built on solid foundations will fail once the opposition occurs at the end of February 2007.

With Mars forming a square to Uranus the following day, December 21st, you may feel tension because you don’t want to be confined by the very structures you may need to create in order to achieve success. This can be a difficult time period if you try to create a structure that doesn’t support your own individuality.

The Winter Solstice occurs just six minutes after Mars forms a square to Uranus. Either tension in your life is beginning to abate, or the next quarter will be filled with tension as you try to make certain that you don’t lose your independence or individuality.

The Winter Solstice chart, when the Sun enters Capricorn, marks the beginning of the last quarter for the astrological year. This chart has the same early degree Leo rising that both the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice charts had. Uranus is at the same degree in both the Winter Solstice chart and the Spring Equinox chart. Also, Uranus is in the eighth house of both charts. This indicates that the economy is still erratic. There are concerns about the banking industry and other financial institutions. Conflicts that occurred around March and September 2006 resurface at this time.

This chart represents the need to move forward with life by learning from your past mistakes and not continuing to make them. There is almost a religious fervor with all the planets in Sagittarius. You feel this sense of mission and purpose as you move forward with your life. There could be increased optimism with this fire element chart. Or, there could be a desire to rush into things without really considering all the consequences. Although this solstice chart is not a new Moon chart, the Moon is in the same sign as the Sun. Emotionally when the Moon is in Capricorn there is a desire to maintain the status quo in society. The Moon is not really comfortable in Capricorn because the Moon wants to nurture. But Capricorn represents the desire to maintain a regiment in life that enables you to focus on your working role rather than your family role. Since the fire element of Sagittarius is very strong in this chart, you may find yourself putting more energy into your goals and work than you put into your family. In reality, this is a good time to experience how your family is part of your entire approach to life and work.

With the Sun in Capricorn there is a mutual reception with Saturn retrograde in Leo. A mutual reception is created when two planets are in each other’s ruling sign. Saturn normally rules Capricorn and the Sun normally rules Leo. Therefore, a mutual reception is created. It means that the energies of these two planets are able to find a common ground of understanding. Specifically, it means that you are able to understand how various rules and structures can lead to a more comfortable life.

On December 25th, Mercury forms a conjunction to Pluto. This is a good day for you to analyze and appreciate what is important in your life. It’s also a time to understand just how powerful your words can be and to choose them carefully. It’s not a time period to force other people to accept your opinion. Rather, it’s a time period to listen to others and understand what they are saying.

When Mercury enters Capricorn on December 27, 2006, the Sagittarius stellium is finally abating. There are still three planets in Sagittarius (Jupiter, Mars, and Pluto). However, they are at different points in the spectrum of Sagittarius. Jupiter is in the early degrees of Sagittarius, Mars is in the middle degrees of Sagittarius, and Pluto is in the final degrees of Sagittarius. Metaphysically, this is very interesting. Jupiter represents where you want to develop long-term goals in an ethical manner. That energy is still just starting in your life. Mars is where you take action and utilize your vitality to make certain success occurs. This is energy that you’ve been using for the past several weeks and still need to make use of. Pluto is in its final degrees but it moves very slowly and will not leave the sign of Sagittarius until January 2008. So, Pluto will remain in the final degrees of Sagittarius throughout the year 2007. What this means is that you need to understand the power of your spirit and how that power can guide your long-term plans.

With Mercury entering Capricorn, this is a good time to consider the metaphysical message of Jupiter, Mars, and Pluto still in Sagittarius. The message of understanding the power of your spirit, taking action to increase your vitality, and understanding how to develop long-terms plans in an ethical manner can help you understand just what you want to do with your life at this time. Capricorn represents the need to fit into society and Mercury represents the need to communicate your understanding of how this fit works in your life.

As the month of December ends and the year of 2006 draws to a close, Mars forms a sextile to Neptune on December 31st. This could be a day where you are more aware of your dreams and how important they are to you even if you don’t know how to implement them quite yet. This may also be the time that you realize which of your expectations are realistic and which are not. This is a good day to meditate and reflect. Through doing that, you’ll get a better understanding of which dreams are worth developing in your life and which dreams are just interesting concepts.