As the month of December 2011 begins, Venus is in the midst of a cardinal T-square which it began on November 26, 2011 when it formed a square to Uranus retrograde. Now, on December 1, 2011, Venus forms a conjunction to Pluto which continues a cardinal T-square that will finally end on December 18, 2011 when Venus forms another square, this time to Saturn.

Venus is all about understanding what is valuable to you. The cardinal T-square can either represent the need to make changes in your life based on what you value or let crisis rule your life as you remain confused about your value systems. The cardinal T-square can also represent crisis between varying points of view regarding value systems. This seems to be evident in the failure of the “Super Committee” in Washington, DC; a committee I now prefer to called the “Coward Committee”, and in the increased tension between the Uranian Occupy Wall Street supporters and established Saturnian control systems, such as police and politicians.

When Venus forms the conjunction to Pluto, you’ll find yourself, as well as the world around you, focusing on several things: finances, self-worth, and power. You may feel that you’ve given your personal power over to another individual. It may seem that you are always trying to please someone and no matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t work. On the other hand, this can be an intense time period as you try to prove what a good person you are.

In good relationships, this aspect can indicate the commitment that you have with another person. You’re both willing to persevere and work things out. On the other hand, this conjunction can represent a power struggle between you and another person over what each of you deems is more important in life. Unfortunately, power struggles don’t solve problems but rather increase them.

Mercury now in retrograde motion once again forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node on December 2^nd. This is the second time in this cycle that Mercury forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. The first time it occurred was on November 14, 2011 when it was in direct motion. It will also occur for a third time on December 27, 2011.

The Moon’s North Node represents what you need to strive for in life. It can be your hopes and wishes. But, it can also be your parent’s belief of who you should be.

In mundane astrology, the Moon’s North Node represents the steps society needs to take and changes that need to be made for progress to occur.

When Mercury direct formed the conjunction to the Moon’s North Node on November 14^th, you had the opportunity to open discussions with other people. Now that it is occurring again with Mercury in retrograde motion, you have another opportunity. This time bring up areas where disagreements occurred. If you can’t solve the problems, you’ll have a chance to think about it and hopefully find a solution by the end of December when the conjunction occurs for the third time.

On December 6^th, Chiron forms a sextile to Jupiter retrograde. Some astrologers feel that Sagittarius, the sign that Jupiter rules, is a natural fit for Chiron, symbolized by a centaur. Goals are important but accountability is more important today. Take your responsibilities seriously.

Uranus turns stationary direct about seven hours before the total lunar eclipse occurs on December 10^th. While you may not feel this energy shift right now, you’ll gain a better understanding of its importance during the time of the eclipse.

A lunar eclipse occurs at the time of the full Moon. As the last eclipse of the year, it occurs with the Sun in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini. If you live in Asia or Australia, you’ll see the entire eclipse which obscures the Moon from view. Because the Moon is obscured, you may find it difficult to express your feelings. Because the eclipse forms a square to both Mars and Ceres, you may feel frustrated that people aren’t willing to compromise. You may be mentally fatigued by people who are arguing, especially about the direction the country needs to take to solve economic problems. There is hope, with Uranus now direct, that new ideas are presented and people realize they need to form relationships in order to solve problems. You may even feel a little more optimistic on December 17^th when Venus forms a sextile to Ceres.

Mercury turns stationary direct on December 13^th. It’s interesting to note that in November, Mercury went stationary retrograde on November 25^th, one hour after the last solar eclipse of the year occurred. The solar eclipse dealt with obscuring the Sun. A few days before that time period, the Super Committee (AKA the “Coward Committee”) failed to reach an agreement that could have set the United States on a better path towards solving economic problems. Leadership (the Sun) was obscured. There was no leadership, only dissent. Mercury, which is in Sagittarius, its detriment, indicated that agreement on long-term goals could not be reached. The Committee, and even Congress, seemed not to care that they failed. It appeared that for them it was a victory towards defining the lines of combat for the upcoming 2012 Presidential election. The stock market did care and took a plunge affecting your retirement accounts linked to the various stock markets.

With Mercury now turning direct after the lunar eclipse, your feelings may be obscured. You may not know how to think this through. Do you let your Congressional representatives know how you feel about the failure? Do you support the various sides for drawing battle lines in hopes that your side will win when the 2012 Presidential election occurs? There’s a danger, now that Mercury in Sagittarius is direct, that all you get from media reports is justification for lack of action. Personally, you may be called to explain your own actions over the last three weeks when Mercury was retrograde. If you are, take care not to justify your actions but rather explain how your actions were intended to help situations improve.

The cardinal T-square started by Venus on November 26, 2011 comes to an end on December 18^th when it forms a square to Saturn in Libra. Venus and Saturn are in mutual reception and there’s a good chance that by creating a better foundation in your life, you’ll be able to use this energy to improve your life. (A mutual reception occurs when two planets are in the sign of each other’s rulers. Venus rules Libra and Saturn rules Capricorn, therefore, a mutual reception is formed.) Even though a cardinal T-square usually indicates changes brought about by crises, the crises in your life can be averted today. Agreements can be reached, especially in personal relationships.

Venus enters the sign of Aquarius on December 20^th and a few hours later it forms a square to Jupiter retrograde. This is a time to review your relationships with friends as well as your commitments to social organizations. Perhaps you’ve made so many commitments to others that your family relationships are suffering. Or, perhaps the cost of involvement in those social organizations is higher than you can afford right now. You really need to re-think your involvements.

With Venus forming a sextile to Uranus on December 21^st, it might be easier to come up with some ideas that help you determine just how involved you’ll be with social organizations. You may also run into some old friends that you haven’t seen in a while that can give you some valuable insight.

When the Sun enters Capricorn on December 22^nd, the winter solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the last quarter of the astrological year. As with the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, the chart set up for the United States has a Libra rising.

The March 2011 Spring Equinox chart was a difficult one for the United States. Uranus was at 0° Aries at that time and the Sun formed an immediate conjunction to Uranus. It meant that the entire year the country would be experiencing disruption after disruption. With Libra rising it meant that the entire world was involved with the United States in one way or another.

In the June 2011 Summer Solstice chart, Neptune was a 0° Pisces and the Sun formed an immediate trine to Neptune. That meant that people were under the illusion that things would work out. But it also meant that leadership didn’t really communicate with the masses. Rather there were a lot of things going on behind the scenes. Since Libra was also rising in this chart, the entire world was involved.

By the time of the September 2011 Fall Equinox, the Ascendant had moved from Libra to Virgo meaning that situations at home needed to be addressed more than foreign affairs. In this chart Uranus was at 2° Aries, so it was two days later that the Sun formed an opposition to Uranus. This time people were willing to fight leadership.

In many ways there are echoes of the Spring Equinox chart in the Winter Solstice chart. Uranus is once again a 0° Aries. This means that the Sun immediately forms a square to Uranus. At the same time, Jupiter is at 0° Taurus meaning that the Sun immediately forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde. There is tension; there is hope. Both are occurring at the same time. People are willing to fight leaders who are not listening to their needs. But the world is looking to the United States to solve its problems. While the public wants leadership to fail, the world wants US leadership to succeed.

What does all this mean for you? You may feel frustrated with the way that the things are being handled in this country. You may feel that matters outside of this country are more important to the leadership than bread and butter issues at home. This can spawn a feeling of being alienated.

It’s important to find a way to empower yourself and not let other people manipulate you into supporting their belief systems. The Winter Solstice is also considered in many cultures the celebration of lights. The day of the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, but the Sun will begin to increase in light after this day. While winter in the northern hemisphere still has a few months to go, there is a sense that perhaps you’ll be able to make it through this time period and celebrate the joys of spring when March 2012 occurs. The employment situation will still be difficult but there is hope that new growth will help improve the employment picture. There is also hope that more realistic information will enable you to create more realistic plans for taking action.

The new Moon, with Sun and Moon in Capricorn, occurs on December 24^th, two days after the Winter Solstice. It forms a conjunction to Pluto indicating that leadership is in danger. If you are in a leadership position, you need to understand that you can’t control all situations. You need to re-evaluate your plans.

The new Moon also forms a square to Uranus and a trine to Jupiter retrograde. Looking for new solutions may cause tension because sometimes you like to stick to the old way of doing things. But, by reviewing the past and seeing where failure occurred, you can actually come up with some new plans that won’t cause tension in your life.

The following day, December 25^th, Jupiter turns stationary direct. It went stationary retrograde on August 30, 2011. Jupiter, when retrograde, tends to impact businesses more than it does individuals. During the time period that Jupiter was retrograde, corporations started increasing various fees for services that were previously free or low cost: NetFlix with its divided rate structure and Bank of America with it debit card fees. However, outrage by consumers made both companies rethink their positions. NetFlix went back to its old formula, and its stock fell. Customers started removing their money from the bank and Bank of America withdrew from charging the debit card fees although the company publicly stated that had nothing to do with their decision. When Jupiter is retrograde, especially in Taurus, the value of a product is not always looked at realistically by its makers. However, this changes when Jupiter goes direct. It’s easier to determine the appropriate value.

As Jupiter in Taurus is direct, you’ll expect more accountability from people you deal with. You’ll expect politicians to work together. You’ll expect people to come up with solutions. You won’t want to hear theories; you’ll want facts.

On December 27^th, Mercury forms its third conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. The first time that it formed the conjunction was on November 14, 2011 when Mercury was in direct motion. The second time that Mercury formed this conjunction was on December 2, 2011 when it was in retrograde motion.

The first time this occurred you had an opportunity to voice your concerns about the future. It gave you an opportunity to make plans that could help you with your life. The second time, in retrograde motion, it gave you an opportunity to go back and review your plans. Now, with Mercury forming a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node the third time, you can once again put words to your thoughts about how you want to move forward in life. It’s important, as the year ends, that you use the energy of Mercury in Sagittarius not as a means of justifying your behavior but as a means of opening up a dialogue with other people so you can solve your problems. It is a time to think of the future and just how you want to approach it.