Welcome to the Astrological Forecast for the Month Ahead – December 2020
Wow! I can’t believe it is December already. This year has completely warped my sense of time. I keep feeling as though I am waking up on the same day. Does anybody else feel like that?
And yet, the year has zipped by in a flash. Despite the strange lockdown periods and time seemingly standing still. The year started with that ominous Saturn/Pluto conjunction, but who would have thought how that would pan out? But, if it is any consolation, the year will finish on a much more hopeful note, even though things will continue to be challenging for a while yet. Let’s take a closer look.
First week of December – the calm before the storm
After the Full Moon and penumbral eclipse on November 30, December starts off relatively calmly. On December 1, Mercury is leaving the murky world of Scorpio and enters fiery Sagittarius. In Scorpio, Mercury keeps his cards very close to his chest, but in Sagittarius, almost the opposite could be said. Mercury in Sagittarius is prone to exaggeration and diplomatic blunders. It’s the proverbial ‘bull-in-the-China-shop’-syndrome when it comes to social etiquette. More about that here, in the post on Mercury moving into Sagittarius.
On December 6, Venus in Scorpio trines Neptune in Pisces, which may seem romantic at first, but may reveal itself as a far more edgy affair, on second sight.
On December 9, the Sun squares Neptune. Under this influence, especially when natal positions are affected, it is easy to get distracted, lost, or overwhelmed. Neptune has a knack for pulling the wool over one’s eyes and blurring the vision.
New Moon in Sagittarius – things are gaining momentum
Around the New Moon, the planets are picking up momentum. The Sun trines Mars on December 11, which suggests a boost of confidence and drive. This is a good opportunity to catch up, or even to get ahead of yourself while you can, especially as on the same day the Sun also activates the nodal axis, as it moves into position for the solar eclipse. Given that the square to Neptune (Sun and Nodes) is also still operational, the urge for action may be driven by disappointment or disillusionment.
On December 13, Mercury will also join that cluster, first squaring Neptune, and then, on December 14, on the day of the New Moon (and eclipse) Mercury will be conjunct the nodal axis. This could highlight some fundamental differences in philosophy, or ideology. Although the effects of an eclipse do not always have to be ‘bad’, as the ancient astrologers thought, a solar eclipse nevertheless carries some weight. This is particularly true when a planet or angle in a natal horoscope is directly affected by transit. It also tends to have some impact on the horoscopes of countries (mundane astrology). And guess what? Of course, that will be the case this year.
This year, the impact is going to be amplified by the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, which will take place on the Winter Solstice. Apart from likely political effects, also watch for extreme phenomena in the natural world. Neptune, the God of the Sea, also governs earthquakes and tidal waves.
Venus will be sextiling Jupiter that day and will move on to sextile Saturn on December 15, just before changing signs and moving into Sagittarius on the same day.
On December 16, Chiron, who has been retrograde since July, will finally turn direct and continue to move forward until July next year. With any luck, that will augur a positive turn of events in our collective healing process, over the weeks and months to come.
Saturn and Jupiter are moving into Aquarius
This is closely followed by Saturn making its second and decisive entry into Aquarius, on December 17. He already dipped his feet in the Aquarian waters between March and July this year. But this time, there is no turning back. Just two days later, on December 19, Jupiter also moves into Aquarius, thus ending that long, drawn-out battle of the giants in Capricorn that has been playing out over the past few years (first Saturn moving up to Pluto, then Jupiter joining in, and then the three of them going back and forth…Saturn has been in Capricorn since December 2017)
On December 20, Mercury and the Sun are conjunct in the very last degree of Sagittarius. They will stay close together until a couple of days after the Winter Solstice. Mercury will be the first to enter Capricorn, on December 20, followed by the Sun hard on its heels, on December 21.
Jupiter conjunct Saturn
December 21, the day of the winter solstice, is also the big day that everybody has been waiting for: the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in the first degree of Aquarius! Providing you have clear skies where you are on that night you should be able to watch this amazing spectacle. The two planets will actually appear to almost merge in the sky.
The ‘Great Mutation’
Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions take place about every 20 years, but when the conjunction changes elements, a whole new cycle begins. This is known as ‘a Great Mutation’ and takes place only about once every 200 years. For a great article on this topic, see Jessica Davidson’s great blog. However, the change over isn’t completely smooth. There was, in fact, a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Libra in 1980, the harbinger of the new era, which now has finally arrived.
It will be interesting to see how the generation that was born during the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Libra will fly with this. Their time has come!
Again, this kind of change does not take place overnight. But we can expect a major shift of consciousness. This is likely to intensify even more once Pluto changes signs in March 2023, just after the spring equinox that year.
Such shifts of planetary energies are never all positive, or all bad. After all, the characteristics of any sign manifest along a spectrum of expression and possibility. The same is true of the planets. And, what’s more, the planets do not rule us. We can use their energies for good or bad. So – everybody can throw their weight behind this epic event and help bring about the best possible future for us all. Let’s not forget, Aquarius is the sign of idealism and humanitarianism!
On December 23, Mars will square Pluto, followed by Mercury square Chiron, on December 24, which is not really a very comforting planetary constellation on the Eve of Christmas. But perhaps it is appropriate, at the end of a year that has brought so much suffering and hardship to so many.
The final week of the year has still more surprises in store: Mercury trines Uranus on December 25, which may be good for an unexpected gift, an unexpected visitor, or an unexpected outcome of discussions.
On December 28, the Sun will trine Uranus – setting the scene for the great unknown: how will the Brexit cookie crumble? Maybe not as we might have expected.
On December 28 and 29, Venus will first semisquare Saturn, then Jupiter, which may ruffle some feathers. And on December 30, the Full Moon in Cancer will see out ‘the year like no other’.
As you can see, it will be quite an interesting month ahead!
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