Energy update: December 2024
December is a “2” Universal Month (12 (December) + 8 (2024) =20 = 2+0 = 2] in an “8” Universal Year. Two is a movement number – things begin to balance out from the pure creation of the energy of the “1” month prior, & decisions start to present themselves. This aligns poorly with the astrology of the month, which is dominated by two major personal planet retrogrades (Mercury & Mars). In order to seek out balance or come into alignment with what is, we may need to work backward.
We begin the month with the Sun & retrograde Mercury in Sagittarius, Venus in Capricorn, Mars deep in its pre-retrograde shadow in Leo, retrograde Jupiter in Gemini, Saturn & Neptune in Pisces, retrograde Uranus in Taurus, & Pluto in Capricorn. This month, we will only have two planetary ingresses: our Sun will enter Capricorn, & Venus will enter Aquarius. This is due to Mercury’s retrograde, which ends on 12/15, that keeps our planet of Communication, Travel, & Technology in the sign of its exile for an exceptionally long time.
All eyes are on Mars, which will retrograde on 12/06 at 06° Leo. This retrograde will stretch into the new year; it ends in late February, but the post-retrograde shadow will continue until the beginning of May. This is the Big News Bear of the month as it will impact our entire holiday season, but it also sets the tone for 2025.
Mars gets top billing this month due to its upcoming retrograde on 12/6. This isn’t a post specifically about the retrograde, but it is significant enough to warrant a brief discussion. Mars is the slowest moving of our personal planets & tends to retrograde every 26 months or so. Because this planet dictates our modes of action & energy levels, we can expect forward motion (as a whole) & output to be lower during Mars’ retrograde periods. This is business as usual & the expected result of a Mars retrograde, but that doesn’t mean that people will be comfortable or accepting of this outcome. Therein lies a lot of the struggles of a Mars retrograde cycle. Many of us (especially those ruled by Mars – Aries & Scorpio – or those with strong Martian placements) rely on accomplishments & consistent action to regulate our nervous systems. When thwarted, the Martian temperament can get aggressive & moody. Some types can be pushy or overtly forceful, & if one thing is for sure, it is that nothing should be forced during a Mars retrograde. Let it unfold slowly, & try to enjoy the ride.
This retrograde starts in fixed fiery Leo a& ends in cardinal watery Cancer. A lot of people are going to fuck some shit up so that they can feel like they are still sitting on their throne likely cry about it later.
It’s wise to remember that the planets aren’t here to hurt us, no matter how much our dysregulated brains might try to tell us so. Instead, if we look at planetary retrogrades as an opportunity to review, restart, realign, reassess, & rejuvenate, they can actually be valuable times of othered space. Each planet in retrograde adds a layer of the liminal to the space soup, & the more planets in retrograde at a time, the more liminal our space becomes.
It’s worth noting here that Mars’ retrograde overlaps with Mercury’s in December by five days (from 12/6-12/15). These are powerful days to slow down & assess where your life is & what you need to change to move forward. This is especially fortunate for those who celebrate the new year in January, as it is an early chance to align yourself with your goals for the year ahead.
Mars will station direct on 2/23, so this is a long-game transit – much longer than Mercury’s month-long retrogrades. Other than slowing us all down (& probably causing some significant tifts over the holidays), Mars won’t be doing much this month as – during the time when a planet stations (changes directions) they tend to hold their position in the sky for an abnormally long time. If you have a personal planet in the early degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), you might feel the strain of Mar’s lack of movement all month. Expect things to get angsty. Expect divas to be on the very biggest tears. It is what it is; I find Leo’s energy pretty easy to walk away from if it’s getting to be too much, but your experience may vary.
Iron gate boundaries might be in order, especially with that incredibly demanding family member who never figured out that they aren’t the main character in your life. You might find that you need to do less; if you do, know you are right on time.
Mars retrogrades are almost inevitably challenging. Even if you can manage your own life slowing down (some of us even like it this way), you still have to deal with the absolute temper tantrums of those who can’t stand still for whatever reason. Stay aware of the Aries, Scorpio, & Capricorn types in your life (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, & Mars placements mostly here) or anyone with Mars in Cancer or Leo. They may be seriously losing their shit (&, if so, iron-clad boundaries, as I said), but they may also just need support as to what to do when you can’t do it for them.
This retrograde aligns well with the season of withdrawal (lovingly called Fallowtide by some) but less well with our hustle-&-bustle holiday season. It’s okay not to do anything, especially if you are prone to low energy for any number of reasons. Take care of yourself often & early.
Our Lights: The Sun & the Moon
Our big win for the month is our two new moons – the first in Sagittarius on 12/01 & the second in Capricorn on 12/30 – which bookmark our month. Our Capricorn moon is especially auspicious because – as I have mentioned elsewhere – in 2024, we had two Capricorn new moons & two full moons. If, as I suggested, you have worked the Capricorn moons this year, this is your fourth & final chance to do so. Even though it is early from a calendar perspective, I would do any magic working or intention setting for 2025 during the hour of the new moon on 12/30. Capricorn is THE sign of long-term planning. Use that to your advantage.
We begin the month on 12/1 (always significant as the 1st dictates the energy for the month ahead) with a new moon at 09° Sagittarius in a t-square with Saturn at 13° Pisces & retrograde Jupiter at 16° Gemini. It’s worth noting two things here. The first is that Sagittarius, the sign of our lunation, is ruled by the planet Jupiter, which is currently in the sign of its exile, Gemini. Luck is on the fritz right now, & all that glitters is most certainly not gold. Additionally, this square between Jupiter & Saturn is Ascendanting meaning that the two planets haven’t actually met at a 90° angle; we are working towards this square, not away from it.
This square between Jupiter & Saturn, currently in Pisces & Gemini, will be a major player in the energy of 2025. The planets meet in an exact square on the Pisces-Gemini axis & the Aries-Cancer axis. Luck may have gone awry, but this is an opportunity to glimpse what lies ahead.
So you are saying, there is a chance. On this day the answer is almost irrevocably yes.
Our Sagittarius new moon is a 9/2 new moon. 9 (Sagittarius moon) + 9 (Sagittarius Sun) = 18 = 1+8 = 9. 9 (Sagittarius new moon) + 2 (December 2024) = 11 = 1+1 = 2.
We are in the midst of some big endings, symbolized by the “9” energy, but the “2” echoes the glimpse into the future & the choices that lie ahead. This is a day well spent in divination or pathfinding of all kinds.
Our Sagittarius Sun squared Saturn on 12/04, which should not surprise anyone. Everyone is being held accountable for their actions in some way or another. This is business as usual; the Sun squares Saturn twice a year, but I’ve always noticed that it seems to show up like clockwork when the world needs it the most. Any Sun/Saturn transit adds a lot of power to magic used for justice and to hold people accountable for their actions. The sign of the archer can be especially helpful for Justice spellwork as Sag has a natural desire toward the highest good. If you work with runes, the Tiwaz rune would be especially useful during this time.
Our full moon falls on 12/15 at 23° Gemini. It is mostly unaspected besides a square to Neptune in Pisces, which carries energy similar to a major lunation anyway. This is also the day that Mercury stations direct at 06° Sagittarius. The twofold nature of switching, Mercury in direction & the Moon in purpose (wax on/wane off if you will) can be used to enact many types of magic for change. Mars is retrograde by this point, though, so be careful how you word anything focused on movement in the physical world during this time. Think Road Opener rather than a spell to force direction.
Our Gemini full moon is a 3/5 full moon. 3 (Gemini moon) + 9 (Sagittarius Sun) = 12 = 1 + 2 = 3. 3 (Gemini full moon) + 2 (December 2024) = 5.
3 is our Manifestation number (useful for all types of magic), & 5 has the go-to-itsness to break through nearly all barriers.
Once the Sun enters Capricorn, it squares the lunar nodes on 12/23. Our lunar nodes will leave the Aries-Libra axis for Pisces-Virgo at the end of January; this is the end of the line for this cycle. Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, can work too hard to keep the peace at times; where are you saying “yes” when you really mean “no” in your life? This might be one less thorn in an old wound or pass less painfully. Cardinal signs are the most likely to notice this transit.
It all comes full circle to our new moon at 09° Capricorn on 12/30. This lunation is still in a wide square to our lunar nodes & is also sextile to Saturn, echoing the energy of that early Sun-Saturn square. Both Saturn & the lunar nodes rule something you could classify as fate or destiny. But in a less woo-woo way than many would use the terms today. Some things are meant to be. You live. You die. A volcano erupts. A major plague races across the land. Because you took your first breath at this exact time in that exact place, you will live through these things. Because our Moon touches on both, but not in exactitude, I would expect all of us to be contemplating our place in the universe a bit during this lunation. Both where we have been – our place in this existence – & where we are going.
What can we can do to help? (Helping is the best way to actualize Capricorn energy)
Our Capricorn new moon is a 2/4 new moon. 10 (Capricorn Moon) + 10 (Capricorn Sun) = 20 = 2+0 = 2. 2 (Capricorn New moon) + 2 (December 2024) = 4.
I have to giggle at this because I consider Capricorns to naturally carry a lot of “4” energy around with them. “4” is a very balanced number; it is all about structure. What are Capricorns doing if not shoring up their world to protect it from the elements? (as is their nature, being born in the deep winter months) When considering the power of the Number 4, I would ask you to think of the older man-made structures still standing. Did the Egyptian pyramids come to mind? That is “4” energy; it grounds in all directions; it has longevity. Again, this 4 energy makes this a great day to do magic or set intentions for the new year ahead. You may wish to set an intention that will become manifest by the Capricorn full moon on 7/10/25.
Mercury
For the first half of December, Mercury will be moving backward in retrograde towards 06° Sagittarius, where it will station direct under the light of our Gemini full moon. This is notable because Mercury is the ruling planet of Gemini; this will be a day highly invigorated with Mercurial energy. We should all realize by now that Mercury retrograde is business as usual & simply a change in the expression of our “normal” Mercury energy.
It’s worth also remembering that Mercury is in exile in Sagittarius because Sagittarius is the opposite sign of Gemini, the sign of Mercury’s domicile. In Sagittarius, thoughts can be demanding, & people can become convinced that their way of thinking is the only right way. We all need to watch out for intellectual elitism & educational superiority, two bad behaviors of Mercury in Sagittarius. Every lived experience brings a different story & background to the table, & we need each to function together rather than separately. This is the first hit on this lesson, & it will take on a greater meaning as our North Node enters Pisces next month.
This retrograde cycle involves big hitters Jupiter in Gemini & Saturn in Pisces. This circles back to what I said above about Jupiter square Saturn having a big part to play in the year ahead. We often visit troublesome aspects through Mercury first. This cosmically makes some sense because when presented with a problem, to proceed, the best course of action is usually to think something through. Keep in mind that in firecracker Sagittarius, Mercury does not seem inclined to take that kind of time.
It is an oversimplification, but Jupiter brings the Go/Expansion energy & Saturn the Stop/Retraction energy. This is interesting because Jupiter gets nothing but space to expand in formless, airy Gemini, which you would think it would like, but it really doesn’t (it is the sign of Jupiter’s exile), & amorphous watery Pisces does nothing to give Saturn the form it so desperately requires. Neither giant is at its best, making them more demanding. In this case, Saturn will always be the rock, & Jupiter is playing the role of the hard place.
Mercury has to pass through this vice three times. We’ve done this once while Mercury was in forward motion & when Jupiter & Saturn weren’t in a very tight square. The second pass happens early this month between 12/04 when Mercury opposes Jupiter (each planet in its exile, a nasty untethered opposition) & 12/06 when Mercury squares Saturn. We might want to expand during this time (or just jump out of the way of the rocks rolling downhill toward us), but there’s nowhere to go. This is the hole of Mercury’s retrograde cycle; I’d bet most people fall into it somehow.
Alternatively, you could be trying to get your ball rolling, & one thing after another keeps getting in the way. This kind of aspect works both ways, sometimes both ways in the same situation, which can be extremely uncomfortable.
That the Mercury-Saturn squares goes exact as Mars retrogrades on 12/06 tells us a lot about the character of that day. Just don’t. If it’s not Essential, emphasis on the Capital E, do it another day. Things generally grind to a halt for a reason. You can force the wheels or look for a rock in the tires. The choice is, of course, up to you.
And then, just in time for Christmas, we get our third pass-through of this rough t-square between Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn between 12/24 & 12/26, this time with Mercury in forward motion. If you need to make amends for anything you said out of line earlier in the month, this is the time to come clean about it. The more you take responsibility for your own part in this mess, the less pressure Saturn will put on you. Always placate Saturn first; Jupiter is too all-important to care about turn order.
Things will feel a bit easier after Mercury’s retrograde ends mid-month, but Mercury remains in its exile all month long as it tracks its way all through its post-retrograde shadow in Sagittarius. The benefit of Sagittarius is that most Sag will tell the absolute truth as they see it. Sometimes, that includes coming clean about things, too. It should be no surprise that this will be a holiday season full of hard conversations; we can hope that at least they include honesty & words spoken from the heart. (Sag sometimes needs to be reminded they have a heart, but they will come in strong once encouraged there)
Mars will greatly overshadow this retrograde, but keeping it in the back of your mind is still important. If that person is just talking out of their ass, maybe make a snide comment to yourself, blame Mercury, & walk the fuck away. If it takes an extra two hours & a detour to get to Gramma’s house, that’s two hours less of talking to Uncle Eddie. Make sure you are sending those nudes to Tara in Sales & not Tara, your boss, if you know what I mean. Things tend to go awry during a Mercury retrograde cycle when we are on autopilot& not paying attention.
The easy and obvious anecdote to that is to pay attention. Standard Mercury retrograde advice applies: save often, double-check before you hit Send, & expect delays. Your friendly neighborhood Geminis & Virgos will be down for the count like they are every Mercury retrograde. The energy of all things communication, technology, & travel will be slower & deeper as Mercury wanders the low road. The more you can work with Mercury’s energy rather than against it, the easier your life will be.
Mercury exits its post-retrograde shadow in early January. We will have relatively smooth sailing with our planet of communication until the end of March & early April.
Venus
Venus is almost two full signs ahead of our Sun & Mercury all month long as it begins the month in Capricorn & ends it in Aquarius. It is on its own journey, which doesn’t really include stepping in to help out with the inevitable squabbles that are bound to come up all month long as both Mercury & Mars retrograde in fire signs. Venus can be pretty far out there in the fixed air sign of Aquarius & at times, even unattainable.
Venus makes two major appearances this month. First, Venus will conjunct Pluto at 00° Aquarius on 12/07. Pluto is our outermost planet & seems responsible for the erosion of all things through the lens of time itself. Of course, in Roman mythology, Pluto was the god of the Underworld. On a long enough timeline, all things end: nations, marriages, lives, & this world.
Pluto has never before been in the sign of Aquarius when astrologers knew of the planet’s influence, so we can only surmise what this new journey will bring to humanity. But we will taste it through a Venusian lens this month.
Then, on 12/12, Venus opposed retrograde Mars in Leo. This is pretty big break-up weather, but that shouldn’t be anything to worry about if you are in a safe & secure relationship. Leo & Aquarius aren’t that different from one another (Sun sign opposites are & should be ready as a pair), but where they differ is very stark. Where Leo is a traditionalist, Aquarius is pointed straight toward the wildest of infinite possibilities. Leo wants the world, & Aquarius wants the universe. They can become aligned but often choose not to out of ego & the inability to step off their respective daises.
Fixed signs aren’t inclined to move; that much is for sure, & this will go doubly for all Martian & Leo types during this time. If anyone is going to give an inch, it will have to be Aquarius.
Although I specified break-up weather, I want to clarify that relationships do not always involve love, sex, or romance. We are in a relationship individually with each of our family members, with our best friends & our worst enemies, and with our bosses and coworkers. American culture puts a huge emphasis on love & sex, but relationships exist of all kinds. We talk about wars between nations but rarely about wars within families or workplaces. The interplay between Venus (receiving) & Mars (giving) shows us how our relationships are flowing – even international ones between nations. Together, they give us an idea of how easy it will be to get along.
Oppositions are fidgety & difficult to read, even for the most seasoned astrologer. Sun Sign opposites can differ in specific ways but are also quite similar & desperately need each other. The conflicts that will arise during this time CAN be resolved, but it calls for somebody to step down & let the other by. Neither planet looks well poised to do so, which is generally unfortunate. We still get free choice, though; that’s the beauty of how the above is reflected below: the planets dictate that there will be conflict, but WE still get to choose what we do when it happens.
What is worth fighting for? Is it worth standing up to the one you love the most? Is it worth standing up to your family? Is it worth standing up to the world?
Many of us have to grapple with this right now, & I think many people will say resoundingly, “Yes.” I’m not here to give you the correct answers because my trials & choices will differ infinitely from yours.
What I am here to say is that there is a reason (in the skies & our lives) why people are going to choose Fight this holiday season, & we should think about both how we are making those choices for ourselves AND how we should respond when someone decides they want to fight with us. The big flex all month will be to pick your fights, but we all know that will be easier said than done.
I’m choosing to discuss conflict in the Venus section for a reason. Diplomacy plays as important a part in conflicts as Action, though culturally, we often downplay this. Venus in Aquarius can be talked into looking back at the rest of us earth landers, but only if you speak to her higher nature & propose something new & innovative. Venus in Aquarius doesn’t have time for momentary peace; it wants the whole package or nothing at all. The craziest idea might be the one that is the solution all month long.
Jupiter & Saturn
Our two intermediate planets, Jupiter & Saturn, play a major role in dictating the pace of our lives. Jupiter, the planet of Luck & Expansion, quickens everything it touches, while Saturn, the planet of Time & Consequence, slows or halts. We need both of these forces in our lives. They are moving in & out of squares for the next year.
The first square happens on 12/24 with Jupiter in Gemini & Saturn in Pisces. Neither planet is at its strongest here, but Saturn probably wins out due to Jupiter being in its exile. Expect things to be slow. But that’s also indicated by our Mars retrograde, so let’s say it’s extra slow. This first square includes Mercury in Sagittarius square to Saturn & opposed to Jupiter. This is a harsh mutable t-square, which will have everyone scrambling but few finding solid ground.
You may notice this repeating cycle of three squares (one in December & two next year). If it sounds awfully like a retrograde cycle, that’s because it is. This is happening because Jupiter (being the faster-moving sign) has caught back up to Saturn (by degree) & is now going to retrograde forward & back again thrice across Saturn’s path. Jupiter & Saturn will both change signs in 2025 in synch with one another – this will put a lot of stress on the line between Gemini-Cancer (for Jupiter) & Pisces-Aries (for Saturn). We will be in this push/pull cycle for a while; this is just the first pass.
Looking Forward
Hello January! Hello 2025!
The big deals in January will be our Mars retrograde & the changing of the guard as our lunar nodes slide onto the Pisces-Virgo axis. The big deal for the year is that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune all change signs in four months. As we move into each new sign in 2025 with our Sun, Mercury, & Venus, we are forced to confront all of our outer planets in unison. We are on the event horizon now.
