Astrology Forecast for December 2024

Note that I've changed the format for my monthly astro-forecast.  Weekly Astro-Weather will now be published as separate posts. 

December brings a lot of retrograde energy, but it also has a few great highlights too!  There are a couple of fantastic days for spiritual pursuits, some very good dates for romance, with the most auspicious energy of the month arriving on Dec. 19 (Pacific to Eastern time), when Venus makes a trine to Jupiter. 

Chiron is active through the month too, making a positive connection with the Sun, Mercury and Venus in December, and turning direct on Dec. 29.  There are a number of good dates for healing from past emotional trauma.

And, the month closes with a New Moon in Capricorn, on December 30 at 2:27 p.m. PST! How perfect is that! That would be an awesome time to set your intentions for the year ahead, but don't enact them just yet.  Wait until Mars turns direct (if you can).

Overall, however, the celestial energies this month are most supportive of introspection, reviewing your goals (but not setting any new ones), and clearing any emotional residue that you don't take with you into 2025. 

Let's look at some bigger celestial events this month: 

New Moon in Sagittarius: 

The month opens with the New Moon in Sagittarius on Nov. 30, 10:21 p.m. PDT/Dec. 1, 1:21 a.m. EDT.

This is a very optimistic New Moon! If you work with manifestation, it's THE day of the year to ask for a boost of positivity, joy, and luck in your life. Those hoping to publish a book or an online course - Sagittarius also rules publishing, so get ready to set your intentions!

Mercury and Mars Retrograde

December also brings quite a bit of retrograde energy.  The month starts with Mercury in retrograde (Nov. 25-Dec. 15).  Mars is right on its heels, getting ready to turn retrograde on Dec. 6.  

The two retrogrades will overlap between Dec. 6-15, and that is definitely NOT a good time to start new undertakings. 

Communication mishaps and other Mercury Rx related misadventures are possible between Dec. 12-18, around the date Mercury turns direct (Dec. 15).  

In fact, you might just as well take it easy and not overschedule your Christmas Season (if you can! Easier said than done, I know).  And, take some time to reflect on your 2024 and to strategize and plan for 2025 (Mars Retrograde is a great time to revisit strategies of all kinds, including professional, business and personal).

Re: Mercury Retrograde. As a quick side note, Canada Post - the main mail carrier - is on strike here in Canada, which is a big kink for Christmas mail delivery!  Interestingly, two out of three Canada Post strikes over the last few years overlapped with Mercury Retrograde.  Last time, there was a major disruption with delayed or lost Christmas parcels.  

And, the massive Microsoft outage we just experienced, precisely on the day Mercury turned retrograde!! While major disruptions don't happen during each Mercury Rx, I've noticed over the years that software migrations and build releases undertaken during Mercury Retrograde have a higher chance of going awry.  I only wish I could convince the IT department at my company to follow astrology 😉

While we're all quite familiar with Mercury retrograde energy because it happens 3 times a year on average, Mars Retrograde is another matter.  We experience it every 2 years.  Read more about it here. 

Neptune Direct: 

There is one more planet that changes direction in December, and that's Neptune.  It goes direct on Dec. 7.  It's stationed at 27 deg. Pisces for the whole month of December, moving much slower than usual in the skies.

27-30° Pisces, Virgo, Sagittarius or Gemini

1-2° Aries, Libra, Capricorn or Cancer

Full Moon in Gemini:

This month's Full Moon, at 23° Gemini, happens on Dec. 15 at 1:02 a.m. PST.  Later the same day,  Mercury goes direct.  And, so it's an absolutely fantastic Full Moon to set intentions to release anything you don't want to take with you into 2025!!!

Jupiter-Saturn Square #2: 

One of the two big celestial themes of the entire 2024 is Jupiter-Saturn squares.  It's the energy of optimism and caution battling one another.  It can play out in the geopolitical landscape, economy - or at a personal level if it connects with YOUR natal chart.

This energy can also bring a reality check. 

We already had one square in August, and another one is coming up December 24.  We will feel it for approx. 2 weeks before and after. 

I've had a number of clients with the Sun or personal planets in Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces or Virgo feeling the push and pull of this energy in the past 6+ months.  The overall theme is feeling optimistic and enthused about a cherished dream, but also having fears that it might not come true, that you're running out of time, or that you will have obstacles to push through.

You cand read the full scoop on this energy here. 

Capricorn Season: 

New Moon in Capricorn:

The month ends with a well-positioned Moon in goal-oriented Capricorn! How fantastic is that!! It's happening on Dec. 30 at 2:27 p.m. PST, at 9° Capricorn.

 This would be a fantastic and very powerful time to set your intentions for the New Year.  But, don't start enacting them right away though. Wait until Mars comes out of retrograde - if you can! 

Moon Void of Course: