December Overview

December opens with Mercury only days past its retrograde station direct, at this point communication, markets and plans are just starting to pick up speed. The first half of the month favors retracing steps, reconciling loose ends from the retrograde, and putting a polish of practical effort into on what you intend to carry forward. While Mercury remains in Scorpio, there’s usable lift from the by-sign water trine—Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces—supporting thorough reviews, quiet repairs, and clear-headed decisions. With Jupiter retrograde in Cancer hosting the Sagittarius traffic, emphasis stays on continuity, care, and durable foundations rather than spectacle.

As Sagittarius season unfolds, the inferior planets and luminaries encounter late-Pisces conditions: repeated squares to Saturn around 25° Pisces with Neptune stationing direct near 29° Pisces. Think of Saturn taking a dry eraser to Pisces’ accumulated myths—methodically wiping the board—while each Sagittarian traveler brings its own artifacts of imagination to be tested. The cadence is familiar: first the hard limit, then the haze. Patience, documentation, and measured scope are rewarded.

Later in the month, as bodies move into Capricorn, the atmosphere steadies and quiets. Mars gains traction with exaltation in Capricorn; Venus takes on earthy dignity there as well. Both spend stretches under the Sun’s beams—subdued in visibility, serviceable in function—favoring modest, well-structured plans and leaving room for low-key holiday moments that are reflective and restorative. Use December to conserve attention, close the books cleanly, and stage the next phase so 2026 begins with rested judgment and workable structure.

The Full Moon in Gemini

December 4. Ruled by Mercury in Scorpio, this Full Moon closes an information cycle with a sober, fact-forward tone. By sign it still draws support from Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces, favoring corrections, reconciliations, and practical accord. Crucially, Mercury is the last planet to complete the by-sign Grand Water Trine—a stabilizing circuit that helped carry us through the murkier stretches of the retrograde. Use this last sweep of the water trine in the first week of December to seal what deserves to endure: publish clean drafts, formalize agreements, confirm responsibilities, and make heart-level sign-offs on the plans, relationships, and projects that will actually support you over the long haul. Leave anything still contingent on the late-month squares in the workshop.

Because Mercury answers to Mars—and Mars is tightening toward a square with Saturn—there’s a risk of drifting into fatalism or defaulting to “no.” Set the intention to use the mind as an instrument of curiosity: ask better questions, separate signal from story, and seek solutions that serve nourishment (Jupiter in Cancer) and sustainable structure (Saturn in Pisces). Frame choices in terms of care, continuity, and workable constraints; let inquiry lead, not indictment.

As Mercury re-enters Sagittarius on Dec 11, the pace quickens and we revisit terrain put on hold during the Scorpio reset. Belief and conviction add heat; attention fans across multiple arcs and decision paths in preparation for the new year. Let the horizon widen without scattering your efforts—follow the thread that’s alive, and move what you can meaningfully advance before year’s end.

Sagittarius and the squares with Saturn & Neptune

Sagittarius season walks a narrow corridor between Saturn at 25° Pisces and Neptune stationing direct at 29° Pisces, and we feel it in sequence. Mars square Saturn on Dec 8 is the first gate: effort meets limits, schedules compress, and “push harder” stops working. Then Neptune stations on Dec 10 and Mars square Neptune on Dec 14, a one-two that blurs motives, inflates rumors, and tempts hasty conclusions. In this corridor, stories get bigger as facts get thinner. Treat unverified claims as noise; reduce scope to what you can inspect, measure, and deliver.

A dignified Sun in Sagittarius presses initiatives through Saturn’s gate (Dec 17) and Neptune’s haze (Dec 20) from a position of strength—but also turns the lights on. In the public sphere, that illumination exposes cultural scripts, policies, and myths that have outlasted their usefulness or can no longer inspire; courts, regulators, and financing then force the question of what must be retired, revised, or rebuilt. For individuals, take the same cue: specify outcomes, cut dependencies, and test assumptions before committing resources. Let Neptune surface the vision, let Saturn test the structure, and let the Sun’s higher vantage choose what stays because it still works—and what goes because it doesn’t—so the next step is visible, accountable, and capable of carrying weight. The New Moon in Sagittarius (Dec 19) further lends the opportunity to consider what future-proof myths and artifacts can be seeded for future harvest. 

With Jupiter retrograde in Cancer ruling Sagittarius, the corrective attempts to align with needful care. These transits reward a stoic attitude: steady effort, disciplined scope, and patience with verification. In some cases, the pressure yields useful revisions—reinventing imaginal frameworks and inspiration so they can survive contact with reality. Note the seeds that remain after the audit; they’re the ones that can carry forward into the coming cycle.

Capricorn Ingress & Year’s Turn

The Winter Solstice (Dec 21) brings the Sun into Capricorn and a steadier, more embodied pace. We feel the turn early as Mars enters Capricorn (Dec 15)—exaltation that favors focus, craft, and the next clean move. When Venus joins on Dec 24, the emphasis tilts to the well-made and well-kept: simple meals, real rest, traditions that actually replenish. And yet Capricorn isn’t only restraint—it’s appetite with standards. With Mars and Venus co-present, the goat can work hard and celebrate hard: polished gatherings, good music, a table that invites people to linger. Venus can offer inspiration and Mars can offer the where withal to bring visions into process, plan and existence. Take time out to enjoy the holiday cheer.

There’s a larger note as we pass through the end of year corridor, too. We’re in the last stretch of Saturn’s run through Pisces—a melancholic placement that has asked for endurance, compassion, and clarity in fog. It’s worth marking this closing chapter before the epochal pivot of 2026 as Saturn and Neptune align at 0° Aries. Take time to reflect on the past couple of years: what dissolved that needed to, what endured because it mattered, what still asks for closure. Raise a hearty yuletide toast—then keep one eye on the horizon.

Let Mars exalted in Capricorn be your strategist. Use this corridor to sketch the 2026 chessboard: one priority per area of life, a short list of first moves, and a cadence you can sustain. Aim for durable habits over grand vows; set anchors you’ll actually keep. Milestones and check posts along the 2026 calendar to keep resolutions calibrated. Warm tables, early nights when you need them, and a plan that can carry weight into the new year.

As the year winds down, the Mercury–Saturn square (Dec 29) and Mercury–Neptune square (Dec 31) invite less chatter and more intention. Keep plans simple, keep days spacious. Capricorn favors embodied practices: walks that un-knot the back and the mind, cooking that nourishes, tidying a corner of the home or studio, setting a small ritual you can keep. Glance at your calendar for the first weeks of January and shape a humane pace—enough structure to hold you, not so much that it hardens.

On Jan 1, Mercury enters Capricorn, and the tone for early 2026 becomes grounded and hands-on. Use this corridor to rest, recharge, and choose a few meaningful anchors for the new year—habits you can actually keep, commitments that feel true in the body. I’ll be publishing a Year-Ahead Report for 2026 shortly—keep an eye out for it—for a clear view of the bigger arcs and how to move with them without losing your center.

Transits at a Glance (PT)

• Dec 4 – Full Moon in Gemini (ruler Mercury in Scorpio; trine Jupiter/Saturn)
• Dec 8 – Mars square Saturn @ 25° Sag/Pisces
• Dec 10 – Neptune stations direct @ 29° Pisces
• Dec 11 – Mercury re-enters Sagittarius
• Dec 14 – Mars square Neptune
• Dec 15 – Mars enters Capricorn
• Dec 17 – Sun square Saturn
• Dec 19 – New Moon in Sagittarius (square Saturn; co-present Venus & Mercury; ruled by Jupiter RX in Cancer)
• Dec 20 – Venus square Saturn; Sun square Neptune
• Dec 21 – Winter Solstice: Sun enters Capricorn
• Dec 24 – Venus enters Capricorn
• Dec 29 – Mercury square Saturn
• Dec 31 – Mercury square Neptune
• Jan 1 (preview) – Mercury enters Capricorn