Capricorn, December 2016

December 1 opens with action planet Mars connecting with lucky planet Jupiter! This is awesome, and it will be lighting up two of your favorite sectors of your chart: Jupiter is hanging out in the area of fame and fortune, and Mars is activating the sector that rules cash, confidence, and security. The vibe is abundant and energetic. You're getting whatever you ask for, and you're feeling supported! Jovial Jupiter, which is in charming Libra, is blessing you with a larger-than-life, popular as hell aura for the next few months, and Mars in Aquarius is helping you rake in wealth—fantastic!

Mars will also connect with Saturn, your ruling planet, on December 3, which will be a very proactive, productive time for you, especially concerning material or financial matters. This is an important time to trust your gut; ignoring your intuition could make you miss out on an awesome opportunity!

Marvelous possibilities are all around you, but you'll need to look for them. I'm sure you know that saying: "If you're missing something, always look in the last place you would expect to find it." This will be especially true now—and whatever you find may be better than you expected!

To be less esoteric about it all: If you're looking for more work, ask someone you usually wouldn't expect to help you. If you're looking for inspiration, pick up a book you never thought you would be interested in. If you need to make some extra cash, take a second glance through your closet—you might have something there you didn't realize was so valuable!

Mars and Saturn's connection will put a special focus on financial or material issues, and this energy could also play out in your social or love life, especially concerning your self-esteem or feelings of worth or security. Listen to your gut, and if you feel like you're not being taken seriously or being respected, do something! Warrior Mars and stable, reliable Saturn have your back. Venus will enter Aquarius on December 7, shining love down on this same sector of the chart (money and self-worth), so expect to be working with these issues for a while.

Mercury enters your sign on December 2 and begins its retrograde on December 19. What's a Cap to do? Pay close attention to the conversations you have and the plans you make prior to the 19th—they'll all be up for review once the retrograde begins.

Mercury's journey through Capricorn will be a great time to express yourself, gather information, do paperwork, and send important messages. Mercury's ability to zero in on the facts and make communication happen is one of our favorite reasons for having it in our sign! But, again, whatever you talk about before December 19 will be reworked once the retrograde begins. Retrogrades are all about reviewing, reconsidering, and redoing. If the "re-" prefix is involved, Mercury retrograde approves.

What should you avoid during the Mercury retrograde in Capricorn? Don't buy anything important, including plane tickets (travel plans are usually screwed up during the retrograde) and electronics. Expect delays, and be careful not to misplace your keys (but, hooray: Something you lost before the retrograde may be found!) Avoid having important conversations or signing paperwork. Don't work on new projects, but do pick up something you've put on the back burner! This is a great time to revise, not to come up with new material. Running into people from the past is a common Mercury retrograde occurrence, so be totally incognito when you leave the house between December 19 and January 8, 2017, which is when Mercury turns direct.

Action planet Mars enters psychic Pisces on the same day Mercury begins its retrograde, December 19! It will be energizing the communication sector of your chart, which is totally inconvenient due to the Mercury retrograde, but whatever, you've lived through worse, Cap. This is an important time to keep an open mind, trust your intuition, and be proactive making connections—but, again, until January 8, 2017, focus on past projects and conversations, and use the Mercury retrograde to reflect and unwind, rather than to explore new territory. Long-lost messages will likely resurface, so that will be intriguing!

The full moon in Gemini arrives on December 13, lighting up the sector of your chart that rules health, habits, daily chores and responsibilities, and your day job! This is a sensitive time for your health, so please take care of yourself. If you've been avoiding going to the doctor, do it now! Full moons are always exhausting and emotional—treat yourself to a spa day.

While you're relaxing with a face mask, reflect on your work/life balance. Are you getting enough rest? Are you as productive as you could be? If your schedule isn't working for you, this full moon will make it impossible for you to pretend like you can handle it all. If a situation has been building up at your day job, the tension will burst during the full moon. Gemini, the sign this full moon is in, is the multi-tasker of the zodiac, but you preform much better when you can focus on one thing at a time. Stop overloading yourself with work!

On a spiritual level, this is a magical full moon to do a banishing or uncrossing spell to kick a bad habit and get rid of old, unhelpful patterns of behavior. You'll also learn a lot about how your partners undo themselves with their own bad habits during this full moon; however, don't expect it to be as obvious to them as it is to you! You might be able to see how they're totally fucking up, but don't be surprised when you bring it up to them and they have no idea what you're talking about. This is also a great full moon to remember that people aren't psychic and that you need to communicate your needs instead of expecting people to just know what you want, what you mean, or what works for you.

The Sun enters your sign, kicking off the winter solstice, on December 21: Happy birthday! The solar spotlight is on you—people are paying attention to your moves, and they're excited by what you're planning to do next.

December 24 is an exciting but emotional day: Saturn in Sagittarius connects with Uranus in Aries on this date. You'll spend time processing and letting go of old baggage during this time. Letting go is hard, but Uranus, the official weirdo of the zodiac, is working with stability-loving Saturn in a positive way today, helping you be free of the past!

Jupiter in Libra will oppose Uranus in Aries on December 26, which will be one of the most intense days of the month. Unexpected—even shocking—things are happening in your home life, but your attention is also being pulled to your public life (your work and your reputation). This is an important time to be firm about boundaries, but also to take measured action. The vibe will be over-the-top dramatic, so stay grounded in reality. This is the tipping point of something big—I can't tell you what this means for your life, but listen to your intuition, Cap! You know a big change is ahead. What do you think it will be?

The month wraps up with a new moon in your sign on December 29. It's a cruel joke that the universe brought you a Mercury retrograde in your sign for the holidays, but a new moon brings new beginnings, and that can't be bad, can it? Well, you're the pessimist of the zodiac, so I probably shouldn't ask you. This is a wonderful time to reflect on your needs and desires. Your ability to manifest your dreams and magnetize your wishes is very potent at this time. Need a makeover? Want to dump someone? Want to be a new you? Now's the time—the new moon wants you to be reborn! A new cycle is beginning. Who will you be this time? See you next year, Cap!