Astrological Forecast for November & December 2012

We’ve been hearing about December, 2012 for years, and it’s finally here. My bet is that the world won’t end (who’s gonna be around to say anything about it if I’m wrong?), but it sure may feel like it at some points, as the cosmic energy surges through November and December.

The first two weeks of the month are in soft focus, as we have a number of things going on in the skies that can have us running through a dense haze chasing distant echoes. It could be a time when we feel lost in the woods, or in a fog at sea. Yet the energy is very high: these are no doldrums, the wind is blowing and we see flashes of lightning and hear rumbles of thunder.

Casting a veil over everything else this month, Mercury is retrograde from the 6th through the 26th. The usual caveats apply for the time that the Messenger is backpedaling: try to avoid signing contracts, buying computers, software, or cars, etc. To make matters even more interesting, the 6th is Election Day in the United States, and you may recall a similar astrological pattern in 2000. That year, Mercury stationed at the very hour the polls closed on the East Coast, while this time around he stops in his tracks almost two and a half hours beforehand. Nonetheless, the cosmic resonance is clearly (or unclearly) suggestive of contested election results.

But Mercury isn’t the only planet capable of obscuring things, and Neptune stations to retrograde on the 11th, making for several days when we may feel quite spaced out. It’s a great time to get in touch with your dreams and psychic abilities. It’s also a wonderful time to meditate and otherwise find your way to higher levels of reality. On the flip side, practical decisions of the brick-and-mortar variety are likely to be challenging at this time. We can feel inspired to conquer the world, but set off on our journey with a magnet next to our compass.

Two days later, the New Moon on the 13th is a Solar Eclipse, visible only in the Southern Hemisphere. In the sign of Scorpio, it brings our attention to matters of transformation. On a material level, financial issues are likely to be prominent around this time. On every level, we can feel stretched and stressed to the limit by conditions we recognize do not serve us, but which we are nevertheless reluctant to change.

Now, Solar Eclipses usually represent a kind of implosion of energy – we feel pressured from all sides. With Saturn in Scorpio, that pressured feeling is likely to be quite strong. Of course, when you feel such tension, it’s natural to want to act, to find release. And here is where we can run into trouble, as retrograding Mercury and Neptune square each other, creating a maze of confusion. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t act – but the information you get around this time may be of uncertain origin, or just plain wrong. The combination of an eclipse with an inspiring Neptune station can also rile up our enthusiasm in ways that may not be entirely healthy. Take a deep breath.

If you do decide to go forward (or whatever direction it is), a sextile between Mars and Neptune on the 17th is likely to give you an extra burst of enthusiasm. Mars is in Capricorn from the 16th onward, signifying directed action.

We seem to get our share of energized Thanksgivings lately, and this year is certainly one of them, as Mars squares Uranus in the early hours of November 23rd, energizing the days before and after. Mars and Uranus represent an explosive combination that is likely to trigger the changes that were set at the eclipse on the 13th, as well as the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square that dominates the years 2012 to 2015.

Mars continues to dominate our collective consciousness as he meets up with Pluto on the 27th, less than a day before the Full Moon Eclipse on the 28th. That ties the time between the 23rd and the 28th into an action-packed weekend. It is almost impossible to resist change at this time, as our energy is directed out into the world. Hopefully, you’ve been able to decide what you want to create in your life and what has to be let go of, and are ready to act. Free-floating energy could be a problem at this time, as we may lash out at random targets in order to express our frustration. That could be amplified with Mercury stationing to go direct on the 26th, presenting challenges to movement and communication. You may need to push your agenda through, with others offering resistance. The eclipse is not visible in the Wisdom area, by the way, but if you take your magazine to the West or Asia, you can get a look at it.

November offers us a charged but mixed bag of cosmic energy: movement and change seem almost inevitable, but we may be tempted to act on faulty information. We could also experience an overload of fantasy, buying into solutions to our problems that seem inspired at the time, but really play to baser emotions. Watch out for people in your personal life as well as in society at large who are beating the drums to muster enthusiasm for dubious projects.

After a November that is so astrologically active, could December offer the same level of energy? It is hardly a mellow month, but we may actually feel that the intensity backs off a bit. It’s not that things aren’t happening, but in many ways what we’ll be seeing is the energies of November playing out in December. The direction having been set, we head down the road we have chosen, for good or ill.

The Sun opposes Jupiter on the 2nd. This aspect can help us to gather the faith and courage we need to move towards our soul’s purpose, but it can also stoke the fires of egotism. What is needed at this time is creative selfishness, the determination to follow our true calling, yet without demanding approval or consent from others, and with a tolerance for letting them follow their path, as well. It isn’t the selfishness of "to hell with you" but the recognition that we cannot be there for others if we are not there for ourselves first.

Mercury is direct, and he again squares Neptune on December 11th. Quite possibly, issues that were unresolved around November 13th will be cleared up or otherwise resolved now. However, for new matters that emerge, take this as a one-day Mercury retrograde.

The high point of astrological action in December comes on the 13th, as Uranus stations to move direct on the day of the New Moon. This is a powerful seeding time for further transformation. To the extent that we’ve been holding back energy, we come to a point where it wants to be released. A creative trine between Mercury and Uranus the next day offers a great opportunity to express your ideas and get things moving. If the Neptunian energy of November got you off to a false start, this is a prime time to course-correct and get on track.

The big day, December 21st, 2012, marks the winter solstice. Literally and symbolically, the light begins to grow as the Sun begins his climb northwards. Perhaps it marks a collective turning point, a moment when we reach a nadir, when we hit bottom and, like the sun, begin to move towards greater light.

Let’s hope that we have chosen wisely and can see the way to a better future. As December ends, the Sun triggers the Uranus-Pluto square as the Full Moon in Cancer on the 28th ramps up our collective energy and perhaps brings security issues to light. Like most of the last two months of 2012, this is a high-energy time when we will have to live with the consequences of choices we have made: this year, in our lifetimes, and in the eons leading up to the present.