Astrological Forecast for December 2023

December is such a wonderful time to celebrate joy in life.

It’s also a time when I have large discounts on my readings, Nava Graha Chanting and Astrological Reports. Click on my website at the end of this column and click on “Astrological Services” to see each discounted service.

Astrological Varieties celebrates its 30^th year in business. I just keep on going and going.

We start off December with Mercury moving into Capricorn. If you have Sun, Moon, rising or planets in Capricorn, you are communicating (Mercury) more carefully. Capricorns tend to be more on the serious side, but Mercury helps to clarify one’s communications effectively.

However, Mercury will station retrograde at eight degrees of Capricorn on December 13th, just after a new Moon so the conversations start to turn more within, and the goat may feel somewhat lost for words by the time Mercury moves into Sagittarius on December 23^rd.

Then Mercury will station direct at 22 degrees of Sagittarius on January 2nd, 2024, and be out of its shadow on January 21^st, 2024. This starts off 2024 with Mercury retrograde. The world is in deep reflection as to where 2024 is going in all areas of life.

Starting off a New Year with Mercury in deep retrograde can help people to search more from within for answers to life’s problems rather than blaming someone else outside of themselves. This is good for spiritual development. More people wanting to calm down inside themselves.

This shows lots of communication breakdowns (Mercury Retrograde) for the signs of Capricorn and Sagittarius. Capricorn’s will be in a no-fly zone with themselves between December 23^rd till January 14th, 2024, when Mercury moves back into Capricorn.

When you think of these two signs, they both reflect politics (Capricorn), and international communications (Sagittarius) are feeling kind of stuck.

If you have the Sun, Moon, rising or planets in Sagittarius, you are looking for ways to communicate that get your point across more effectively. You may find yourself taking up a new language at school. Students on all levels of education may feel reluctant to go back to begin the second half of their studies after the holiday vacations.

Venus moves into Scorpio on December 4^th, and this gives those with Sun, Moon, rising or planets in Scorpio more charm and the ability to attract more abundance till December 29, 2023. If you are single, you may attract a new romance in your life.

Neptune stations direct on December 6^th and this is good for Pisces since Neptune is the natural ruler of Pisces and has been in the sign of Pisces since April of 2011. This helps those who have Sun, Moon, rising or planets in Pisces to manifest their dreams until beginning of August 2024 when Neptune will station retrograde again.

Since Saturn is also in Pisces, this combination works perfect for the fish that wants to spend more time dreaming than working. Saturn wants Pisces to get their act together and take the well-defined dreams they have and put them into practical use by manifesting their dreams on Earth instead of just dreaming in the clouds.

Pisces can be clear now on what directions they want to take in their lives and create a plan to build on (Saturn) over the next 2 and a half years. 2024 looks very good for those with Pisces energies.

The new Moon is in Sagittarius on December 12^th at 20 degrees (06:32PM) EST. Sagittarius wants to start a new direction in their life and get ready for a new year. If you have the Sun, Moon, rising or planets in Sagittarius, you are ready to manifest what you desire.

One of the reasons for this is Mars, the physical manifester, is within 7 degrees of this new Moon in Sagittarius wanting to shoot for the stars with an arrow that has more force than normal.

Sagittarius tends to just say what comes out of their mouth and this can happen when Mars is involved. The squares to Neptune conjunct the MC shows a job change may be in store for Sagittarians. They may find that there are deceptions in the work environment that they would rather not put up with unless the pay is worth it.

They want more freedom in their creative expression so many people born under this optimistic sign which rules higher education may go back to school to add more talents on their resume or use those talents to go into business for themselves. This is a good time to make changes.

With both Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus retrograde, the financial life of Taurus is still walking on the conservative edge so watch your spending habits. This new Moon offers new ways of saving money till Jupiter and Uranus station direct over the next month or so.

There is not a lot of tension in this new Moon chart so hopefully international tensions are much less, and the world is feeling more balanced.

The Sun moves into Capricorn on December 21^st starting the Winter Solstice at 10:27PM EST. Happy Birthday to Capricorn’s.

Mercury moves into Sagittarius on December 23^rd keeping the optimistic energy alive for those born under this adventurous and intelligent sign. When Mercury moves into Sagittarius in retrograde motion on this day, Sagittarius is looking deeply into the larger-than-life questions. What is my purpose of being alive? They turn within more till January 14, 2024.

This month has so many religious celebrations since Hanukkah starts December 7^th, Christmas December 25^th and Kwanzaa begins on December 26^th on the full Moon in Cancer at 4 degrees at (7:33PM) EST.

Christmas Day the Moon will be very bright and at its peak on the evening of December 26^th. We need all the light we can get as this full Moon chart shows tension. Most of the tension is in the financial areas of life with Pluto opposing the ascendant and both square to Jupiter.

This combination shows families are concerned about the financial directions the world and America are taking. Just after the holidays, the credit card bills reflect a larger balance due.

This full Moon has the signs of Cancer and Capricorn opposing each other which is trying to balance domestic life (Cancer) with professional life (Capricorn). Mercury in deep retrograde motion can give everyone time to figure out where the balance is. This is good news.

America has finally ended its four Puto returns as of December 3^rd which started on February 20, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine in a way that was more forceful than in 2014.

With the North Node in Aries till January of 2025, 2024 will most likely see the continuation of wars. Aries is the warrior, and we have eclipses in 2024 that are mostly in Aries and Libra. I will talk more about this in my January column regarding some of the key planetary signatures in 2024.

Peace is found from within first. Humans must be healthy and at peace with themselves before we can have a peaceful world. I teach “Inner Grace Meditation” to find that peace that passeth all understanding deep within.

2024 is a great year to contribute some peace and silence to the world that has turned into a monster in so many countries and in so many ways. I’ve been meditating now for 45 years daily, twice a day, as my contribution to world peace. Join me in holding the light of peace and building a peaceful future for everyone.

Happy Holiday’s to everyone. All the best to you and your families.

Lou Valentino has been giving astrological consultations for over 30 years in both Western and Vedic astrology. To set up an appointment call him at 860-440-8610 and visit his website www.yogavisionaries.com  Also, visit his YouTube channel for free astrology classes, info on his kindle book available on Amazon and several of his musical compositions. (21) Louis Valentino - YouTube