A Winter Solstice chart bursting with life-affirming opportunities highlights the second half of December. A Grand Cross lasting 3+ months begins, inviting you to embody special qualities of the asteroid goddess Pallas Athena.

A Full Moon in Cancer invites personal reinvention. And two distinctive aspect patterns – an Envelope and a Double Thor’s Hammer – beckon with their own unique opportunities to make your life more wonderful!

Click astrology graphics to see larger images.

Some resource links occur more than once. This is because many people link to a specific day’s forecast from social media, and might not see an important resource link elsewhere on this page.

12/16 (Sun)

Your relationships can enjoy more stability with Venus sextile Saturn (9°34′ Scorpio-Capricorn). This also supports taking a carefully considered, systematic approach toward positive transformation with those you’re close to.

This sextile also supports productivity in your creative output and taking a realistic look at your finances.

12/17 (Mon)

Double Thor’s Hammer Begins: Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune-North Node

You have over a month to forge life-affirming opportunities from a Double Thor’s Hammer featuring Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and the North Node. It starts today (12/17), peaks on 1/7 and ends on 1/25. Possibilities include:

• stride forth on your personal quest, in alignment with your heart-directed higher purpose, as guided by your intuition
• let challenge inspire you to think big and align more with your enthusiasm
• be open to shifts in your beliefs, aligning you more fully with your reasons for being alive
• new energy for higher learning, foreign travel or teaching things that make life more wonderful!

---

Your vital juices can flow hot and strong with Mars sextile Pluto (20°6′ Pisces-Capricorn). This smooth, energetic connection can amp up athletics, leadership, sexuality (standard and tantric), and your power to initiate. With Mars in Pisces, there’s also plenty of juju for spiritual practices and expressing your inspired creativity.

12/19 (Wed)

Old wounds are more likely to get triggered with the Sun square Chiron (27°56′ Sagittarius-Pisces). With the Sun in Sagittarius, work with these emotional triggers calmly to avoid unnecessary drama. The square also empowers you to support others with your mentoring and healing gifts.

---

There’s Law of Attraction magic in the air as Mars quintiles Saturn (21°58′ Pisces-9°58′ Capricorn). This “fairy dust” aspect also supports inspired action, sacred sexuality and embodied awakening.

12/20 (Thu)

Hoist your freak flag to the top of the flagpole as the Sun trines Uranus (28°43′ Sagittarius-Aries). With the Sun in no-holds-barred Sagittarius, this is an especially “out and proud” energy.

This flowing aspect makes it easy to enjoy paradigm shifts in your spiritual understanding and wisdom sharing. And it’s great for a high-energy party that encourages everyone to celebrate their uniqueness!

12/21 (Fri)

Winter Solstice

Sun in Capricorn

The Sun enters Capricorn at 5:23 PM EST, marking the official start of winter. For the next month, the energy of Capricorn is highlighted: mature, productive and responsible. Plan the work, work the plan, and use your time wisely. Embody the “wise elder” archetype if you’re ready.

Avoid Capricorn’s low expressions, including workaholism, emotional coldness, and believing that the ends justify the means.

Winter Solstice Chart

The Winter Solstice chart gives us a sense of the next quarter’s potentials. I’ll interpret it without considering houses so that it applies equally to everyone, no matter what country you live in. The chart is drawn for 12/21/18, 5:22:38 PM EST, Washington DC.

This chart’s most striking message is a super-tight Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius, exact to 1/5 of a degree. This empowers you to broadcast your message to the world with maximum enthusiasm!

It’s even better if your message is in service to a higher cause, as suggested by these planets’ very tight sextile to Vesta … or is in alignment with your soul purpose, as shown by Mercury and Jupiter’s minor hard aspects to the lunar nodes.

A Venus-Neptune trine makes it easier to deepen your relationship with your higher self, connect with the divine essence of other beings, and enjoy an easy wellspring of inspired creativity. A smooth flow of prosperity and abundance is also available, especially if you call it in using a creative visualization tool such as the Law of Attraction.

Mars forms a wide T-square with the Sun and Moon, energizing you to stride forth boldly with your new initiatives. But be careful to avoid rash action. With Mars in Pisces, it could be easy to act impulsively under a misguided belief.

Chiron squares the Sun, conjoins Mars and sesquares Venus, creating a high likelihood of events that might somehow wound or trigger you. (A Pluto-South Node conjunction further amplifies this challenging theme.) Are you willing to take responsibility for your emotions? If so, and if you use a quick and effective shadow work tool such as my Healing Invocation, you can use each trigger to peel another layer of your “Great Onion of Consciousness.”

I no longer live in fear of challenging catalyst, now that I’ve experienced how facing it skillfully always deepens my spiritual awakening! These Chiron aspects can also help you hone your abilities as a healer or mentor.

In the Winter Solstice chart, Neptune aspects every planet through Saturn except Mars. It’s an even mix of soft and hard aspects, so your volition will powerfully affect its expression. Will you take it to the high side by focusing on spiritual awakening practices and expressing your inspired creativity? Or will you go low through substance abuse, excessive escapism, aimless drifting or doing the victim/perpetrator relationship dance?

The final universal aspect that caught my eye is a T-square featuring Uranus, Pluto and the lunar nodes. This invites you to embrace whatever level of revolutionary transformation is needed to align your thoughts and actions with your soul purpose. With the South Node in Capricorn and the North Node in Cancer, this could well involve the journey from your head to your heart.

Your higher self speaks most clearly in your heart chakra (Cancer). How fully can you align your worldly efforts (Capricorn) with this infallible inner guidance?

---

Two aspects are exact today: a Mercury-Jupiter conjunction (9°34′ Sagittarius) and a Venus-Neptune trine (13°53′ Scorpio-Pisces ). Click the links for their meanings within the Winter Solstice interpretation.

12/22 (Sat)

Cancer Full Moon

2018’s final lunation, lining up less than 24 hours after the Winter Solstice, is a Full Moon at 12:48 PM EST (0°49′ Cancer). Any Cancer Full Moon is a great time for release or adjustment in your home, family, security and shadow work.

Aspects

The Full Moon’s tightest aspect is its only soft one: a sextile to Uranus. What adjustments will help you express yourself more authentically, follow your intuitive flashes, and serve others using your favorite talents?

The Moon’s remaining Ptolemaic aspects – squares to Chiron and Mars and a loose Saturn opposition – present a more challenging picture. The aggressive or controlling actions of others could catalyze challenging emotions within you. If so, as I mentioned in yesterday’s Winter Solstice interpretation, you can use a shadow work tool such as my free Healing Invocation to clear those ancient injuries once and for all.

The farther along you are in your own healing process, the easier it is to use these aspects in a life-affirming way. The Chiron square can help you take your work as a healer or mentor to the next level. The square from Piscean Mars can help you take the action steps needed to turn your dreams into reality. And the Saturn opposition can help you step more fully into your “wise elder” maturity, effectiveness and responsibility.

Finally, the Moon makes sesquares to Venus and Ceres in Scorpio. Which relationships make you feel abused and tear down your self-esteem? Conversely, which relationships make you feel more valuable and empowered? Release, heal or deepen them accordingly.

Sabian Symbol

This Moon’s Sabian Symbol is, “On a ship the sailors lower an old flag and raise a new one.” This image, symbolic of personal reinvention, perfectly fits the transformative power of this Full Moon. What parts of your life are “flagging”? What release or adjustment in those areas would serve your highest good? How would it make your life more wonderful to raise new or partially expressed aspects of yourself into new prominence?

Grand Cross Begins: Pallas-Uranus-Pluto-Lunar Nodes

You have a luxuriously long amount of time – 3-1/2 months! – to cultivate the finer qualities of Pallas Athena within yourself. That’s how long her Pallas-Uranus-Pluto-Lunar Nodes Grand Cross endures. It begins today (12/22), peaks on 1/13 and ends on 4/4.

Which attributes of this asteroid goddess would you like to embody more fully?

• wisdom
• courage
• strategy
• practical creativity
• a tactful, diplomatic warrior
• more defensive by nature, but will go for the jugular if necessary
• well-developed political and negotiating skills

Uranus and Pluto are this T-square’s other physical members. They’ve been the prime astrological catalysts for the radical changes we’ve experienced in this tumultuous decade. Their energy of revolutionary transformation isn’t quite the fire-breathing dragon it was earlier in the ’10s. Their waning square will get no closer than a 7° orb in February, and they’ll separate by as much as 15° later in 2019.

But don’t count the Uranus-Pluto square out yet. We’ll feel its influence through 2020, and this dynamic duo still has the power to bring “big change fast.” Within this T-square, they add electricity, support from intuitive flashes, and their trademark energy of revolutionary transformation to whatever qualities of Pallas you choose to cultivate.

The final members of this Grand Cross are the Capricorn South Node and the Cancer North Node. On the most basic level, this “axis of destiny” asks that you work with this aspect pattern, to the best of your ability, in alignment with your soul purpose. Take the practical steps that are needed (Capricorn), while striving to infuse them with nurturing and love (Cancer).

Envelope Begins: Ceres-Juno-Chiron-Pluto-Lunar Nodes

An Envelope – which you can think of as a Grand Trine with two Kite points – begins today (12/22). This auspicious aspect pattern peaks on 1/19 and ends on 2/8. This Envelope invites you to “seal the deal” on any of the following opportunities:

• Flowing support for healing in committed partnerships
• increasing your service and/or visibility as a healer or mentor
• enhanced financial opportunity, especially if working with a professional partner, or working in committed partnership with your customers or clients
• with the South and North Nodes in Capricorn and Cancer, all of the above is supported with a balance of practicality and love.

12/23 (Sun)

Whatever’s wonderful about your committed partnerships receives easy empowerment under a Pluto-Juno trine (20°19′ Capricorn-Taurus). This smooth aspect is in orb for almost two months, through 2/16. If your committed partnership is sexual, this is a great opportunity to amp up tantric ecstasy by merging both your energetic and physical bodies.

You may also get shadow work triggers. After all, Pluto is lord of the underworld and ruler of psychology. But this trine gives you the opportunity to work with your challenging emotions harmoniously … especially if you’re up to speed on techniques such as my free Healing Invocation and the 4-part Nonviolent Communication Process.

This aspect is part of the Ceres-Juno-Chiron-Pluto-Lunar Nodes Envelope that started on 12/22.

---

States of spiritual euphoria are easier to attain as the Sun quintiles Neptune (1°55′ Capricorn-13°55′ Pisces). With the Sun in Capricorn, this magical aspect also supports embodied awakening and Law of Attraction manifestation.

12/24 (Mon)

The square of Sagittarian Mercury and Neptune (13°57′ Sagittarius-Pisces) could lead to unfocused rambling, especially if you’ve had a bit too much holiday eggnog. You can open up this aspect’s more helpful potentials by keeping a clear head and calling in a flow of intuitive wisdom from your higher self. Morph flexibly between the roles of student and teacher to serve the highest good of all.

12/25-27 (Tue-Thu)

The planets are taking a holiday break, with no major astrology events on Christmas or the the two days afterward.

12/28 (Fri)

Pluto squares Pallas Athena today (20°28′ Capricorn-Libra). This aspect is best understood in the context of the Pallas-Uranus-Pluto-Lunar Nodes Grand Cross that started on 12/22.

---

Opportunities for wealth enhancement are harmoniously energized with a Venus-Pluto sextile (20°29′ Scorpio-Capricorn). Wealth could be money, or anything else that you value. This aspect also energizes sacred sex, positive relationship transformation and enhanced creative juju.

12/29 (Sat)

Ready to dive into some juicy personal healing processes? You have plenty of support from a Mars-Chiron conjunction (28°4′ Pisces). With Mars in Pisces, hold a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and invoke energetic support from your higher power. This conjunction also adds potency to your own work as a healer or mentor.

12/30 (Sun)

Enhanced abundance is smoothly energized by a Pluto-Ceres sextile (20°33′ Capricorn-Scorpio). This aspect can also smoothly support healing work around challenging themes such as loss and sorrow.

This aspect is part of the Ceres-Juno-Chiron-Pluto-Lunar Nodes Envelope that started on 12/22.

12/31 (Mon)

Today’s Pluto-Juno trine (20°34′ Capricorn-Taurus) is central to the meaning of the Ceres-Juno-Chiron-Pluto-Lunar Nodes Envelope that started on 12/22. Please refer to that interpretation to understand this aspect in its larger context.

---

It’s always nice to start off the new year with a bang … which is probably why we explode fireworks at that special moment. The sky provides its own New Year’s kickoff energy as Mars enters Aries, where he remains through 2/14. Both the planet and sign fuel bold new beginnings, so they stand ready to energize your New Year’s resolutions.

Mars and Aries sometimes jump the gun, and this potent sign entry happens at 9:20 PM EST … about three hours before the new year arrives. But that means that this sign entry is already warmed up, primed and ready to help you charge into 2019!

---

Whatever your Sun Sign, my forecasts can help you make the best use of the current astrological energies.

All dates and times are in the U.S. eastern time zone. Events are most powerful on the dates listed, but their influence will be active for at least a week before and after.

Everyone is affected by these global transits. However, you’ll be most powerfully impacted when moving planets activate sensitive points in your natal chart. Discover how these transits will personally affect you by booking a session with me.

Learn more about my Astrology+ sessions.