December 2nd-8th: Imagination Sparked

This week kicks off with the visibly largest full moon of the year, a true super moon in the constellation of Taurus. If you check the skies Saturday night as the moon rises, it will likely look extremely large on the horizon (provided there isn’t cloud cover to hide it!). The sun remains in the sidereal sign of Scorpio and so this full moon is in the sidereal sign of Taurus. This is a time for gathering our resources, and preparing ourselves for the next stage. Much of this will be very physical and tangible in nature, i.e. gathering supplies for our next project, finding the funds necessary to purchase a car or home (or even much smaller things), and building the relationships and connections we need to make these things a reality. There may be some resistance to working with others, since Scorpio keeps things hidden and closed off by default. The Taurean grounding allows us to step out of our comfort zones a little and try something that we may not have dared to in the past. This will allow us to travel further than we believed possible.

On Sunday the 3rd, Mercury’s retrograde cycle begins. Mercury is currently in the Sagittarius constellation, which it entered on November 24th. The effect of the past week of Sagittarian Mercury has brought a renewed energy and mental stamina. We may have found it difficult to relax, or to quiet a curious mind. Mercury will halt in its place at 6 degrees Sagittarius, and will begin the illusion of moving backward across the backdrop of the night sky. The key word here is illusion. Illusions can be very persistent in this world, and can feel extremely real in nature. Mercury will cycle back into Scorpio, retracing its path all the way to 19 degrees Scorpio. This retrograde cycle will cover 17 degrees of the zodiac and will complete on December 22nd. As with any retrograde cycle, the issues that tend to come up are mirrors of issues we just seemed to have gotten through. Mercury’s area of focus tends to be on communication, memory and technology. He deals with anything that is being passed from one place to another (typically intangible but sometimes not). This process gets slowed down a bit during this time, and with all the cultural focus on Mercury retrograde, we tend to exacerbate this period even more. Mercury throws up illusions that remind us of issues we have yet to overcome in ourselves. Impatience tends to be the biggest one for most of us during these periods, but you may find different variations on this theme for yourself and those closest to you. We will continue to discuss Mercury retrograde in the next two forecasts, but this week be aware of your tendency to want to push forward frantically in order to get immediate results. This is the first trap that Mercury throws out for us, and can be overcome by going against the instinct and moving with a slow and steady pace. This will alter quite a bit by next week, when Mercury re-enters Scorpio, so this chaotic energy should only be an issue over the next several days.

The Geminid meteor shower begins this week on Monday the 4th, though it will not reach its peak until the 13th. If you search the skies in the middle of the night, you may be able to see some dust trails from the meteors that trace back to the Gemini constellation.

On Friday the 8th, Jupiter becomes the brightest point in the early morning sky. Jupiter is currently transiting the Libra constellation, and will be visible clearly about three hours before sunrise. Jupiter’s appearance heralds the coming of the Sun into Sagittarius next week, and provides an expansive look into our own imaginations. Jupiter’s prominence is a good omen for travelers and for those who seek to explore through knowledge or spirituality. Jupiter’s appearance bodes well for those interested in using this time (about three hours before dawn) for lucid dreaming, astral travel or for simply getting up to study. Knowledge soaks in easier during this period.