We’re entering the last month of 2019, and it’s certainly not going to be a dull time. Let’s look at the planetary movements this month, what they mean for you, and some action steps you can take.

Regardless of your sign or what’s in your natal chart, we can all feel the influence of the planetary movements in our solar system. This varies from person to person, but at times it explains why we feel off one day and focused the next.

This changing influence is important to keep in mind because there’s a Dark Moon on December 25. For those who celebrate Christmas, this may feel like a very low key day when you just want to curl up at home.

Keep reading to learn more, and if you need any insight or guidance, you can always book a tarot reading by emailing kajoralovely@gmail.com.

December 2: Jupiter enters Capricorn

Expansion Comes with Structure & Discipline

It takes the planet Jupiter about one year to go through a single sign, and on Monday, December 2, 2019, Jupiter moves from the sign of Sagittarius to the sign of Capricorn. For the last year, Jupiter has been in its home sign of Sagittarius. Jupiter and Sagittarius are about expansion, exploration, philosophy, learning, and travel. These concepts correlate to the number 3, the number you get if you add up 2019, which dictates the theme of the year. The number 3 rules over expansion, and for many of you, this past year could have been about learning new things, exploring new horizons, having new experiences, and maybe even seeing certain things with a new perspective.

When Jupiter moves into Capricorn, it will be right before the beginning of 2020, which is a 4 year. The number 4 is about building stability and foundations, feeling more firmly rooted and therefore able to build. This mirrors the influence of Capricorn, which rules over structure and discipline. Sagittarius teaches us to expand our horizons and gives us more to learn, while Capricorn helps us take that knowledge and apply the lessons practically in our lives. Capricorn is a very diligent sign that embraces hard work.

Combined, Jupiter in Capricorn can help us make our dreams a reality. This combination has the potential to make us feel more stifled, but also help reign in the limitless possibilities that might have begun to feel overwhelming. Capricorn’s influence can help hone our ambition, showing us where we can best apply our skills and really put them to work. If you do feel stifled over the next year, ask yourself where you can really dig in and focus your attention and diligence.

December 9: Mercury enters Sagittarius

Beware of Foot-in-Mouth Disease

Mercury rules over communication, thoughts, contracts, technology, and short distance travel. This planet stays in a sign for about three to four weeks, unless it’s in retrograde, in which case, it’s longer. Fortunately, Mercury moves out of its post-retrograde shadow on Saturday, December 7, meaning communication, contracts, and technology should all run a bit more smoothly thereafter.

In Sagittarius, Mercury can be a bit quick and brash. Sagittarius is a Fire sign, so it’s quick to act and come up with new ideas, and its influence over the planet of communication could lead us to saying things we later regret. Since we’ll all be under this influence for the large part of December when things are already stressful and tense enough, remember to take a step back and think before you speak or act. If someone pushes your buttons and you want to say something you think later you might regret, revisit the issue with them after December 28, when Mercury is in a more reasoned sign.

December 12: Full Moon in Gemini

Chapters Closing, Relationship Lessons

On Thursday, December 12, the Full Moon will be in the sign of Gemini, which rules over partnerships, love, and thoughts. As an Air sign Gemini is a very mental sign, and we all may be feeling a bit in our heads during this time. Full Moons take place when the light of the Sun illuminates the entire moon, and since the Moon is ruled by water and emotions, each Full Moon affects us differently. Typically Full Moons mark a culmination point, and we may be feeling chapters close, especially around partnerships, communication, relationships, curiosity, optimism, restlessness, thoughts, and self-expression.

The moon is at its maximum energy point during a Full Moon, which makes it a good time to release anything we no longer want. The best way to do this is to write down all of the things you wish to release on a piece of paper, and then set it on fire in a controlled space. This is the last Full Moon of 2019, so this can be a powerful time to release any patterns, habits, or issues from the past year that you do not want to repeat in the year to come. It’s also a good time to release anything you no longer desire in your life related to relationships, love, friends, personal identity, or even in your relationship with yourself.

December 20: Venus enters Aquarius

Keeping Your Distance in Relationships Is Ok

Venus, the planet of love and the feminine, will be in the sign of Capricorn until Friday, December 20, when it moves into Aquarius. For the first part of December, we will be feeling very practical in terms of love. New relationships will be influenced by this calculated approach to what is actually best for us, not just what we want. When Venus moves into Aquarius on the 20th, we may be feeling kind and charitable toward others, but we will want to maintain our autonomy. Aquarius values its friendships, but it also includes a resistance to feeling overly emotional. So if you’re having trouble bonding with people or want to keep your distance, don’t worry if something is wrong with you—you might just be feeling this influence at the time.

December 21: Winter Solstice & Capricorn Season Starts

Winter Begins, Bringing Structure & Discipline

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the Sun reaches its weakest point and then begins to grow stronger in the sky again. For most of history, we relied entirely on the Sun for survival—there’s a reason why it’s the center of our galaxy. As the Sun gains strength again, the Earth comes back to life, leading us to its prime strength point when most crops in the Northern Hemisphere are growing and giving us the sustenance that will help us survive the next winter. Celebrating the Winter Solstice is a very old tradition, and was marked by the Romans with the festival of Saturnalia, and by Celts with celebrating Yule, among many others. These traditions were celebrated during the darkest time of the year with objects that embodied life, light, and abundance: trees and other greenery, lights such as candles, and presents to be exchanged between family and friends. Saturnalia honored the Roman god Saturn, who rules over the sign of Capricorn, whose season coincidentally begins on the same day.

Capricorn is a steadfast, disciplined, structured, and hardworking sign. It’s ruled by the planet Saturn, which has many of the same attributes, and together they rule over career, reputation, and standing in the community. It makes sense that Capricorn ushers in the season of winter—this season needs discipline and structure to survive the leanest parts of winter. During this time you may be feeling focused, ready to work on new projects and take them to the next level. The energy of this sign is very grounded and practical, and it’s a good time to prioritize action steps toward a goal. This influence explains why each New Year feels like the right time to organize the home, set New Year’s Resolutions, work out, eat healthy, and do all of the things that you feel or know you should be doing the rest of the year. Since Capricorn season only last through January 19, it’s no surprise we’re not all able to keep the discipline up, especially as we move on to the dreamy sign of Aquarius. If there’s something you wish to accomplish, Capricorn season is a great time to do it. If you need to write a business plan, draft a proposal, or write otherwise impose some structure into your life, now is the time to do it. Capricorn isn’t afraid to put its head down and get down to business, so if you’ve been struggling in that area, now is a great time to put the pedal to the metal.

December 25: The Dark Moon

Don’t Feel Bad if You Want to Stay Home and Do Nothing

There’s a chance this day will be very quiet this year. A Dark Moon is about three days long, and marks the time when no light from the Sun is reflected off the moon. This phase marks the end of a full moon cycle, the period of death before regeneration and renewal. As a result, it’s a time for introspection, meditation, and self-reflection.

Translation: It’s a good time to be by yourself. This is where things could get tricky—it’s Christmas Day after all, and if you’re meant to spend it with other people, it might be a bit hard when all you want to do is curl up and journal. What you do on this day is entirely up to you, but again, if you don’t feel like going out or being part of a big celebration, don’t feel bad if you opt to stay home.

Alternatively, you could plan for an intimate get together on this day. Since this is the most introspective phase of the moon, it’s also a time that you could spend with people who know you well, who you feel safe and supported with. Keep in mind that with Venus in Aquarius, you may be feeling more standoffish than usual.

Here’s my two cents: Do what you need, and don’t feel bad about it. So many people I know and speak to talk about how they feel guilty for doing certain things or not being around certain people. If you’re not feeling it, you're simply not feeling it, and it’s ok to share that with the people closest to you and express what would make you feel comfortable. Doing something out of guilt or feeling guilty about your choices is not a good way to feel on the holidays, and it really isn’t necessary.

If you don’t celebrate Christmas, this day will most likely be a quiet one. You can plan in advance by getting groceries to make a comforting meal, plan a nice walk or outdoor outing, or even line up the shows you’ve been meaning to watch. Make this day about you. For those that practice magic, meditation, or divination, today is a great day to do all of those things. You could run yourself a salt bath, do some shamanic journeying, or even put together tools you’ll want to use in the future for divination, scrying, trance work, and meditation.

The moon will also move from the sign of Sagittarius to Capricorn at 1:44 p.m. PST, so you may feel a shift from excitement to feeling focused and calm. It’s not necessarily a bad thing—the moon is simply moving in preparation for the New Moon the following day. But it’s moving from a fiery sign to a reserved one, so you might find the overall energy calms down a bit during the day.

December 26: New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Capricorn

Set Intentions for Your Career, New Beginnings

The New Moon takes place when the first sliver of light appears on the moon’s surface. This is a time for new beginnings, and in the sign of Capricorn, it’s the perfect time to set new intentions regarding work, career, discipline, and structure, especially for the new year. It’s the last New Moon of 2019, so it’s an ideal time to think about what new things you want in your life for the coming year.

There will also be a Solar Eclipse this day, meaning the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun. It will be mainly visible in parts of Saudi Arabia, southern India, and Indonesia, and in North America we should be able to see a ring of light around the moon as it passes in front of the Sun. The energy around Solar Eclipses can feel like endings and new beginnings, and you may feel an internal shift on this day.

December 28: Mercury enters Capricorn

Communication Turns Practical & Methodical

When Mercury enters Capricorn at 8:54 pm PST on Saturday, December 28, it will be joining the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in this sign. This means the way we communicate will be influenced by the aspects of Capricorn: structured, disciplined, determined, focused, methodical, and work-oriented. Mercury will stay in this sign until Thursday, January 16, and this period of time is great for setting our sights on our goals for 2020. Just keep in mind that what seems reasonable during Capricorn season might seem impossible to keep up the rest of the year, but the idea is to lay down the general structure for what you wish to accomplish in any aspect of your life.

December 31: New Year’s Eve with Five Planets in Capricorn

Set Your Sights On What You Want to Build in 2020

This year will end during a Waxing Moon, meaning there’s a growing energy at this time. We’ll be leaving a 3 year behind, where we learned new things and gained new insight from all of our experiences. We will be entering a 4 year, with the potential to create new stability and structure in our lives, and put down roots for whatever we want to accomplish.

There’s a lot of energy you can tap into during this time if you wish. One exercise is to write down the experiences you’ve had this past year and the individual lessons that came with them. We’re moving from an energy of expansion to one of structure, and applying the individual lessons could serve you well in the year to come. Coupled with starting the year in Capricorn season, you could begin the year with a clear burst of energy or insight on how to make things happen in a certain area of your life. I suggest you use this energy while it lasts, and set down the foundations and structure while they’re on your mind. Even if it comes at a strange time or on a strange day, listen to the insight as it comes to you. Write down what you’re thinking and refer to it later. Some great opportunities and change may be coming before you.

If you need any additional insight or guidance, you can always book a tarot reading with Kajora Lovely. These can be done in person in Long Beach, California, over the phone, or sent to you in a detailed email. Readings are $2 per minute, and can be paid with cash, card, or Venmo. To book your reading, email kajoralovely@gmail.com. If you’re not sure what questions you’d like to have answered, check out Kajora Lovely’s Tarot Readings that are available any time of the year.

December 2019: Planetary Forecast