My Chart for December Monthly Horoscope

Chart for the December 2018 monthly horoscope is the Cancer Full Moon on the winter solstice. Extra points include asteroids, centaurs, Kuiper belt objects and several hypothetical points.

For a Full Moon chart, the place to start the search for relevant extra points is what makes an aspect to the Moon or the Sun. Notably, they are in the first degrees of Cancer and Capricorn; the Full Moon happens just as the Sun is at its southern solstice, with its rays shining directly onto the Tropic of Capricorn.

A lunation on a solstice is a significant event, packing abundant energy. The Moon-Sun cycle reaches a peak just as the celestial machine is reversing directions. Many people will be brought into whatever events occur; this relates to how both of the luminaries are making an aspect to the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries).

The energy of this Full Moon is also illustrated by the Sun’s conjunction to the centaur Pholus (the second-ever planet in this class, discovered in 1992). Pholus is the energy of the uncontrolled release or the runaway reaction. Think of it as letting a genie out of a bottle. The other side to Pholus is the small cause with a big effect. [Here is my best Pholus article.]

Remember that Capricorn is the sign most associated with government and the stability of society. It’s under quite a bit of pressure to change right now. Whatever world events or political events this chart represents, they seem to happen right in the run-up to Christmas weekend.

For those interested in my personal-level interpretation, the monthly horoscope is below.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Certain professional aspirations seem destined to take off, and take you interesting places. Yet you must not be led by ambition, blind or otherwise. Rather, guiding forces such as ethics and wisdom will serve you much better. That’s a lot to ask these days, when it appears we live on crumbling structures, of intellect, of identity, and of tradition. There now no longer seems like a right way to do things; a right way to live. This is part of a larger problem where it looks like nothing actually matters. However, in times of radical change and instability, such as we live in now, you must have a code that you live by. At the moment, the focus of astrology is on the responsibility and reputation angle of your chart, which is Capricorn (your solar 10th house). There are two seemingly competing drives at work. One says push all limits and don’t worry about the rules. The other says keep your focus, respect boundaries, and use a traditional approach. Included here is honoring the flow of time, and not being in too big of a rush to make something happen. You will do better following this approach. The rapid-action placement (Pholus in Capricorn) will be a factor no matter what. It’s a kind of accelerant, in the sense of both time and fire. Under those conditions, it’s essential that you be able to apply the brakes and maintain some control over your own development. Other factors are guiding you to tap into the wisdom of your spiritual path, and remember that there is a difference between right and wrong, and that difference matters. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — If you want to make changes, the place to start is with your mind. One would think that thought is the most flexible element of all, though humans struggle with this. Yet at the moment, curiosity is driving you to see the world in new ways, to question your preconceptions, and to take chances with ideas. This is not something that you’ll be doing in an intellectual spiritual vacuum, like a yogi sitting in a cave. Rather, others will play a role in seeding your thoughts, through their example and through open-ended conversations. Have as many of those as possible, where the purpose is not to drive to a conclusion or a point, but rather to go in through the narrow end of a funnel and come out the wide end. Consider possibilities that might not be true, or that might be absurd. Consider ideas just because they seem interesting or beautiful. You’re someone who respects what scholars call canonical thinking — established wisdom. This is one of your strongest suits, and something people depend on you for. Now you get to experience something else, which is pushing the limits on what is already known and accepted. As for the “already known and accepted” angle, that’s sometimes called consensus reality. It has a way of blocking perception of deeper, wider or otherwise more relevant levels of thinking. What you want is to perceive existence as it is now, not as it was believed to be in the past. Bring some courage to the adventure. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — When people meet and connect, there’s that transcendent moment — and then the details need to be worked out. Those might be the arrangements of a partnership, or of a business development, or of a family. Often, when the relationship is vibrant and daring, the sticking point is addressing the inhibition that seems to haunt humanity, and which often gets in the way of your dreams. What is this about, really? Well, we have a lot of resistance programmed into us. It might come across as guilt, as fear, as “commitment” blocking one’s ability to act on desire. It might feel like moralism or virtue or the desire to conform to someone or something seemingly outside yourself. These tendencies are transmitted many different ways: environmentally (often in childhood, and many other times), through our genetic code, and through this elusive thing called karma. Yet it all comes home to roost in the here and now, where we experience our feelings, make decisions, and seek to explore creativity and desire. One thing is sure: we hear a lot of “I wish I had not held back.” Many people wish that in the past they had not resisted so much. At the moment, there are seemingly competing internal factors influencing you. One is striving to push you past your boundaries. The other appears to be applying the brakes, and compelling you to slow down, lest you go out of control. Here’s a question. Do you get any pleasure from holding back? Is this in some way an expression of your desire? If so, how is that serving you? And what would happen if you surrender to your desire, and it works out beautifully? Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Many of the questions of your life involve who is willing to take responsibility for what. These, of course, begin with you. And your perspective is subjective, from your point of view. You see the world as you see it, and you’re mature enough to know that other people see the world differently. However, to get anything done, different people have to agree on what needs to happen and what to do about it — and this is currently leading to a global crisis. This is starting to feel a little like what’s called a Texas League hit — a fly ball that lands between two outfielders, who both either thought the other one had it, or were afraid to collide. Yet there is much more going on. These days, taking a little responsibility implies taking total responsibility. We are told, over and over, that failure to do our part (recycle, conserve fuel, vote) will result in global disaster. For many people, potentially you, this weighs heavily on their conscience. Yet we also know that our individual actions don’t really matter, because the world and its problems are so big. People are more likely to think they will win the Powerball than they are to develop a technological or spiritual breakthrough that solves some seemingly insurmountable world problem. In fact, it would seem that most people need heaps of encouragement to think they might solve a personal problem. I am here to tell you that you are part of the solution, and that it doesn’t involve your recycling bin. It involves making a discovery about how you relate to others, and how people relate to one another. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Here are two questions that are really the same: What is sex, and what is art? We could ask another way: what does it mean to be human? What art and sex have in common is that they change the world in ways nothing else can. They change us, each of us, in ways that nothing else can. By change, I mean create, recreate, and draw into new territory (in both senses of the word draw). For everything that exists in the human realm, there is a drawing; and for everything that was created, the draw of sex was in the picture at some point, since that is where we all come from. The source of your consciousness and the source of your ideas are the same mystery, which point us inward toward the same source. And this source is burning brightly now, urging you to consider new possibilities, to express yourself from the inside out, to follow your curiosity, and to experiment. This is, however, so terrifying to so many people that it’s often avoided. I don’t mean to overstate the case; when you tap into your inner source, you let go of what you “know for certain” and something unfamiliar enters your awareness. Something within you is born and takes on a life of its own. At the moment, one of the undefined crises of the human race is the misuse of creative power. Too often, it’s used destructively and maliciously. Here is where your freedom of choice enters; here is where your personal ethics must guide your ability to make the world. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You may fear that once you start to let go of your inhibitions and dive into your feelings, you won’t be able to stop. You might have this sensation that you’ll unleash the furies or start a fire you can’t control. Yet to really be alive is a kind of runaway reaction, and that may be just what you need to get beyond the various bindings and attachments that seem to hold you back. This is the same stuff that prevented you from having the kind of fun you wanted as a child. It’s related to the feeling of having grown up too soon. This is the same place your true inner artist and lover may feel trapped; and where you feel your curiosity is inhibited. You’ve made more progress setting yourself free than you may imagine. One thing to bear in mind is that whatever it is you’re liberating yourself from is old, by which I mean many generations old. If you don’t think of it as your personal material, but rather as something you inherited, it will be easier to handle. Think of it as a house you inherited, with all its stuff in the attic and ghosts running around and liquor bottles in the closet, with a few drops left in each. You can do anything you want with the place, though it helps if you remember that you didn’t build it, and you didn’t put all that stuff there. You also don’t have to live there. Then there’s the other side to this: there will be things of value that you want, though you will need to do some rummaging to find them. That will be worth your while. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — In the matter of whether you feel safe on the planet, you are tapping into family material that goes back to the dawn of time. If you feel it’s up to you to bring an end to many issues that have been a problem going down the generations, you’re on the right track. Yet your mental posture is essential to your success. You must decide for yourself that healing and resolution are actually possible. If you have some idea that the problem is unsolvable, or that you are impacted in a way you cannot reverse, you’re unlikely to succeed. That’s the place to begin to work out whatever you may be facing, particularly issues that have some origin in your family and which impact you directly. How you define the problem will be key to the solution. To solve any problem, it must be expressed in such a way that it’s subject to your intervention, so spend some time doing this. Notice where your language is self-defeating; study the words you use to describe yourself. Pay attention to the role guilt and shame may be playing. This could be the very binding that is holding everything together. Study where alcohol has played a role, and how it may be influencing you, whether directly, or indirectly through others. Above all else, monitor and work with your state of mind. An open mind is a channel for intelligence. Use time wisely; don’t expect to resolve everything immediately. Some things will take years; some will take days; some will take a moment, because the thing that matters most is a decision. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You’re finally starting to get a grip on your finances, though this has other implications. Your money is an expression of your power, and what you do with it is a statement to yourself about your priorities. This is not as complicated as you often make it out to be, though one essential factor is that you be in a position where you’re not drowned by the opinions of others. Your values must guide you. You will recognize what’s really your idea because it’s intelligent, it’s relatively simple, and it feels good. If you experience anguish, the chances are that you’re trying to live through someone else’s priorities. Let that be the sign to back off and re-evaluate what you’re doing and what decisions you’re making. You’ve spent much of this year in a process of untangling or at least in some way distinguishing yourself from the values of your family and possibly other communities or groups as well. You know what you value, and you also have a sense of where others are coming from. These things matter. Your ability to stand apart from others is one of the most crucial strengths required for being an honest person. Integrity means that you are true to yourself, based on careful evaluation. There are no shortcuts here. And it will never suit you to have to deceive others about the most intimate aspects of your life, your healing process, or your deepest needs. If you must, leave people out of the conversation. But when you speak, speak truly. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You have more in common with close partners and loved ones than you may think. Yet where it seems like you don’t, there may be specters from the distant past haunting you. There may, for example, be some tendency in your family line for people to deceive themselves for what seems like the sake of convenience. One place this deception might take hold is in the aspect of desire. What do you want? Who do you want? Can you make clear, simple and assertive statements to yourself about that? Not conditional statements; not complex ideas, complete with rationales and counter-arguments, but rather, expressing yourself in short, cogent statements. Sure, you may have misgivings. You may be protective of your space, and your independence, in ways that are so distinctive of your sign. Those are other matters. Here’s what I’m getting at: your life is both powered and directed by what you want. To the extent that you have any influence at all over the direction of events, desire is your most important guide. Over the next few weeks, as Mars forms a conjunction to Chiron in Pisces, you will have many opportunities to get clear with yourself, including confronting your doubts. The way to do that will be, again, through being honest about them. This will help you sort out any mixed signals you are sending (or sending yourself), and help you figure out that what you perceive as a weakness or a liability is in fact a strength and an asset. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your solar return chart for this year embodies the tension between cut loose and hold back. You might experience this as approach-avoid, which is a sign you may want to step back from the action and determine just what is bothering you. It might go like this: you want something, so you move toward it, but when you get a sense of what it is, you hesitate and back off. Then you want it again, and the cycle continues. I’m curious about a few things, though. Choose one such matter, if this applies to you. How do you feel when you’ve had a couple of glasses of wine (assuming that you drink any at all)? What do you think your mother would think, and how does that influence you? What are you concerned other people might find out, whether we’re talking a close partner, your friends, or your social network? Use these factors as thought exercises and you’ll get a feeling for the push and pull of your emotions. There’s one other factor: the control thing. You may equate the idea of really being yourself with some loss of control; if so, the remedy would be self-control, though that prevents you from being who you are. However, when you’re true to your wants and needs, you’re unlikely to run wild in the streets. You will feel the pleasure of taking a breath without having to count. Anyway, you cannot really control your life; the best you can do is influence your own choices. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Borrowing from Martin Luther King, appearances do not matter; the content of your character does. You’ve had a wild ride this year where your identity is concerned, and the emphasis is now more firmly on your inner being. This is an extension of a process that goes back a decade, and which you may have named and recognize. It involves coming to terms with your deepest fears, which is another way of saying that you understand you’re larger than they are. This is true even if you recognize how much of what you may need to confront was transmitted through your DNA and is in fact ancestral property. The central metaphor from your solar chart is that all that stuff is contained inside of something, and you may feel like you need to open the lid and see what is there. Here is the crucial factor: if you do this, do it yourself, for yourself, not at the bidding of someone else. Enter the attic of your family history not out of idle curiosity but rather with the intention of learning something, solving a specific problem, or recovering something you suspect was lost. Remember that you’re dealing with collective property, not individual. The rules differ greatly. What you can claim as your own is knowledge. You are entitled to information; though, to make it your own, you will need to validate it and place it into the context of your own experience and your own needs. In this and related matters, proceed consciously; proceed carefully; be conservative; be sober. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One result of cosmic movements the past four seasons has been a tremendous release of pent-up energy. This does not always work to one’s advantage — earthquakes, tsunamis, fires and melting ice caps are also energy being set loose. Usually, unless energy is harnessed, it turns destructive. How did you do in this regard? Were you able to direct the flow of events in a constructive way? There was one other effect: now you know something that you didn’t know before. And while there is no turning back the clock to some previous time or situation, you possess both awareness and opportunities you didn’t have before. You have a clear space to work with, and some extra bandwidth, because so much pressure has been released. You also have a new sense of both inner and outer reality. This is valuable information, and you would be well served to put it into some form you can remember. Work with the new social order of your life, rather than trying to reconstruct the old one. This corresponds to changes within your awareness that no longer align with the past. However, you will need to create a new world that is based on your newly revised inner reality. There are people you don’t know who you will soon meet. There are places you’ve never been, where it’s time to visit. There are things you’ve never imagined that you will soon be doing. Remember, though: how you are seen is not who you are. Reality transcends image. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.