The Astrology of December 2023

Hey everyone, this is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology, and today, we are going to take a look at all of the major astrological transits for the month of December. So tomorrow, we'll be doing horoscopes; Alex and I will be breaking down some of the biggest transits of the month for all 12 signs; you can look for your sun or rising sign. Those will be coming tomorrow. But today, we're just gonna take a broad overview and look at all of the major planetary aspects for this last month of the year. So, as always, before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe if you're new to the channel. Welcome. You can find a transcript of any of my daily talks on the website nightlightastrology.com.

By the way, this month, if you have an experience that nicely illustrates any of the transits. Don't forget to use the hashtag #grabbed or email us your story grabbed@nightlightastrology.com. We appreciate hearing your stories about the transits. And we may use one in a future storytelling episode if you're open to sharing it with us.

So, on that note, don't forget right now, as you guys know, we are in the midst of our fundraising campaigns is our 10th annual Kickstarter, and we're trying to raise the support of 1777 backers by the new year so far, we want to say a big thank you to the 207 people as at the time I'm recording this that have already pitched in a huge thank you for your support. That means that we still need 1570 backers by New Year's. And so we have a long ways to go.

We picked up the pace a good bit this week. Now that Thanksgiving week has passed, the paces picked up nicely. So thank you, everybody, for really rallying and starting to support the Kickstarter. We really appreciate it.

Today, I want to tell you about some of the beliefs that I have about astrology and how they play a role in this channel, the vision of this channel, and the daily content that I create. These are three core beliefs that I have about astrology that I feel are an integral part of the way I make content, why I make content at all, what I love about astrology, and what I intend into the creation of these videos for all of you five days a week, year-round.

So number one belief is that I believe that astrology is a language that is meant to help us reflect upon the nature of our experiences. I think one of the things that people seek is to not be limited in the way that we understand or relate to our own experiences. We are naturally reflective beings that like to think about, talk about, and reflect upon things that happened.

Well, how hard is it to do that without a language like astrology that helps us to understand that experience itself is archetypal. It's like I say in a lot of my videos, the archetypes and the planetary combinations that create combat, like combined archetypes, are like jewels. And if you have the capacity, if you have a language like astrology that helps you turn that jewel, then you have a means by which to understand your experience is not just one thing, but many things.

It's that kind of reflective capacity that astrology gives us. It enhances our reflective capacity, and it helps us to, you know, not live in a super limited understanding of what's happening. I think that's freeing and where there's freedom, there's creativity, and there's often healing. So that goes into every video.

Number two, I believe that if you have something like astrology that's helping you to be more reflective than in time, what happens is experience becomes more intimate. I don't know what other word to give it other than intimate. It's a word that really rings true for me personally. It's like, the more that I use astrology to turn the jewel of my experiences and reflect on them in so many different ways. I find that there are lessons and insights. I find that there is meaning. I find that there is art. I find that there is beauty. I find that there's comedy. I find it there's irony. I find a paradox, and I find mystery. It helps me to stay curious.

When experience becomes so multifaceted like that, I don't know what word to use to describe what it is other than intimate I start feeling like the the relationship I have with life itself with the experience itself is intimate, and I don't think we're looking for perfection as souls. I think we like soulfulness, and soulfulness, to me, is about intimacy. It's about creating an interior space that we that allows us to relate to experiences in diverse ways in ways that keep drawing us in and deeper. And I think that's exactly what astrology does. That is an intention that I really try to pour into my content.

Number three, where there's intimacy, I believe that there is relationship. If this reflective capacity built into the language of astrology is helping us develop a more intimate experience of life, then I think in time, what intimacy does is it leads us out of a mechanistic or a sort of objectified state and back into a relational Cosmos where we look at the universe as a being that is alive. It's a being that is, you know, like peopled with beings; it is a beautiful tapestry of interconnected relationships. Some of those relationships are horrifying and scary; some are mysterious, and some are beautiful.

Again, when I think of what the soul wants and what I don't know, most my favorite religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions have said about the soul. It always boils down to the soul is seeking relationship relating to experience, relating to others, relating to nature, relating to our families, relating to the past, relating to the future; we want a vibrant living connection to a living universe. If we have a reflective language that helps us develop intimacy with experience, that in time, that intimacy leads us back to a living universe. That's the beliefs that I have that I pour into the content that I create on this channel year round, even when I fail to live up to those to those beliefs.

I find myself falling into, you know, unconscious patterns. This brings me back. And so I hope it does that for you too. I hope that that's what you get out of this channel. That's why I believe that this channel is worth supporting both me and my whole team. So please consider supporting us if you haven't yet again; we still need 1570 backers to get to our goal by New Year's Eve.

You can use the link in the comment section; it's pinned to the top, or it's in the description of this video. And when you go over there, get 50% off any of my online programs, bundle them together and save even more, or pick up one of our readings or one of the great talks that we give; they're exclusive through the Kickstarter. We really appreciate your support, and with that, I hope you will enjoy today's video.

Okay, so let's take a look now at the major astrological transits of the month of December; we have a lot of really interesting transits coming up and some repetitive themes, some themes that come back a few times, mostly due to Mercury's retrograde which is coming up. But yeah, so I'm going to let me just switch over and pull up the astrology of the month; I'm going to put the real-time clock up on the screen so that I can walk you through the transits and point them out as we go.

So the month of December begins on the third with the first major transit of the month, and that is Venus is square to Pluto. So you'll see that Venus is squaring Pluto on December 3. Venus-Pluto squares are very dynamic, something we're going to definitely spend some time talking about in regular videos as we come into the early part of December.

The main thing to know about this is that Venus-Pluto creates that transformative release of unconscious material that comes up for us to see and work through. Sometimes that's painful; sometimes it's relieving. It's can it can feel like a release; it can feel like a death. It can feel like a regeneration or a rebirth. But sometimes, the death and pain of looking at unconscious material comes with it. Pluto is that kind of subterranean underworld material, and so Venus-Pluto is dark, deep, intense, erotic, exotic, and taboo.

But it's going to be affecting that area ruled by Venus, the arts, women, friendship, sex, love relationships. In Libra, there are also matters of diplomacy and tact. How do we negotiate things? How do we get things done in a way that involves compromise? You know, Venus and Pluto in the exultation of Saturn and the rulership of Saturn are also maybe about a certain kind of social or relational idealism and needing to look at the dirty or messier side of things. That can be very common when Venus in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn, which I've noticed over and over again over the years as Pluto has been in Capricorn.

December 5, we're gonna move forward. Venus moves into Scorpio, excuse me, and as soon as Venus moves into Scorpio, she makes a trine to Saturn in Pisces. I like this because Venus trine Saturn is wise, deep, smooth, compassionate, forgiving, healing well boundaried, or it can provide us with the opportunity to experience those things because we need it in some area of our life.

We need compassionate, well boundaried, sensitive, wise healing exchanges with other people. We need things that are deep and real and authentic and powerful and intense but also compassionate and mature. So the kind of the combination we see her in water signs emphasizes emotionality and depth with Saturn and also with Scorpio involved, but the Venus side of things, especially Saturn being in Venus's exultation, suggests a kind of romantic depth, a sensitivity, and an imaginative quality at the same time.

So that's a nice transit, a nice kind of trine, although it can also bring up wounds and the need for healing or maturing, which isn't always easy but could be maybe a little smoother due to the trine and watery nature.

We go to December 7, and we're going to see Mercury in a trine with Jupiter. This is really interesting because this is going to come back later in the month as Mercury retrogrades. This combination is inventive, practical, intelligent, fruitful, and productive.

So I like this combination because, you know if I were to think about spreading out the plans for some kind of construction project and putting all the things in place to get it done. I think with this kind of transit, not only would you have great ideas for how to make the order of operations smooth and easy, but you would get it done, and it would look beautiful.

This is intelligent, hardworking, practical, beautiful, abundant, and fertile energy and earth science. It's formal; it might be a little inflexible or, rigid, or stubborn. But it has that feeling of making smooth, unobstructed progress, especially where mental energy needs to put itself to solving the task of solving problems or getting things done. I really like that one; we'll be visiting that in depth.

This transit is really interesting. One of the more maybe controversial transits of the month on the ninth, Venus in Scorpio, will oppose Jupiter in the sign of Taurus. Now, Venus Jupiter opposition's because the opposition is naturally an aspect that brings up the likelihood of polarization.

Venus-Jupiter, when they are polarized, can bring up things like sensuality, pleasure, desire, appetite, and, say, moderation or questions of virtue or higher moral or spiritual principles. So it's a potential flashpoint for questions of how much is too much like the issue of or the need for temperance.

It's also an aspect that can bring up questions about lust and what kind of higher beliefs or principles check the desire body if it's going if it's getting out of control somehow. So this can be kind of extravagant, expensive, over the top, indulgent, lazy, or, you know, indulging in our desires in a way that's problematic, with a kind of irreverence toward higher principles, a kind of hedonism.

On the other hand, this combination of the opposition between genetics was spoken of by ancient astrologers, is not nearly as problematic as other kinds of oppositions. So, an opposition between the benefics Venus and Jupiter will still be overall very fertile, productive, creative, sort of conducive to things growing and expanding, and the feeling of things being sort of luxurious and easy and peaceful and serene and beneficial. So this is a good fortunate transit that can come up, but you want to watch for some of the tensions that I also mentioned. So that's a really interesting one, and that's coming on December 9.

Moving along to December 12, we will have a new moon in the sign of Sagittarius. This is a new moon that's fueled by a co-presence with Mars, which makes it interesting, and everything's also heading into a bit of a square with Neptune. So I would say that one of the things we see in this is the kind of signature of charismatic crusading the Marsy Sagittarian. New Moon feels like a principled, you know, crusader of some kind and square to Neptune might be a bit of a martyr or a zealot as well.

You have to watch out for fanaticism, or a kind of boiling the boiling waters of belief, and those principles are convictions, guiding things in a way that is problematic or destructive, you know, that would be a major shadow of this new moon. But also, this is something that is about action, vision, imagination, and enthusiasm for the things we believe in.

It's interesting that this new moon is being hosted by Jupiter, who is ready to turn direct in the sign of Taurus, which also suggests with Mercury turning direct around the same time, or excuse me, Mercury preparing to turn retrograde around the same time and we'll be going back through a square to Jupiter that we might be revising plans or ideas or commitments in some very interesting way around this new moon. We'll be visiting that more in-depth as the month goes on.

Again, the very next day, Mercury turns retrograde. You can see Mercury will turn retrograde on the 13th. In the sign of Capricorn, we get that kind of earthy, solid, practical, hardworking. There's a gravitas to the mind of people with Mercury in Capricorn. They are mentally ready to bear crosses and, work hard and think seriously.

At the same time, Mercury retrograde in Capricorn as Mercury will go back into Sagittarius might be about the contrast between heavy seriousness and a kind of lightness. How do we carry the heavy things in life, especially on the level of the mind, if we don't have some buoyancy and optimism and lightness and some kind of charisma that's carrying us? I think that's probably part of what we're looking at here.

How do those things combine the sort of seriousness of Mercury in Capricorn with the lightheartedness of Mercury in Sagittarius? Anyway, on the 16th, we'll be speaking more about that, too, as we go, but the Mercury retrograde will spend some real time with that this month.

On the 16th, the sun will square Neptune. Again, I feel like one of the major themes repeating for this month is vision and a kind of crusading quality. I like to use the Mars Neptune theme that's in the air, which will come later in the month, as well as a kind of Joan of Arc quality.

So you get this sun, and Neptune squared both, and Jupiter ruled signs as Jupiter's turning directing, you get the idea of a transformation of vision or faith, themes of redemption and hope returning a lightness or a burden being lifted, illumination clarity, clear visions, hopeful inspirations, but also disappointments, disillusionment that dealing with fantasies and illusions and potential fanaticism as shadows.

On the 18th, Mercury will trine Jupiter, and we can see that right here; let me put it in here. So here's Mercury trying Jupiter again, but this time through retrograde, which is where I think we get that same theme of revising plans or ideas or beliefs or approaches; somehow, we get the idea of if you were a teacher, I could see this being some way in which you are revising curriculum or rethinking something that you're teaching or the way in which you're teaching a plan a strategy.

Some kind of revision of practical, earthy plans seems likely given that trine, but also just another hit of productive, uplifting, supportive, and practical mental and earthy energy from Mercury and Jupiter.

On the 21st, then we get one of the spicier transits of the month, maybe along with Venus's early square to Pluto. Venus will now square or oppose Uranus. So that's fun. I mean, I think that this can certainly be spicy when it comes to sex, love relationships, and the need for freedom, innovation, and exploration. It's a very inspired Venus, but it's kind of dark and erotic at the exact same time.

So, you know the kind of provocative quality here that stands out; this is a provocative Venus. This is a Venus who wants to break rules, who doesn't give a damn what you think, who might be doing things that are deep, intense, secretive, but also this Venus, opposite Mercury, has the feeling of or excuse me, this Venus opposite Uranus as the feeling of liberation revolution around things involving art, women sex, and so just an awakening of the Venusian principle very strongly right around the solstice in fact.

On the 22nd, we then have the Sun and Mercury at the same degree. So Mercury is cazimi at that zero degree of Capricorn. That's really interesting and, to me, means that there's the sense of inheriting a noble but difficult mission. That's the idea that comes to my mind. There's a sextile to Saturn in Pisces here. It's kind of like a creative cross to bear, and it's being handed over right now somehow; this is also about empowered moments of greater responsibility and maturity and the vision or foresight to know what to do and maybe people in authority or power taking note of your innovation or your intelligence or you know, achieving some greater degree of understanding or ability.

So we go to December 25, and on the 25th, there is a Venus trine to Neptune. This is really interesting because this combination to me, and I've mentioned this many times on my channel, is one of the most romantic, imaginative, dreamy, otherworldly; it's not uncommon to see people want to alter their states, go out to music, you know, like go to concerts or go dancing. But this is kind of a deep and, again, kind of erotic and intense Mars. So you know, it's very spicy. I said Mars, it's a very spicy Venus in Mars's sign turn. Writing romantic and otherworldly Neptune. So I think that oughta make for fun. But maybe, again, a little bit of deeper emotional experiences with Venus and Scorpio.

Now, on the 26th, we have a kind of gentle, sweet, full moon in Cancer, and that full moon in CancerCancer is sextiling. Jupiter whose in the moon's exultation and about to turn direct. So you get this feeling of kind of a soft, sweet, gentle moment of healing and maybe a kind of momentum shift that's happening right around this time. But for certain, what's interesting is the full moon in Cancer happening right around the holidays, for a lot of people, ought to be probably a little bit intense, given some of the other signatures that come in right afterward. So we've got this Full Moon in Cancer, which will quite frequently bring up family dynamics and emotional patterns from our past.

Okay, here we go, and then we go to the 27th, and that's where we get this last powerful string of transits for the month with Mercury square to Neptune. You're going to see Mercury square to Neptune at the same exact time, that Mercury is conjoining, Mars, and we also have the sun. Here, it is the sun training Jupiter right as Jupiter turns direct.

This is where I feel like we're hitting a real turning point with the theme that was so repetitive earlier in the month, which was the intensity of our convictions and beliefs and even the level to which we will fight or, you know, Mission somehow on their behalf.

So you have the sun training Jupiter, which means Jupiter is turning direct, and you've got Mercury, conjoining Mars and Sagittarius, both in a square with Neptune. That all comes through on the 27th and 28th. So you can see, I'll just run through them here. Sun trines, Jupiter, Mercury, conjoins, Mars, Mars squares Neptune on the 28th, and then on the 30th, Jupiter turns direct.

To me, this is about, like, look, if your beliefs are in any way, sort of overwhelming, fanatical, you know, delusional, there's going to be some way in which there's practical feedback, you're gonna get checked, it's going to be like, well, that's not going to work. Or you're going to bulldoze someone or something, and you might get something done but likely regret it later.

So we're going to talk about that a lot. That'll be one of the biggest parts of the month that we break down on my channel because that's not only a turning point for Jupiter but really for the whole month. Remember, Jupiter was the host of the new moon. There's so much Sagittarius and pisces energy; both Jupiter rules fire and water. So kind of passionate, charismatic, crusading idealistic a fight or die on behalf of the things I care about energy is a big part of the month.

But so, too, is a kind of fanaticism that comes with it, and I think that that's going to cause us to have we're going to have to look really carefully at what we believe and how we believe it or how we communicate our beliefs or how we compromise with others when people don't see eye to eye with us. So anyway, a lot more to come this month. I hope that this gives you something to think about, but remember, we will be breaking things down little by little as the month goes on.

Don't forget before you leave today; the Kickstarter link is in the description of this video or the comments section pinned to the top; we are trying to reach 1777 backers by New Year's; we would love and very much appreciate your support.

If you find this channel to be of value to you. If you find spiritual substance here astrological learning here. Good community here. Please consider pitching in and supporting us. We deeply appreciate it and hope you guys will have a great month of December. Okay, take it easy, everyone. Bye