For creative, eccentric, and bold Aquarius: Here’s what you can expect to enjoy, work through, and receive throughout the month of December.

The month of December begins with a new Moon in Sagittarius. This lunar placement brings with it a more reflective attitude toward values and beliefs. As the last month of the year begins, now is an ideal time to think about what you’ve accomplished and what morals you’ve lived out in the past year and consider how you might progress in the following year. New Moons aren’t typically action-oriented lunar phases, but don’t let this discourage you, Aquarius. There is great power to be found in rest. This might not be your typical M.O. But a trine between Venus and your ruling planet, Uranus retrograde, on December 2 suggests that pushing against the status quo could be better for your heart and wallet than you think.

By December 5, the waxing crescent Moon enters Aquarius, helping offset the effects of Mars retrograde, which begins the following day. Mars retrograde is very similar to Mercury retrograde. It can decrease energy, cause unexpected shake-ups, and generally zap motivation. If you haven’t been heeding the cosmos’ call for rest until now, Mars retrograde will certainly find a way to make it happen. 

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December 7 will be an incredibly powerful day in your celestial forecast. To begin, Neptune returns direct, shifting our creative and imaginative focus back to the outside world. At the same time, Venus enters your celestial domain, increasing attention toward matters of love or finances. The waxing crescent Moon also forms a challenging square with Uranus retrograde. This more negative alignment creates a conflict between what you’d like to believe and the reality that’s before you. Avoid falling into daydream wormholes around this time. 

About a week later, on December 12, Venus directly opposes Mars retrograde under your sign and Leo, respectively. Not only does this clash of your air energy and Leo’s fire energy promise explosive emotions. But it also indicates potential road bumps in relationships or financial investments. Keep in mind that these challenges and their corresponding discomfort are not forever. How we perceive these hardships can often define what they become: blips remain blips, over in a moment. The belief that something is a cosmic punishment can turn it into just that: arduous, drawn out, and torturous. It’s up to you to decide. 

Another day of coinciding celestial events takes place on December 15. On this day, Mercury returns direct and the full Moon reaches its peak in Gemini. Mercury’s shift out of retrograde helps re-open avenues of communication that were previously vague or unnavigable during the nearby planet’s backward regression. Mishaps, errors, and complications will ease. We’re not completely out of the woods yet, with Mars retrograde still well underway. But this will at least make things a bit more manageable. 

Meanwhile, the full Moon in Gemini lends a more malleable approach to our emotions. This means we experience them, how we communicate them, and what we do with them after we’re done with either task. Gemini’s flexibility can become a double-edged sword at this time. On the one hand, keeping an open mind and heart can help adapting to new situations and relationships more gracefully. But on the other hand, this lack of grounding can open the door for indecisiveness or codependent thinking. Allow yourself to explore the waters of this curiosity before looking for the first patch of solid ground you can find. 

The stars provide an opportunity to act on the discoveries revealed under the glow of the full Moon on December 17 through 19, when a waning gibbous Moon forms a sextile and square, respectively, with your ruling planet. The transition from sextile to square isn’t entirely unfounded. Sextiles are generally positive, but they’re not necessarily progressive. Even unsavory information can be a helpful discovery, Aquarius. As the waning gibbous Moon encourages you to release things or people that no longer serve you, your ruling planet keeps the possibility for chaos high. Despite how it might feel in the moment, these negative experiences are laying the groundwork for something much more positive in the future. 

On December 20, Venus forms an auspicious trine with Jupiter retrograde under your sign and Gemini. This harmonious aspect indicates a growing understanding of what true success and prosperity can look like. You’ve spent most of your life thinking outside the box, telling yourself that the solutions that could make you the happiest are beyond what many could even imagine. But what if happiness isn’t as complex as your ego has led you to believe? Don’t overthink feelings of joy and gratitude. Let them wash over you without thinking of ways you could fortify or make them more eccentric and impressive. The sooner you can appreciate these feelings for what they are, the more magnitudinous they’ll become. 

Two days later, on December 22, the waning crescent Moon forms another positive trine with your ruling planet. This trine invites you to move toward a period of rest and reflection in the final week of the year. A favorable sextile between Venus and Chiron retrograde under your sign and Aries indicates that this reflective period will be especially helpful for healing from the pain that stems from close relationships. Holding onto grudges and anxieties isn’t the protective measure we like to think it is, Aquarius. Allow the shrinking Moon’s influence to help you loosen your grip and let these negative thoughts go.

We end the month under a new Moon in Capricorn, offering a pragmatic, practical approach to this reflective cosmic period. Much like the new Moon earlier in the month, this celestial period encourages you to consider the events of the past year. Let go of the pain. Hold onto the lessons. As the new Moon forms one last harmonious trine with Uranus retrograde on December 31, the stars offer a thrilling glimpse into the following year, promising transformation, innovation, and excitement. Make sure all your ducks are in a row before these mental, emotional, and physical changes start going into effect.

Thus concludes your monthly highlights. For more specific celestial analyses, make sure to read your daily and weekly horoscope as well. Good luck, Aquarius! See you next month.