Leo (23 July – 22 August)
December starts with a clash between angry Mars and Uranus on the 1st. This is a tricky time for communication in your horoscope, so rein in your emotions and steer clear of trouble. If there’s something you really want or need to say, aim for the 6th, when common sense prevails.
This month the Sun, your ruler, is in your fellow fire sign of Sagittarius until the 21st. This puts the spotlight on all the good things in life, such as romance, children & pregnancy, entertainment, parties and fun. It’s an ideal placing for the Sun in the run up to the festive period and if you’re a typical Leo, you love all things festive or holiday as it brings out your inner child.
If you do have the luxury of reining in your work this month and prioritising the social and festive side of life, go for it. This would be a wonderful way to spend the month of December. Both the Full Moon on the 3rd and the New Moon on the 18th light up the Gemini/Sagittarius axis of the zodiac and the social sectors of your horoscope.
It is, however, important that you keep your plans flexible and don’t try and organise everything to a tight schedule. In fact, this probably won’t work at all in the month ahead because communication planet Mercury is in Sagittarius but retrograde, i.e. on go slow from December 3rd to 23rd.
This is a notorious time for miscommunication and misunderstandings. Timings can go out of the window or people let you down. The trick is to be adaptable, spontaneous and to double check any important meetings, dates or get-togethers. Don’t leave anything to chance in this respect.
The other significant planet in Sagittarius is Venus, the planet of love. Venus is here from the 1st to the 25th and this is gorgeous for a winter romance (summer romance if you’re down under). Love planet Venus thrives in your good time sector and if you’re looking for love or a kiss under the mistletoe, here’s your opportunity.
Top dates for love and socialising are the 13th, 15th, 16th and 20th. Bring your big-hearted personality to all your engagements and make the most of life. The more positive and confident you are, the more other people will respond well. Take centre stage this month and lead from the front.
Another reason why love looks potentially light and breezy is because the taskmaster of the heavens, Saturn, leaves your romance sector on the 20th where it’s been since December 2014. Saturn tends to slow things down, it brings duty and responsibility to the mix and in general, it can be something of a party pooper.
Once Saturn has moved on, any issue to do with love and partnership gets the thumbs up, whether this includes sex or pregnancy, love or romance. A feeling of freedom could start to course through your life with such an important shift in the heavens. No doubt you’ll be delighted if love feels easier.
As Saturn is one of your partner planets, you could find that someone leaves your life during the end of this year and in the long-run it will turn out to be a good thing. Someone who’s dragged you down perhaps or who you’ve been supporting from a position of duty or responsibility.
In fact, where love’s concerned there really is no reason to hold back now and it’s worth making love and pleasure your no. 1 priorities in the month ahead.
Spend some quality time with family this month too and if you find you have plenty of energy available, channel it into home or family projects. Mars, the action planet, is down at the base of your chart in the sign of Scorpio from the 9th, urging you to gather the clans and clean out your clutter before the festivities begin in earnest and you enter the holiday period.
Mars joins the planet of good fortune, Jupiter in Scorpio, and Jupiter remains here for over a year, from October 2017 to November 2018. This is an excellent time to start to push forward new plans for your home or arrange a family celebration. It’s here where joy and happiness can be found.
Home and money are linked in some way this month, especially on or around the 3rd, when Jupiter in Scorpio teams up with Neptune in Pisces. This is a major planetary connection that will repeat next year. Both planets are boundless and giving so this is ideal for organising a charity event at home or joining in with your family to help other people worse off than yourself or to care for someone close to home.
From the 20th onwards, Saturn begins its lengthy visit to Capricorn, where it remains until 2020. The focus is on your work, routine and health and a need to slow down the pace of life and create a structure or routine that works for you.
Saturn is strong in the sign of Capricorn, but this is where the hard work begins, especially as your ruler, the Sun, joins Saturn in Capricorn on the 21st followed by the planet of love and relating, Venus on the 25th.
This evokes a different vibe to much of December’s astrology. You may not be enjoying your ideal Christmas, perhaps because someone passed away this year or you’re choosing to act out of a sense of duty or responsibility.
Plus, this whole combination could flag up changes to your working life or your health. Look after yourself throughout December and don’t burn the candle at both ends if you want to have some energy left for the festivities and the holiday period.
It’s also important to look ahead to 2018. Saturn is the planet of responsibility, self-discipline and seeing things through to the end. In Capricorn, Saturn requires focus, commitment and having a single target or goal in mind.
If you know your health needs an overhaul or you want to get fit or fitter, this is your chance. If you know that work requires a single focus and dedication, here’s your opportunity. It’s not going to be easy for sure, but give yourself a long-term goal and work towards it.