December is a powerful, pivotal month. First, this last month of the year 2011 begins in the unsettling timespace between two eclipses. If you read the forecast for November, you will remember that there was a new Moon solar eclipse at 2 degrees of Sagittarius on Thanksgiving, and that Mercury turned retrograde (Rx) at 20 degrees of Sagittarius early that morning, just after midnight. Astonishingly, these degrees are very closely reversed with the upcoming lunar eclipse with the Moon at 18 Gemini (to 18 Sagittarius Sun) and Mercury turning direct on December 13 at 3 degrees of Sagittarius, close to the Thanksgiving lunar eclipse at 2 Sagittarius. Wow!

In the immortal (ok, mortal) words (ok, lyrics) of the great band Buffalo Springfield, “I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound, everybody look what's goin’ down…” Yes. Stop. Listen. Look around, pay attention. Take the opportunity to reassess where you are, where you are going, and what changes in action and in consciousness you must make to get caught up with the changes in and around you and be ready to launch or be launched into this next phase.

Because of this extraordinary double-whammy of the eclipses and Mercury stations so near the same degrees at the same time, the universe is especially giving those with planets from about 28 degrees Taurus or Scorpio to 7 degrees Gemini or Sagittarius and 13 to 23 degrees of Gemini or Sagittarius a major, potentially disruptive change of course. It’s time to wrap up 2011 – we are getting ready for 2012.

Entering into this unsettling energy between this pair of eclipses, the month begins with a punch, with Venus making her annual conjunction with intense Pluto in Capricorn. There is passion and intensity, but be mindful to avoid power plays, manipulation or jealousy. On the 1st and into the 2nd, the Sun in freedom-seeking Sagittarius also squares off with Mars in critical, exacting Virgo, so watch for possible arguments and conflicts of will. Use that energy to focus and get something productive done. Then when Mercury squares Mars on the 4th, watch for tensions, arguments, impatience, and possible accidents on the road. On the 5th, Venus makes a smooth trine to Mars in their current earth signs, which is sweet for romance and creativity.

So that’s the setup to the full Moon lunar eclipse on December 10th, which takes on added influence because it will be visible in North America. Mars makes an activating square to the eclipse, but the primary thing I’m noting in contemplating this eclipse chart for here in Denver is that the Sun is at 18 and the local ascendant at 22 degrees Sagittarius. These degrees fall in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent-shaman, bracketing the degree range of placements found in the charts of shamans. Shamans are students and teachers of the unknown, and have an interdimensional aspect to their awareness. In these days when the veils are very thin, those impacted may find increased intuitive interdimensional awareness, including deepening Essence recall of Who you really are, and why you are here now.

At the same time of the solar eclipse, disruptive, change-maker Uranus stations at zero degrees of Aries, turning direct in that sign precisely on the Aries/Universal axis. Ready, fire, aim! Uranus makes an exact square to uranian transneptunian Hades to help break down old structures that no longer serve us (despite how we may feel about it!), as Uranus is poised to charge forward to begin a series of *7* exact square hits to Pluto happening from 2012-2015. Revolution, anyone? Everyone?

Then, remember that Mercury turns direct on the 13th, so it’s time to start moving forward with your new, revised ideas. Venus makes a quick pirouette of changes starting with a sobering square to Saturn on the 18th (reality check! So, did your reality check bounce, or clear?) , then leaves pragmatic Capricorn to enter visionary Aquarius on the 20th, and that same day first squaring Jupiter (excess R-us!) and them making a magical, magnetic opportunity-making sextile (60 degrees) to Uranus. The same day, the Sun makes a sextile to idealistic Neptune. What do you aspire to, what do you dream? Explore how you would answer my favorite question - What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

This is a perfect preparation for the Winter Solstice when the Sun enters Capricorn on December 21st. The Solstice chart is a highly significant one because it is the universal chart for the upcoming year of 2012. Any time a planet is on the universal/cardinal/Aries axis, as the Sun is at solstices and equinoxes, it impacts the collective energies. Here the Sun makes an exact square to Uranus and opposition to Hades – everything is changing! Also on the Aries axis are Mercury (our mind and communication), Eris (chaos, finding one’s own way, beyond conditioning; civil disobedience), the vertex (fated meetings and connections) and a number of asteroids, including Industria (productivity, work), Sappho (friends, companionship), Pythia (misunderstandings), Eurydice (needing assistance), Varuna (how you see Truth), Urania (differences in the way people think; astrology (is it time for a chart udate??), Hephaistos (negotiation, mediation, metallurgy, lameness/legs), Atropos (endings) Daedalus (the artful dodger). It will be quite a year! We will have to work together with skill and wisdom.

The Winter Solstice is also the time of the darkening, the time for deepening, quietude, reflection, contemplating, integration, renewal. It’s a time to meditate on what you have accomplished, what is in process, what to redefine and update, what to leave behind, and what seeds of intention you want to plant for the upcoming year. And now, the days will start to get longer as we turn back to increasing the light.

The new Moon follows at 2 degrees of Capricorn on Christmas Eve, with the Moon jumping into the cardinal square conjunct the Sun and Pluto in Capricorn opposing TNPs Hades and Kronos in Cancer, squaring Uranus in Aries. There is much motivation and activation in all that, which is further assisted by an optimistic trine to expansive Jupiter in Taurus. We can do this thing!

Within hours, the next day on Christmas, giant Jupiter is the 3rd planet this month to station to move forward again. Onward! Upward! Don’t forget inward!

2011 and December end with the Moon in go-for-it-now Aries making a waxing square to the Sun in pragmatic Capricorn just past its conjunction with Pluto and moving toward squaring volatile and explosive but organized! TNP Zeus. The fireworks, both literal and figurative, should be exceptional! It’s a great way to start the new year with hope, optimism, and fearlessness, yet on a foundation of grounded pragmatism. But then what comes to mind now is that saying by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche… ‘The bad news is that you are free-floating thru space – without a parachute. The good news is that there is no ground.’ Yikes! Allow a shift in context and consciousness to open whole new possibilities.

Move forward with both courage and humility, but also be fearless and joyful in this dance in the evolution inward and forward into unity consciousness. The keys are Love, compassion and gratitude, with the wonder and transformational emergent magic of it all. As we complete this amazing year, heartful, radiant warrior blessings to all and we move forward to greet the new!