December Horoscope: Bows, Boughs & Bowing to the Threshold

Written with love by Mariah the Mystic

December arrives on our doorstep with a bouquet of offerings and a concessional letter. With a bippity-bop of its wand, you are lifted—with an extra bounce in your step and a renewed sparkle in your eye. This month feels like a well-earned reward for everything you’ve endured in 2025. One with no strings attached, a limitless VISA gift card that swipes anywhere. This is your chance to find pleasure aligned to your tastebuds, and to revel in it. For some, this is a boujee rest stop; for others, a dream machine, or mayhaps a spiritual chiropractic adjustment before the new year begins.

Astrology operates independently of the Gregorian calendar we find ourselves ruled by. Instead of a set and linear cycle, it operates in concentric orbits and layered rhythms, syncing with the ecliptic rather than human-made calendars or seasonal milestones. While our work and social worlds rely on the set and mostly unchanging calendar, the astrological new year is heralded by the Sun returning to Aries every late March. Every astrological year is marked and unique, the movements varying slightly in their course and majorly in their interplay. However, December and winter overall are transitory periods for both layouts. A time and opportunity to put our nose to the grindstone, but also to rest and jubilate. It is a reminder of the importance of ritual, of sharing and acknowledging the bounty of the harvest, and the sanctity of splitting bread and spending genuine time with our communities.

This is mirrored in the flavors of Sagittarius and Capricorn that braid through throughout this 31-day period, and this tension is tactile. There is an oscillation between the importance of play and our obligation towards our ongoing work. From the mutable fire of Sagittarius — worldliness, debauchery, social faux pas, kiss of philosophy, and nomadic inclination, to the cardinal earth of Capricorn — duty driven, digging into the meaty bits, hunkering down for hard work and structural integrity, and the fierce pursuit of legacy. Their contrast mirrors the classic end-of-year rhythm:one of jubilant revelry and relapse into creature comforts, while facing year end reviews, audits, and the foreboding promise of ‘holding off ‘til the new year’.

The first half of December feels creative, playful, lightly enchanted. Saturn and Neptune in Pisces exhale over the month’s events like incense smoke, subtle narcotic influences infiltrating the month’s planetary events. As the tides (and personal planets) ingress into Capricorn, our mechanical engine angles toward reset. We can nearly taste the burgeoning fiscal year of 2026, and toward the perennial New Year’s syndrome of resolutions (a strange punch-bowl concoction of holiday hangover and “new year, new me” mentality).

Use the upcoming Full Moon in Gemini and the New Moon in Sagittarius as hinges to your doors. The Gemini Full Moon invites us to release old ghosts and stalled conversations, and to begin shaving the lint from our birthday suit. It is reminiscent of a stale seriousness, but one that is productive and necessary. The Sagittarius New Moon, oppositely, offers one last glimmer of fun and levity before Capricorn marches in with a clipboard of protocols and mandatory closing duties.

December can be a hot tub or a hot pot, depending on your patience in achieving and maintaining a simmer. Some of you will find respite; others will scorch yourselves without noticing until the steam clears. After a hefty November and a heavier year— astrologically and globally — we deserve tenderness with ourselves and with each other. Feel into what this opportunity looks like for you individually, not just how it might be perceived or experienced collectively.

If you crave recovery and time and space to lick your wounds, honor that need. If you feel charged to connect with your network and churn and hatch master plans, that is equally valid. Let astrology this month act as a subtle guide to resonance, permission, and the unfurling of brand new branches as we approach the many horizons of 2026.

December 4: Full Moon in Gemini + forms Opposition to Venus

Flavors: File-sorting, pencil-to-ink upgrades, mental/philosophical synthesis, tangles with vocation, conflict confrontation, information overload, opinions that echo.

Micro Joy: Observing the micro and macro with childlike wonder. Creating a LEGO-esque mish-mash masterpiece. Loving yourself throughout.

Be Xtra Soft: With decision-making that feels taut, with feelings that are too large to contain, with sudden and vulnerable confessions, with anxiety about what we don’t yet know.

Outlets & Resets: Seeking words of truth, wisdom, or understanding from outside sources. Moving your body through new spaces. Finding sacred distractions for your stress. Expressing and exhaling through prayer, service, guidance, or the arts.

Wonderings: What is becoming clear to me?

Indulgences: Pinterest-prophetic vision boards. Workshops and skill quests. Unfiltered voice memos and vent seshes. Dressing for the job you want. Subreddit rabbit holes. Coworking brunch and Networking happy hour. Re-booking Therapy.

December 8: Mars in Sagittarius forms a Square to Saturn in Pisces

Flavors: Speed bumps, clash of self versus vision, tempering flames, human limits against divine forces, worshipping the mess.

Micro Joy: Extra resilience in your cup. An ability to get creative with the workaround. Replacing risk with embodied instinct.

Be Xtra Soft: With hard timelines or deadlines, with forcing a square peg through a round hole, with breakdowns, spirals, tantrums, or what feels like the end of your stick, with gridlock, metaphorical, or literal.

Outlets & Resets: Taking a break when you’re bruised. Seeking out flow-state activities. Gravitating towards gentleness in your actions. Diversifying your sources of wisdom and inspiration. Swapping the caffeine for ceremonial grade. Returning to your origin point for a reframe.

Wonderings: How am I primed to respond to obstacles, and how can I soften the next response?

Indulgences: CBD (or THC-infused) treats. Canceling plans and rotting. Animal therapy. Bath or spa retreats. Unplugging and powering down after work. Creating with no plan or vision.

December 10: Neptune Stations Direct + Mercury forms Opposition to Uranus

Flavors: Veils thinning, surprise strikes of lightning, flesh and soul recalibrating, the creation and destruction duet, awakening your archetype, annoyances that reveal truths.

Micro Joy: Stretching your creative muscles after a lengthy summer slumber. Letting your gut compass guide you. Reconnecting to your source.

Be Xtra Soft: With impulsive decisions, with jumping into rebellion or conflict born from hurt, with choosing mind over body, or body over spirit, with switching lanes at whiplash speed.

Outlets & Resets: Enter the lair to research, tinker, or experiment. Using metaphysical movement as a portal of communion. Seeking writing, music, or film that plants seeds and unwraps you.

Wonderings: How do I unite my inner landscape with the outer one?

Indulgences: Ritualizing what feels good and meaningful. Using curse words without restraint. Dusting off the sleep crumbs. Trying again tomorrow. Steep slowly rather than dunking the tea bag repeatedly. Playing Creative Director.

December 11: Mercury enters Sagittarius Flavors: Reviving old ideas, deja vu, skill-testing, ending the year with fireworks, flirting with philosophy, traveling near and far.

Micro Joy: Speaking and connecting with reinvigoration. Seeking yourself outside of yourself. Fragments of nostalgia and reconnection. Playing in the way you express yourself mentally, verbally, and perhaps even identity-wise. Being silly.

Be Xtra Soft: With the process of forgiving yourself and others, with honest reflection that doesn’t punish, and with blurting strong statements too carelessly or prematurely.

Outlets & Resets: Screaming into the void. Being as radically honest and as diplomatic as possible. Wandering the world or the web with unlocked intrigue.

Wonderings: What do I have to say, and how do I want to say it?

Indulgences: Stand-up shows.. Bold proclamations. Debates. Community involvement. Travel plans. Asking for a raise or promotion. Exploring new terrain. Subtitled cinema studentry.

December 14: Mars in Sagittarius forms a Square to Neptune in Pisces

Flavors: Shimmering imaginations, inevitable burnout or redirections, fluidity versus rigidity, lazy or tired genius.

Micro Joy: Try out a daily prompt for whatever your interests or hobbies are. Out-of-character role playing. Seeking new knowledge at the source– Libraries, museums, gyms, salons of wisdom. Being with the here and now instead of the if and but.

Be Xtra Soft: With feeling lost or disconnected, with restlessness or anxiety, with feverish impatience, with any letdowns related to your projects, goals, or personal life.

Outlets & Resets: Attending a mass or service, a group meditation, or an intentional gathering. Taking a long weekend for your mental health. Rediscovering the people, places, and things that bring you ease. Changing your scenery up.

Wonderings: How do I connect with the divine in my daily sphere?

Indulgences: Tarot pulls. Natal chart re-evals. Cloud sketching. Crystal shops. Public eavesdropping. Saying ‘yes’ to something at the last minute. Being like clay.

December 15: Mars enters Capricorn

Flavors: Momentum boosts. Freshly oiled gears. Lassoing the moon. Endurance spells. Playing the long game.

Micro Joy: Filling in a fresh 2026 Planner. Inviting abundance, monetary or mental. Starting a new hobby, and actually caring about it.

Be Xtra Soft: With any control or power dynamics bubbling, ambition-prodded emotional responses, with being overly guarded or private, with tunnel-vision on the finished form.

Outlets & Resets: Handling essential tasks, then enjoying a weekend of rest. Choosing your adrenaline spikes consciously. Dreaming big and then grounding it in reality. Sharing your first draft or blueprint with a peer. Enacting an empowering ritual into your routine

Wonderings: What am I ready to achieve and receive?

Indulgences: Just starting. Renovations and big transformations. Applying for a job that you’re ‘unqualified’ for. Initiating sex or intimacy. Setting timers, reminders, and alarms. Scheduling play time. Splurging with intent.

December 19: New Moon in Sagittarius

Flavors: A sliver of fresh hope, raw emotions, boundaries born, backed, bending, or breaking, truth-shouting, evil eye warding, stopping-to-flower-smell.

Micro Joy: Resonance and in-step-ness with your people. Feeling expansive in exciting and novel ways. Purging your bookshelf, closet, and fridge! Then spending some time cooking a franken-creation, rediscovering fashion pieces you forgot you had, or flipping through books you haven’t cracked open in a long, long time. Heading out impromptu on the town or road.

Be Xtra Soft: With any lone-wolf tendencies, or oppositely, with any over-dependence, with unrealistic expectations—spoken or silent, with desires that feel out of reach, with lining punchy words with a kind cushion.

Outlets & Resets: When in doubt, reassert your ground rules or preferences. Coming back to your core values. Remaining porous (and unbiased) to answers or perspectives.

Wonderings: What is blossoming, and what is already in my bouquet?

Indulgences: Mischief and trouble. Blind dates. Solo self therapy. Thrift hauls. Window shopping. Pretending you’re in a romance movie. Enjoying the sun on your face, the smell of your night cream, or the feeling of a hug shared.

December 21: Sun enters Capricorn

Flavors: Living luxury within your means, charming the charmed life you want, innovating systems, honoring traditions or heritage, dreamworld escapes, draft rewrites.

Micro Joy: Putting the world on DnD and locking in until the New Year. Celebrating any major wins this year! Feeling fierce and wearing it out. Being the sovereign of your own motivations, decisions, and identity.

Be Xtra Soft: With the pressure to “know” and “identify” yourself by heternormative or societal ideals and standards, with a tendency towards self-deception as avoidance, with letting Capricorn pressure cooking turn into self-loathing, with fixations on public perception.

Outlets & Resets: Focusing on realistic and achievable goals that stack towards your milestones. Finding a way to honor your ancestry, your cultural heritage, family traditions, or chosen deities. Leveling up your systems and routines to fit the you of now. Recognizing hard work outside of official accolades and unprompted compliments.

Wonderings: What am I responsible for, not responsible for, and seeking to master?

Indulgences: Aesthetic joys. Early submissions. Employing a strategic “No.” Blocking out energy vampires. Sporting a pantsuit to the office. Creative communities and groups. Acting and taking up space like a rich white man. Taking the reins.

December 24: Venus enters Capricorn

Flavors: Financial fluency, consensual power dynamics, taking over fire-stoking, commitment > current state of chemistry, quiet refinement, looks that could kill.

Micro Joy: Being grateful for your resources, even if humble. Long-term investments of time, affection, wardrobe. Stepping into the provider archetype. Making sure everyone's cup is full.

Be Xtra Soft: With power-induced insecurity of doubts, with suffering in silence, with putting responsibilities before your well being and happiness, with prioritizing situations that shrink your glow.

Outlets & Resets: Utilizing extra funds and extra time to love on yourself. However, when in doubt, save the extra money rather than spend it. Taking a shameless break. Enforcing your boundaries instead of making others comfortable.

Wonderings: What does security mean to me beyond the surface mask?

Indulgences: Smashing open the piggy bank. Being an unabashed power top or power bottom (or enjoying some luvving with one). Buying a treat for your beau or your bestie just ‘cause. Overdressing for the occasion. Making it official on paper. Acts of charity. Investing or saving for the future.