In December, your ruler, Mars, will be spending all his time in Libra, in your behind closed doors sector, considered the last house of the horoscope before you reach the first house, which rules your identity and your determination. Mars will enter Scorpio and your first house on January 3.

While Mars remains in Libra, Mars will energize your most peaceful, reflective portion of your chart. You won't be in the forefront with a high profile but instead, you seem to be conserving your energy and thinking a lot about the year ahead, and all you want to accomplish. If you are working on a project that requires a lot of research and careful writing, you may be happy to work on that venture now. If this describes your situation, you will get a lot done this month. Mars will also heighten your intuition, so be sure to listen to what the small voice within you is telling you.

Mars will go into Scorpio in January, but the problem with January is that you will be anxious to get going, but Mercury will be retrograde from January 4 to 25, and you will start to feel the slowdown as early as this month, December 19. January is not the time to launch new ventures, but especially not ones that involve communications, like new apps, a blog, new website or redesign of a website, a book, or to debut a new television show.

In contrast, February will be glorious, so bide your time until then, for you will be glad you waited. Mercury retrograde periods are instant signals that the wind is changing direction (so to speak), and if you use present priorities to make decisions, you will be sorry you did. Conditions are changing so quickly that you will later say, "Had I only known that all that would happen, I would have never launched that new imitative at that time." Sit tight in January. By all means, don't buy electronic items next month, and don't debut a new communications project like a new website or blog, or unveil a new redesign of a website or the introduction of a new app - these are just a few examples to get you thinking. I will go more into the concept of Mercury retrograde next month, but if you would like to know more now, look at the homepage of AstrologyZone.com and you will find an essay by me, entitled All You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde.

Mars will stay in Scorpio until March 5, so you will still have the entire month of February to press forward. February will be one of the strongest months of 2016, so you will be in a great environment.

Let's now turn the discussion to money and your possibilities for a raise. This year and next you will continue to host Saturn in your salary sector, and that will tend to limit the amount of the raise you are likely to be able to negotiate. Still, the new moon in Sagittarius on December 11 will light your second house of salary (and this house does not rule money you win but money you earn).

The November 11 new moon in Sagittarius, 19 degrees, is terrific. It receives a tight mathematical beam from Mars, your ruler, and that is significant. It suggests someone behind the scenes will protect you by speaking up for you. Uranus will also be extremely helpful at this new moon too, also in tight mathematical aspect, and that means you may get a surprisingly positive response when you enter into those salary talks. You really would have to ask quickly after that new moon arrives - I suggest Friday, December 11, or Monday, December 14. A new moon is strong for ten days, but with each passing day, it gets progressively weaker.

If you are looking for a new apartment or house to live in, a space that you love may show up very suddenly early in the month, near December 8, or you may get an exciting call that your bid on a house or condo has been accepted, December 24. Both dates will be special and helpful in any home-related plan you may have. The Sun and Uranus will be beautifully oriented to each other on December 8, you may get a view of a space you like very much.

Or, on December 8 or after the new moon, you may get news from one of your parents - mother or father - that will positively influence your living situation, and it will be upbeat, happy news. Your parent may help you buy furniture, or your parents may announce they bought a gorgeous vacation home with a view of the ocean, in a beautiful part of the country that you love - and you will be able to go there whenever you like. Later in the month, on December 24, you may get good news about a bid you made on a house or condo, or that you were approved for a jumbo mortgage.

Looking forward, February will bring good news, especially regarding your home situation, for the new moon February 8 and the days that follow it will help you even more than the lovely aspects that will start popping up in December.

Your career status - with a new title - will be possible at the end of January, at the full moon in Leo, Saturday, January 23. (All full moons have an area of powerful influence within a plus or minus four days of the date they appear). If you are staying at the same company, that full moon will be your friend, even though Mercury will be technically retrograde until Monday, January 25. It's never wise to take a new position when Mercury is out of phase, but this full moon falls at a time when Mercury is just about to turn direct by Monday, By the following week, you can accept new professional opportunities, and it will matter not whether you are changing companies or staying where you are now. Leave as much space as you can from January 25, before you give your final acceptance, if that is reasonable. If not, just move ahead.

On December 10, the day prior to the new moon, you may have problems with a co-worker or subordinate at the office, or at home, with someone who works for you there (say, as a housekeeper, babysitter, au pair, gardener). This person may be difficult or uncharacteristically short with you. Or, you may uncover a political situation at the office where one person will try to make you look bad to higher ups so that they can elevate their own status. Scorpio always has an antenna up, so no doubt you would pick up on this if anyone were trying to pull a fast move behind your back. The aspect is Mars (anger, aggression) in direct, 180-degree opposition to Uranus (unpredictability, outbursts). The point I want to make is not to make a bad situation worse. Be polite to this person at all times, and get all the facts before you make accusations.

It is alternatively possible that everything will be fine with people who you work with, or who report to you, and a completely different manifestation could arise, involving your health. If you work out at the gym, don't overdo. Protect all parts of you, particularly your lower back when lifting weights or when picking up heavy boxes (Mars in Libra). Don't lose your balance, for you might fall and hit your head (Uranus in Aries). If a tooth starts to hurt, have it taken care of immediately by seeing a dentist. (Aries rules the head, hair, face, and teeth.) If you know you are going to a section of town, say the older, charming part, that still has cobblestones in the streets, it might not be the best idea for my women readers to wear high heels on that surface. Men, watch where you are going, and if the streets and sidewalks are covered in black ice, wear appropriate footwear, such as special sporty, weatherproof boots. You get the idea.

Venus will be in Scorpio all month, from December 4 to December 29, so Venus should help you enjoy the festive elements of the month. You will be alluring and magnetic, so you might meet someone special at one of the holiday parties you attend. You have not seen Venus in your sign since October-November 2014, so this is special.

I am excited to tell you that one of December's most superb and romantic aspects is to arrive on December 24, Christmas Eve. This is when Venus will receive a silvery beam from good fortune Jupiter, and you will benefit in a big way, and it does not matter if you celebrate Christmas or not. When you are lucky, you are lucky, dear Scorpio.

At the time, December 24, Venus will be in your solar first house of identity and appearance, making you super-attractive, and Jupiter will continue to be in your eleventh house of parties, events, close friends, and new people you will want to get to know better. This same house also rules your dearest hopes, dreams, and wishes, so you may see the fulfillment of something you dearly wanted to happen.

On December 24, you may be invited to a beautiful party (Jupiter brings luxury) where you will be the mysterious and hypnotic guest (Venus in Scorpio). If you get invited to a gathering on this evening, by all means, go. It is also possible that you may receive a gift this evening as Jupiter may see to it that your mate has chosen something very special for you.

On December 25, Christmas Day, you will have a beautiful and tender full moon in Cancer, 3 degrees, to light your ninth house of distance travel. It appears you will be spending Christmas and possibly New Year's Eve far from home. This sounds so exciting. It appears to be a location near water that you will adore. Neptune, the planet of deep love - the planet that teaches the value of unconditional love and sacrifice in the name of the beloved - will exert a silvery beam on this day too. It's a perfect day to think about what is really important in life, and to strengthen all the bonds of family and with your sweetheart or spouse. What a perfect full moon for this time of the year, which emphasizes peace, harmony, and love.

On New Year's Eve, the transiting moon will be in Virgo, a sign that blends perfectly with yours. Best of all, you will have Jupiter conjunct that transiting moon, to make December 31 a day when you will almost certainly be surrounded by the warmth of friends. If you go to a party, or a restaurant, you will be pampered, for Jupiter almost always brings a touch of luxury. Celebrate the coming year, dear Scorpio. The part of life that will be golden in 2016 is the part of your chart ruling friends. Several new faces are due to enter your life, and you may be transformed by the positive influence of them in coming weeks and months.

Venus will enter Scorpio for the first time in 2015 on December 4 and is set to stay until December 30. This planet of grace and beauty will give you extra sparkle, and Venus will give you full permission to indulge in buying several new wardrobe items and for finding other ways to improve your looks. This year, as you shop for holiday gifts, you may say to yourself, "One for you, and one for me..." It IS a good time to spend on your wardrobe and for finding ways to update your appearance. Consult with your hairstylist too to see how you can create a new look for the holidays.

Work appears to be lively, so you'll be needed to be in the office to get projects done. You may feel you are due for a raise, for all year, Saturn has been holding down your income. It appears you will have a superb opportunity this month to get it, so speak up AFTER the new moon arrives December 11. Be reasonable when you ask, for Saturn will still exert partial influence even though this new moon will not aspect old stick-in-the-mud Saturn. This new moon will be unusually friendly, so be optimistic - not all new moons are as cheerful as this one will be, and so you will have a rare window of opportunity of two weeks to get your increase in salary approved. Act on or very close to December 11 for best luck.

Warrior Mars and unpredictable Uranus will be at loggerheads on December 10, the day that falls just before the new moon. This will be a very hot, inflammatory aspect that could produce a potentially explosive day when co-workers or a subordinate may feel cranky and out of sorts. On this day, take time for yourself. Do not shake the tree to see how many juicy coconuts will fall out, for if you do shake it, you may have several hit you on the head. You may need to handle more than you bargained for. Once you get beyond this date - and give it space if you can - you will find co-workers to be calmed down and underlings returned to their happy selves. It may be that workers are simply tense, with too much to do and too little time to get it all done. Shake off their heavy moods, and do what you can to pitch in and help. Another way this aspect may asset itself is through your health. Protect your body in every way - don't pick up heavy boxes the wrong way (it's better to squat than bend over) and dress for the weather if it is cold outside.

Romantically, Venus in Scorpio December 4-30 will reveal your charms and make you quite unforgettable. Your ruler, Mars, is giving you the yen to stay home and have a quiet holiday, but if you are single, you may want to go out anyway as Venus will support you in ways you've not seen in a long time. One of your most romantic evenings will be December 24. You may be invited by friends to be at a festive gathering, and if so, accept, for this evening will be wondrous and luxurious.

The full moon falls the next day, December 25, in the water sign of Cancer, a zodiac sign divinely compatible with yours. You may travel a far distance to a beautiful snowy location or, conversely, one with bright sun and turquoise water. A Cancer full moon would give you a craving to be in one of those two types of enticing environments. You have been working hard, so look into travel packages that are being offered on the Internet - you are likely to find one too special to refuse.

If you are home by December 31, it looks like a friend will be giving a party that you will want to attend. This one will have a touch of sophistication that you will want to experience. What a wonderful way to welcome 2016!