I just received the best news! My app has made it to the finals of the prestigious Media Excellence Award, in several categories. Wow! Winners will be announced at the black tie, red carpet event in Los Angeles on January 18. I am so honored to have made it this far, and of course, I plan to go. I can’t wait to shop for my dress. No matter what happens, it is such an honor…

This month will demand a lot of patience, so when delays and small setbacks occur, take it with a shrug and a smile. Everyone will be experiencing the same frustrating conditions, and the only way to survive will be not to fight the delays, but to go with the flow of events. Your ruling planet, Mercury will go retrograde from December 3 to 22 in your opposite sign of Sagittarius. You began to feel the slowdown, and miscommunications Mercury causes, and a need to redo things last month since November 20 or so. While everyone feels this aspect much the same way, you and your sister sign of Virgo feel Mercury retrograde more, for you both are ruled by Mercury. This is a good month to repair any little tears in the fabric of a relationship, for Mercury will be asking you to look back, not forward. It’s also a great time to reconnect with people you’ve always loved and haven’t seen in a long time. That goes for love too – if you want to return to an old love, this would be the time to make moves toward making that happen.

Holiday shopping will be affected by Mercury retrograde too, so you might as well write a poem, bake cookies, and send a check or a gift card. If the gift is for a business associate, baskets of delicious foods are always appreciated. This year, don’t overthink the holidays. Take things slow and easy. Make a list before you hit the stores, for if you do, life will be easier. Do not save shopping for the last minute, for express mail couriers will have a very hard time keeping up with the demand, and not all packages will arrive on time. Add wild weather into the mix – always prevalent during a Mercury retrograde period – and you see the very real reason you must not procrastinate. When I know I am giving a speech on a certain day, I never arrive in the city the night before, because what would happen if the plane were delayed? Murphy’s Law will run rampant in December (it goes, if it can happen, it will happen – when Mercury retrogrades!)

Do not buy electronics in December – you won’t enjoy the item, nor will your recipient. You will buy the wrong model, or it never will work right. Don’t sign a contract now, nor enter into any verbal agreement either, for both written and verbal agreements are treated the same way in astrology. You will do best to put off pressing matters until January or February.

I wrote an essay on All You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde that is found on my home page of my website, and that essay (along with all my other essays) also appears on the premium, subscriber version of my app on Apple App Store and Google Play (Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone Daily Horoscope). On my app, look at the menu and go to the section Life, Love + More and look for Susan’s Essays on the top. (My apps, both free and paid subscriptions, give a daily horoscope but also include my uncut monthly column too.)

The month will take off with a harsh aspect, December 1, when Mars will clash aggressively with Uranus, the planet of unanticipated events. This is a direct opposition, cutting across your houses of love (fifth house) and friendship (eleventh house). It appears your friend will trigger the incident concerning someone you are dating and love, or it may be a comment about one of your children. This is a very hot, difficult aspect, so I suggest you not engage the conversation when and if it comes up. Your first reaction may not be the best one – take time to think.

This month, shimmering aspects will stand side-by-side harsh ones. On December 2, Jupiter and Neptune will be in divine trine, an astrological term denoting supreme harmony. Neptune, ruling the silver image (of you), is in your house of fame and honors, and Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, is in your house of work projects. On this day you might get some very positive publicity in the press, or news of a very prestigious client who would like to meet with you to offer you an assignment. With a full moon due, you will get a final answer quickly – no waiting.

Another stunning day for your career will be December 27, when Mars and Neptune will be in sync. Again, magical publicity may come up, so have your favorite outfit ready and dry cleaned in your closet for that special call.

Going back to the start of them month, the full moon, December 3, will fall in Gemini, at 12 degrees. This means something of great personal significance is about to culminate. This full moon and Sun will be in hard aspect to Neptune, adding confusion to all that occurs December 3 plus or minus four days. If you agree to a pact or make a promise, you may not understand all the implications of what you are promising. With the moon involved, the ruler of your second house of personal income and savings is brought into the discussion, but your inability to see the matter clearly may actually cost you quite a sum, now or later.

Your ruler, Mercury, will be conjunct Saturn at the time of the full moon so you will be in a deeply meditative mood, very cognizant that actions you make or the news you hear in early December now will have long range and lasting implications. You may be concerned about a member of the family who is not well, so you may want to carve out a little time to help that person.

If your birthday falls on June 2, plus or minus four days, you will feel the effects of this full moon the most. The same is true if you have Gemini rising 12 degrees, or the natal moon in that sign at the same degree. To a lesser, but still important, extent, you will benefit from this full moon if you have a natal planet in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius at 12 degrees, plus or minus five degrees.

A fun day to do creative brainstorming will be December 10, when Mercury, planet of thinking, perception, and intellect, will be contacted in the sweetest way by Uranus, planet of innovation and originality. Uranus is called the higher octave of Mercury, taking the facts, knowledge, and perceptions of Mercury and synthesizing that information in a new way, into the realm of innovative genius.

On another note, Mars will move into Scorpio on December 9 to stay until January 26, so during this time, you’ll be very busy at work. Assignments will go so very well, for Mars is speeding ahead and is aiming to dock with Jupiter on January 8, a rare day, when you may get a new, very lucrative assignment. You will feel the energy of these two planets, as they get closer to each other in alignment by the end of December. If you are looking for part-time work, that would be a good time to start. If you want a job that elevates your status into a new realm, then you need to wait until mid-March, to the new moon in Pisces. If you are self-employed, however, you will find the new business you get to be stimulating, fun, well paid, and very likely a bridge to better clients.

At work and in your personal life, in January, next month, you will become obsessed with financial management and for crystalizing deals. December will not be the month to try to push any idea through for approval or funding, for the deck seems to be stacked against you – wait until January. Besides, having Mercury retrograde is a substantial enough reason to hold back in December but also you have a plethora of planets in your seventh house of partnership directly opposing your Sun, suggesting the other person would have the upper hand. When the Sun is found as far away from your sign as it can possibly be as it loops around the Sun (for Gemini that is this month’s sign, Sagittarius, six months from your birthday) – December is clearly your chilly month. At this time, you can’t feel the Sun’s warm rays, so to make up for that, so you need to collaborate and huddle with others, hence the emphasis on partners.

The new moon of December 18 in Sagittarius 27 degrees in your committed partnership and marriage house will be a watershed moment for you to think about setting up new agreements. Saturn in Sagittarius will conjoin the Sun, indicating a very serious discussion about a partnership you’d like to form in love or business. I feel that your talks will be upbeat because Uranus will be in range of the new moon, Sun, Venus and your ruler, Mercury, bringing surprisingly good news, quite out of the blue.

If your birthday falls on June 17, plus or minus four days, you will feel the effects of the new moon the most. The same is true if you have Gemini rising 26 degrees, or the natal moon in that sign at same degree. You will also notice the effects of this new moon if you have a natal planet in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius at plus or minus five degrees – you too will feel the effects of this new moon.

The ancient astrologers wrote that the seventh house is designated to marriage and all happy close, contractual romantic and business collaborations. This may be the time to make a promise to one another, but, if possible not to seal the promise quite yet, due to your ruler, Mercury being retrograde.

When aspects were harsh to your seventh house in the natal chart, the ancient astrologers referred to your seventh house also as the place of open enemies, direct competitors, or those who will work at cross-purposes to your actions. You have a packed seventh house this month, with the Sun, new moon, Saturn, and Mercury there. If you do have opponents, you would know it, for they would be out in the open, loud and vocal, and easily seen. This is a complex new moon, so I do have to add that if you have given up on a relationship, your New Year’s resolution is to extricate yourself from this alliance. Sometimes that takes time, so this would be the point you would start.

If you are trying to make a deal with a client, you can start talks, but you may want to proceed slowly. When you have many planets on the western part of the chart as you do here now, the other person would have the advantage in a negotiation, so approach talks with a spirit of cooperation, but be careful not to give away too much.

Major, headline news will come up December 19, when Saturn makes his monumental move into Capricorn for the first time since February 1988 to February 1991. Saturn takes 29 years to circle the Sun, which is why his visits to any one house of the chart is infrequent. We only get a possible three visits from Saturn in any one house in a lifetime – do the math, 29 x 3 = 87 years.)

Over the past three years, since December 23, 2014, you have hosted Saturn in one of the most difficult places for Gemini – in Sagittarius, your opposite sign. Having Saturn opposed to your Sun may have drained your health. At some point during the past three years, you may have had to address a medical difficulty. Now, your health will improve, although you might decide to finally have surgery or a procedure soon that you’ve been putting off, and be discussing that possibility in January to do later in the early part of the year. Now that will be in your sixth house of health, your prospects will be so very good for feeling better!

While in Sagittarius over the past three years (the sign Saturn will be leaving on December 19/20), Saturn tested all your close, committed relationships, the one you may have in love, and any and all that you have or have had in business. None of these tests were easy, for Saturn is known to be the drill sergeant who takes no prisoners Additionally, when any planet settles on one of the north-south-east-west points of the chart – points that line up with the points of a compass – that planet has the strength of wild horses, and acts much more powerfully than the same planet would be when positioned elsewhere in the chart. You had Saturn, the western point on the compass. Now Saturn leaves on December 19/20 (depending on your time zone), and you will be liberated. Life will seem lighter and easier. You have paid your dues, and now you have a brighter road ahead.

Saturn has to go somewhere else, so it is heading to your eight house of other people’s money. Once there, Saturn will teach you to be realistic and practical about how you earn, spend, save, borrow, and invest. You will learn the importance of protecting your financial identity online and you will find ways to have access to lines of credit, especially if you have a business, rather than loan cash from high interest credit cards. You will learn how to think ahead in business, to negotiate strong contracts, and how to extract yourself from a contract that you discover over time is clearly not in your favor. You will work more closely with your accountant to possibly lower your tax liability by understanding new tax laws and knowing what you are and are not legally entitled to take. Saturn will ask you to review your insurance policies and to add or lower the amount of coverage, as is needed in your evolving lifestyle.

When you are not paid on time (if you have your own business, or say, in regard to child support), you will set up sources of cash to bridge you over until the checks some in. You will learn that your credit rating is precious and that can protect you in the future, and you will send checks to credit card companies early, even if you don’t have enough money to cover the entire amount, later, when you do, you can send more. You may learn to write an effective business plan or how to apply for a mortgage. In short, you are about to become savvy about money.

Saturn’s tests can, at times, can be daunting. He will not reward you until the end of his tour, so in terms of financial management, that won’t come until December 2020. However, in regard to close, committed relationships in business or marriage, you are coming up on experiencing reward for what you learned while Saturn was in Sagittarius. The life knowledge you gained is often the most valuable reward, for you will find ways to not put yourself in the same situation again after having been through what you experienced lately.

This month brings Saturn conjunct the Sun, December 21, a meeting of cold, icy Saturn and the fiery Sun. Naturally, these two elements don’t mix well and can cause a depressing, wet blanket kind of situation. It’s not the day to ask for a raise, apply for credit or a mortgage, or to buy anything expensive, like to close on a house or buy a car, for the burden of paying back the money loaned may feel crushing. (Mercury will still be retrograde at this point in the month anyway.) Saturn rules fear, so when Saturn is in your eighth house, you might feel you are running out of time or money, even if your view is distorted, and you are not!

New Year’s Eve brings an approaching full moon January 2, in Cancer 12 degrees. This full moon will be all about money, for it falls in your second house of your own personal savings and income. With Saturn closing in on an opposition, you will be paying bills and may feel the weight of holiday giving on your bank account. Still, it’s also very possible that someone close who means a lot to you may give you a very valuable, precious gift at this time. Let’s hope things work out that way. Your prospects for work are superb in early January too. Money goes out of your account, but comes in too, so all in all, the year ends well.

As you enter the month, Mercury, your guardian planet, will go retrograde from December 3 to December 22, making it vital that you be deliberate about all the communications you do, from the simplest to the most complicated ones. Misunderstandings will be on the rise, and you will face delays in shipping and travel. Shop early for holiday gifts. Aim for clarity, and accuracy: Double check addresses for shipments, and that your flights are on time, that your hotel accommodations are confirmed before you leave the house. Organization will be the key to get through the month.

The full moon on December 3 will be in Gemini, bringing to conclusion something that is vitally important to you. At the time, Saturn will be conjunct Mercury, putting you in serous mode – you may be contemplating engagement or a move to a new address, and weighing the pros and cons of the decision. Happily, Uranus, planet of surprise, will bring you luck when you least expect it – your friend is likely to provide the key. In a month filled with smoke and mirrors, Neptune will not be helpful, for this planet will fog facts, so making an informed decision will be near impossible.

Wait until the new moon December 18 to get more facts. Yet you seem to be about to enter into a highly financial discussion by mid-January, but December will not be the time to commit to any financially binding agreements. If waiting for January is too long, you can begin to act on goals one week beyond December 22, the date Mercury will go direct.

This month will be more romantic for attached Gemini than those single, but if you are looking for love, you may like December 20 when Uranus will send a lovely missive to Venus, bubbling up fun and conversation. You may meet someone who is older than you – see how it works out.

The new moon of December 18 will light your partnership / marriage sector, opening talks about an engagement or partnership in love, or you may want to draw up official papers for a business alliance. With Saturn on the new moon, December 22, your workload will be heavy in the weeks to follow, and, oddly, money will be temporarily tight, and cash flow may concern you, especially near December 21. Should you find that checks due you are late, have a contingency plan in place to cope with financial obligations at month’s end.

Saturn will move into your financial eighth house, ruling money outside of salary, including commissions, royalties, licensing fees, insurance payout, child support, divorce, and other court settlements. Taxes, mortgage, credit cards, student loans, and such also come under the eighth house too. In the coming three years, this taskmaster planet will ask you to be realistic about money management. Saturn will warn you not to take chances with tax deductions, and when applying for a loan, to borrow only what you absolutely need and feel confident that you can pay back over time. If you work with Saturn, you will end this period far richer than when you entered it.

Mars’ impending move to meet fortunate Jupiter on January 8, to be felt by the end of December, will ease this situation. Also, in January, powerhouse planet Pluto’s signal to Jupiter, planet of good fortune, shows that despite all your doubts and fears, you’ll soon be in the chips again.