December 2020

Notice the moments you feel restless, relentless. Can you take spare minutes to cool down, perhaps with a nice bubble tea or iced coffee? Keeping your cool at all times is wise but notice also the moments when slowing down leads to sluggishness – it’s a good time to borrow from the heavenly energies and take artistic, emotional risks with courage and poise. 

The Lunar Eclipse in Gemini at the start of the month sends aftershocks into our struggles with communication. “Seen” doesn’t always mean seen. The texts won’t always go through, so try calling. 

A solar eclipse occurs in the Sagittarius New Moon on the 15^th. Release (without bitterness or nostalgia) whatever keeps you from dreaming abundance into your life. If you are able, it’s a fine time to make a financial donation to causes that matter to you. Material solidarity and higher wisdom go hand in hand. 

If you’re still feeling the echoes of the Gemini eclipse, channel that restlessness into Free Association’s Sagittarius Season offering. Psychiatrist-neuroscientist-writer Sam Lieblich brings big Pisces energy as he leads “Intrusive Thoughts: Internal Monologue of a Stressed Singularity”, a series of free workshops will introduce attendees to the thought of John C. Lilley, Ray Kurzweil, and other outsiders and futurists, whom we will read through the work of Jacques Lacan and Sigmund Freud. After establishing a theoretical grounding, we will use state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, and a set of especially adapted writing exercises, to learn to listen—to ourselves and to the algorithm—so that we might predict what comes next. What will it be like when the internet scrolls us? Get ready to see Siri stress the fuck out! These workshops are free and open to writing and technology enthusiasts. Participants will develop a text to be for publication on Free Association’s website. Access services including Auslan available on request. Writers of all abilities and from any state or territory are encouraged to apply.

(High theory-loving Jupiter, still in methodical Capricorn at this time, thoroughly approves.) 

Rebellious and high-minded Uranus moves into steadfast and earthy Taurus on 2nd December. Dreamy Neptune stays in messy Gemini a little longer. Intense and probing Pluto hangs out in stoic, disciplined Capricorn. Dream large, work hard, find stark truths in the details, but also don’t put faith in your fears. Fears are the paranoid fantasies of the exhausted. Go on, take that nap. 

Meanwhile, momentum is building for the historically significant December 21st Great Conjunction, with Jupiter and Saturn meeting in Aquarius. If you’re a night owl, you might see the giants meeting in the sky at 12.30am on Tuesday morning the 22nd. Jupiter and Saturn meet for a beer once every 20-ish years, but the last time they caught up in an Air Sign was over 200 years ago. If Aquarius were an evening haunt, it would be a glittery outdoor drag ball, a safe space for people of all sorts, the more ‘misfit’ the better. Jupiter brings a sense of grandeur and visionary luck everywhere it goes. Saturn, Aquarius’s planetary lord, is the spendthrift buzzkill that saves you from your worst self, creating space for the opportunities most suited to you. Jupiter and Saturn downing pints in Aquarius brings wisdom, an examination of conscience, and a desire to fight for a fairer world. Whatever your chosen art form, I am excited to see what you create with these energies afoot. 

Aries & Aries Rising 

Write, draw, read, document what sings to your ambition, anger, and erotic yearning. Not on Snapchat or Instagram stories – choose an enduring medium because you’ll want to retrace your creative process in this period. Not everything you create will be worth instantly sharing on social media, or with the object of your strong emotions. But don’t reduce the glorious to the miniscule. Back your own efforts to find the clearest way to say all that needs saying. 

Taurus & Taurus Rising 

Write, draw, read, document that which you hold most dear. Physically, literally. It may not be much, depending on how your year has been. But the act of naming the treasures within reach allows you to honour the abundance that’s always been with you, and release the drama that’s made the hard days worse. The later part of the month might feel more relaxing. This is a good time to try new recipes, or take baby steps learning a new art form. 

Gemini & Gemini Rising 

Write, draw, read, document the people and places where you feel safe. Safe doesn’t mean boring. Safe doesn’t mean stagnant. Your moods can be mercurial as you recover from the aftershocks of the lunar eclipse in your sign, so the first part of the month can feel more frenetic than usual. Give yourself room to manoeuvre. Creating from a position of stability will give you the confidence to be the master communicator you always were. 

Cancer & Cancer Rising 

Write, draw, read, document the moments you’ve been comforted. Your heart is not alone in the world, no matter what’s happened in the past few months. When making plans, choose your conversation partners wisely. Don’t read job and grant application results on a Friday afternoon, or immediately before a date or coffee with a friend (unless the subject says “Congratulations!”). What’s a film or book you cherish yet have almost forgotten? Give that another go.

Leo & Leo Rising 

Write, draw, read, document what makes you proud of yourself. It’s okay to be pleased by the littlest of things. Acts of kindness without expectation look good on you. Do something lovely for someone else before looking in the mirror. Any kind of emotional heavy lifting work (therapy, heart-to-heart chats, etc) may be better after the 16^th. Go to a virtual museum – or even physical museum if it is safe to do so. If you have the opportunity to obtain beautiful new art supplies at reasonable cost, consider it. 

Virgo & Virgo Rising

Write, draw, read, document in ways that invite you to take up space. This season is about laying foundations for the message you’re meant to share with the world – a message the world needs, so respect the amount of work that must go into it. Be gentle with yourself and your tools. It’s a good time to explore innovative platforms for creative expression. The interpersonal, psychological and spiritual investments you make at this time have the potential to endure, so be discerning about where you devote your attention. Honour your body’s need for rest. 

Libra & Libra Rising 

Write, draw, read, document the moments you were somebody’s love object. You are loved and looked up to and in a year like this, it’s easy to forget. State your truths plainly and without entitlement. The latter part of the month may bring reasons to inhale and exhale deeply, so find spaces where the air is fragrant. You’re a natural collaborator but it’s a good time to start solo work that offers exciting shifts in perspective. Nitpicking is unbecoming. The messages in your phone indicate that people are thinking about you. Lead like someone who knows they are loved. 

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising 

Write, draw, read, document whatever makes you bite your lip. Face the love, the anger, and the sorrows that run deep. The more directly you confront them, the less overwhelming they become. The more honest you are about what you really want, the more space you create for that energy in your life. Resist the urge to take big risks that involve money and personal resources – but you’re welcome to fantasise about giving in to your impulses. What needs changing in your community? Find connections between the intimate and the political, and let that inform your art.

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising 

Write, draw, read, document all the places you want to go. Physical landmarks, for sure, but also the places in your mind, and the traces you want to leave in other people’s hearts. You might have restless feet at the start of the month, but be patient. Good things will find their way to you if you stay humble and continue honing your craft. Commit to your ambitions, curiosities, and appetite for abundance. Strategy is its own art form, too. There’s more than one way to get to all the places you need to be. 

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising 

Write, draw, read, document all the tasks you’ve completed. Not just the business and social calendar. Give yourself credit for the work you’ve done on yourself – the therapy sessions where you put in 100%, every time you’ve showed up for a friend in need even if it meant being a little late to a non-essential work meeting, the moments you stopped yourself from throwing a tantrum because of little Premier Pro fails that no one else (except another Capricorn) would notice. Do something messy with your hands. 

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising 

Write, draw, read, document the ways you want to show love – to someone, or something, or the world. If you can, hold off until after the 16^th to take action on these. It’s a beautiful time to dream – and you are a dreamer, so don’t hold back on your vision. Extreme versions of what you want might not always be possible, so take the time to imagine a multiplicity of ways you can find satisfaction. Find grandeur and gratitude in the tiniest of lovely spontaneities, and it will be easier to feel the beauty and fullness of being alive right now. If you’re emerging from crisis, create cracks in your walls, especially on the 21^stand beyond. It’s a good time to let the light in. 

Pisces & Pisces Rising 

Write, draw, read, document the ways you experience belonging. If you’ve been feeling like working on projects that require intense focus and devotion to detail, now is a good time. Perhaps you are the project you’d like to work on. Immersive art forms like music, performance and slow stitching may offer especially deep joy after the 21^st. Own and honour the times you’ve had to put your foot down. Reward your sense of smell with scents that excite you. If it is safe to do so, hug someone hard enough to feel their heartbeat upon yours. Lead with graciousness.