There really isn't a lot of notable cosmic action in December, at least in terms of major planetary alignments. There are only a couple in that class this month: the SuperMoon on the 3rd, and Saturn's retrograde ending with its direct station on the 29th. The Ringed Planet remains within one degree of its station point (28 Aries) all month and right through the end of January. This is the signal – as I mentioned months ago – which marks the end of the downward draft potential afflicting world equity markets since mid-July. Since the July drop and the early October reprise, most major markets have done a good job of recovering from the major correction that came through as predicted. But the bears aren't dead, they're only sleeping, until we at least get through the end of December. And even then, there's another correction coming up in 1999 (probably in August, maybe as soon as late July).

The month starts out with a most Mercurial flavor – lots of flip-flops and a focus on communications (and miscommunications), what with the little planet being retrograde until the 11th. (The retrograde began, you'll remember, on November 21st.) Mercury's December 1 alignment with the Sun is an inferior conjunction, one that occurs when Mercury is on the same side of Sol as seen from Earth. There are only three of these a year, the last one having been on August 13. Lies and propaganda will abound, along with communications breakdowns and blackouts, union-related work stoppages, elusive errors spotted (often embarrassingly): you'll see more of this than usual between now and December 11, and particularly around the 1st. But if you'll pay attention, the lies will be easy to see through – sometimes because a Freudian slip trips up the liar. (And sometimes because an internal memo gets made public by mistake.) Don't expect people to live up to their commitments at times like this: treaties are bent if not broken, agreements unravel, promises don't amount to much, especially with Mercury being conjunct Pluto on the 2nd. Get it in writing if only to provide a paper trail when the wheels come off . . . for whatever that may be worth. Somehow I think the Middle East is a special focus for this, but it's a worldwide phenomenon regardless.

Speaking of worldwide phenomena, the December 3 SuperMoon alignment (a full moon at 11 Gemini) ups the ante for strong storms, flooding and moderate to severe seismic activity (Richter 5 or greater quakes as well as volcanic eruptions). As usual, this one is in effect from three days before to three days after the exact alignment (i.e. November 30 – December 6). While SuperMoons are global in import, the Pacific Northwest, Brazil, east Africa and much of central and eastern Europe as well as far eastern China, Japan and Indonesia look like possible target zones for this alignment. (There's also a suspicious-looking Mars line running from southern California up through western Nevada.)

Mercury's retrograde ends with the direct station at 1 Sagittarius on the 11th, within a couple days of the December 9 Venus-Saturn trine. With aspects like this, major world equity markets should make about a 3-5 percent move that week. Normally I'd look for this to be an up-tick, but with Saturn being retrograde it could just as easily be a downside move.

The December 18 new moon at 27 Sagittarius, while not in the same class as the SuperMoon earlier this month, is still a sign of strong storms and their attendant flooding as well as notable seismic shocks (again, Richter 5 or greater quakes and volcanic activity). Expect both kinds of natural upheavals to make the news between the 15th and 21st. This particular new moon is almost exactly in trine aspect (120 degree angle) to Saturn. In combination with other factors, this suggests to me the possibility of a fiery tragedy within a day or two of the 18th.

The month closes out with Saturn's direct station on the 29th – the stock market signature I've already mentioned – and the beginning of next month's first full moon phase. While the moon isn't exactly full until January 2nd, it's already in effect from December 30th onwards. So once again, be prepared for the usual onslaught of strong storms (including high winds, heavy rain or snowfall and/or flooding) as well as moderate to severe seismic activity (Richter 5 or greater quakes, volcanic eruptions). This particular full moon is an AnteBlue Moon: the first in a pair of full moons to occur in the same calendar month. It will be followed by Blue Moon of January 31, 1999 – which is one of two Blue Moons that year. (In the entire 20th Century there are only three years that have two Blue Moons: 1915, 1961 and 1999. And there are only four Blue Moon eclipses this century: 1904, 1915, 1982 and 1999.)

Last but not least, here are a few odds and ends I picked up looking over some of the charts of world leaders. I call these odds and ends because the birth times of world leaders are typically so controversial that it's odd to have an accurate one (for example, there are TWO documented times for US President Bill Clinton); and ends because, well, because they're at the end of this forecast. Watching a couple of major transits in UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's chart, a faux pas (a breach of confidentiality perhaps) can cause quite a stir around the end of the month. With Saturn's station opposing his sun, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is losing political support left and right this month: the people he counts on let him down, is the problem. With Uranus closing on his natal Sun at the end of December, Russian President Boris Yeltsin appears to have a good month or two left in his post – maybe even six, if he makes it through January. President Clinton, after some tough August eclipses, gets a breather this month. (He'll need to be rested and ready by the time the late January to mid-February eclipses roll around.)

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)