If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT). Current UT date and time appear at the top of this page. (To update display, use your browser's reload/refresh button.) 

The pace of celestial action escalates in December as compared to last month. For one thing, there's the partial solar eclipse on the 25th at 4 Capricorn. For another, Saturn is within just a degree of its January 24 station point from December 22nd onward. Plus, the Sun-Pluto conjunction of December 4th is a perfect counterpoint to the Sun-Jupiter opposition of November 27 - and likely to be equally important in terms of developments affecting major equity markets. If you thought last month was eventful, you're apt to find December completely overwhelming.

The December 6 lunar equatorial northward crossing - in effect from early on the 5th through late on the 7th - is the first notable storm and seismic risk indicator of the month. Strong storms, flooding and moderate-to-severe earthquakes (Richter 5 or greater) and volcanic activity typically surge to higher than normal frequency at times like this. Aftershocks aside, geophysical disturbances of this sort should taper off until the 8th, when the December 11 full moon begins to be felt.

From the 8th through the 14th we have another, more extensive as well as more intense phase of meteorological and seismic instability. If you live in an area subject to earthquakes or volcanic activity or floods, this would be a good time to keep your emergency supplies well stocked. Coastal flooding is the greatest danger during this period, but inland areas can also be vulnerable due to heavy precipitation (including heavy snowfall, blizzards, etc.). Weather-related delays and mishaps affecting transportation and shipping shape up as an especially prominent feature in the news of the day during this period. The most intensive part of this cycle should be around the 11th and 12th in particular - the 11th being the date of the full moon itself, while the 12th is a 'double whammy' (the day of lunar perigee as well as the day the Moon reaches maximum declination north of the equator).

A brief interlude of relative calm on the seismic and meteorological front intervenes from the 15th through the 17th. From the 18th through the end of the month however, we enter a virtually continuous period of increased potential for strong storms and moderate to severe seismic activity (again, including Richter 5 or greater earthquakes as well as volcanic eruptions). The main focus in all this is the December 25 partial solar eclipse at 4 Capricorn. But there are a couple of ancillary factors including the Moon's southward equatorial crossing on the 19th and attainment of maximum southern declination on the 26th. All things considered, the 19th, 25th and 26th appear to be the most likely days for seismic and meteorological extremes.

As always, being planetary in nature, geophysical shock windows of this sort can manifest anywhere at all on Planet Earth. Still, looking at the astro-locality map of the December 25 eclipse suggests that winter storms in Canada and the eastern US will have prominent roles to play this time around, along with freaky weather and an earthquake watch for New Zealand, the Indochina peninsula, and the central regions of China and Mongolia. This particular eclipse will be visible throughout most of North and Central America, making the upper half of the New World the likeliest target zone

Equity markets are in a holding to down pattern this month - and on into the end of January, as far as that goes. Day to day rallies in quality issues will be standouts in a trend that overall tends to go nowhere or worse. Bottom fishing opportunities come around the 1st, 12th and 29th. These are days when panic selling can provide the long-term investor with excellent buys. There aren't any really good times to sell this month, except for tax loss purposes. You're better off to hang on to quality for the long term than to dump it in a bear market now.

  

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