First Quarter Moon in Pisces, Venus Opposes Mars, and Mercury Sextiles Venus—Escapism, Relationship Challenges, and Parties!
Weekly Horoscope for December 8-14, 2024
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Without further ado, here is the weekly horoscope and New Moon report.
Good afternoon, friends!
I apologize. I am a day late for the First Quarter Moon horoscope, which happened yesterday. So, we will start there and then discuss the two main transits perfecting this week, Venus opposing Mars and Mercury sextiling Venus.
Okay, let’s get into….the astrology
(all times are in Eastern time unless mentioned otherwise)
First Quarter Moon in Pisces
The First Quarter Moon occurred at 17°Pisces 02’ at 10:26 am ET on Sunday, December 8, 2024. You can see the Moon in Pisces on the left-hand side of the chart above at about the 7-8 o’clock position, nestled between Saturn and Neptune; how cozy. The Sun is on the upper left of the chart at about 10-11 o’clock position, next to Mercury in Sagittarius retrograde. Both the Sun and Mercury have recently opposed Jupiter, who is still retrograde in Gemini (located between 4-5 o’clock on the chart). The Sun and Mercury have also just squared Saturn, who, as I said, is next to the Moon, co-present in Pisces.
When we had the New Moon a week ago, the Sun and Moon were applying to square Saturn, representing limitations, red lights, and roadblocks for this lunar cycle. Now, the Moon is with Saturn for her First Quarter phase, which could feel a lot like trying to get out of quicksand. If we could just get over some hump or some marker on our path, then we would feel a lot better, right? This is the energy we are all dealing with. An item, a project, a goal, a responsibility—something we have to accomplish in order to feel like we are going somewhere, doing something meaningful, or “being somebody.” Pisces is a sign associated with yearning, so there could be the feeling of yearning for something we don’t have right now or that is being withheld from us, and this “thing” may even be something intangible, like “time.” We need more time for our project, more time for our goals, and more time to accomplish our responsibilities.
The First Quarter phase of the lunar cycle is all about taking action on whatever seeds you planted a week ago, but with this dynamic in play, and with Mars now retrograde, this could feel as if we are moving through molasses or like we have to go backward before we can go forwards--direct, focused action is nebulous and wobbly at best. So, we need more time, and we are going super slow—these are two things that can leave one feeling very frustrated!
Since I am writing this on Monday afternoon, I can share with you that yesterday was not a day for big actions in my household. I was supposed to write but chose to knit all day instead, shirking my self-imposed responsibilities for a creative Piscean outlet. My husband did the same, scrolling and snoozing on the couch all day. It was impossible to get anything on the actual “to-do” list accomplished…except art.
I was able to finish the hat I was working on, my second knit hat in my life, and I’m pretty happy with it, but I didn’t get anything else done, and there was a long list of “shoulds.” Maybe you experienced this over the weekend yourself, or maybe the energy has spilled over into today? I know that this morning I was moving like a snail.
The Moon moved into Aries early this morning at 8:37 am ET. The Moon in Aries will give us a lot more energy to get things accomplished, but the ruler of Aries, Mars, is retrograde in Leo and moving very slowly at only 01’ of arc per day, as opposed to his usual 30-31’/day, so, we may feel as if we need to push ourselves or make ourselves do what we need to do, and it could feel hard. We may need to get creative and use some leverage, like putting a snail on a roller skate—anything that will lessen the friction because there is a lot of cosmic friction right now.
Every First Quarter Moon, I ask, “What are you taking action toward?” But, this week, it may take a little while to get your motor running; you may have to warm yourself up, so to speak, before you have enough energy to tackle your responsibilities. Maybe, dust off those old roller skates if you can to give yourself the illusion of speed!
Here are some questions to ask yourself during this lunar phase (active this whole week):
What are you taking action toward this week, albeit slower than usual? What are you noticing taking shape? What artistic pleasures are you drawn to that you’d rather do more than your responsibilities?
Briefly, below, you will find the house where this First Quarter Moon is occurring according to your rising sign. Find your rising and read the house topics associated with this First Quarter Moon. You may notice action, movement, strengthening, or an event involving one or more of those topics, or delays having to do with those topics.
Aries — twelfth house of blind spots, large animals, hidden enemies, and mental health.
Taurus — eleventh house of friends, allies, groups, and wishes.
Gemini — tenth house of career, praxis, and the mother.
Cancer — ninth house of foreign travel, higher education, and beliefs.
Leo — eighth house of shared resources, inheritance, debt, and death.
Virgo — seventh house of marriage, partnerships, and legal matters.
Libra — sixth house of stress, health issues, employees or co-workers, and pets.
Scorpio — fifth house of pregnancy, children, creativity, and recreational activities.
Sagittarius — fourth house of family, roots, and property.
Capricorn — third house of siblings, communication, and local travel.
Aquarius — second house of money and possessions.
Pisces — first house of self, health, and character.
I wish you all a Happy First Quarter Moon phase this week!
Jupiter and Saturn Begin Their Square
Another thing that we have to keep in mind is that on Sunday, December 8, 2024, Jupiter retrograde in Gemini entered the 3-degree range of engagement to Saturn, who he will square on December 24, 2024. This transit is a big turning point in the year, that started back in mid-August, and we are seeing the next installment of the story published this month. This transit brings big changes to your life, in the form of career, residence, or direction that are powerful for you. This upcoming square will be the last in Gemini/Pisces, but they will square each other again once they are both in the next signs, Cancer and Aries, so the outcome or the resolution to the story will be in completely different energies in 2025.
Coming up later this week:
Thursday, December 12, 2024
At 5:46 am, Venus in Aquarius Opposes Mars in Leo retrograde at 5°58’ of their respective signs. This can be a very challenging aspect for relationships, for the opposition is the nature of Saturn, and means that we come to a crossroads or a moment in time when we need to decide on something. Between Venus, the planet of love, affection, good fortune, and the feminine archetype, and Mars, the planet of war, aggression, misfortune, and the masculine archetype, we have the cosmic dance between the lovers, who are passionately always chasing one another in the heavens.
So what choice are we making? Are we giving someone a second chance? With Mars moving retrograde, are we taking steps back toward something or someone that we loved in the past? Is there something that we value in our lives that we are going back to fight for? What are we revisiting in the relationship department? Are you switching roles with your partner?
Venus in Aquarius can be rather concerned about bringing beauty and love to the whole world, and Mars in Leo is primarily focused on his own needs, so there could be a difference in worldview that needs to be addressed with this opposition.
This could also manifest as sibling rivalry, as Mars represents brothers and Venus sisters. So, if you have kids, watch out for fights and disagreements on this day, as the tension will be thick.
Friday, December 13, 2024
At 2:45 am, Mercury in Sagittarius retrograde forms a sextile to Venus in Aquarius.
This is a great transit for a Friday! If you have parties to go to or fun social events, this transit supports them. The Moon in Taurus will conjoin Uranus early in the morning and then, after she enters Gemini, oppose Mercury and square Venus by the end of the night, which could mean there are surprises that come up throughout the day that are potentially fun and exciting or kind of disruptive. Whatever it is, there is the potential for communication issues, so remember to be patient and flexible with the plans on Friday.
Mercury sextile to Venus always brings flowing conversations, social interactions, and opportunities for good times, so if you have somewhere fun to go, enjoy it!
Could also be a great day for making music!
The Tarot Card
Let’s see what the cards have to say…
What is the guidance for this week?
IV of Swords
In my new AstroMommy’s One-Year Tarot Journal complimentary interpretations, I wrote:
--a moment of silence, a pause in the fight, an intermission in the movie of life where we get to mourn, retreat, and do nothing and that is the point. It’s a time of rest, recuperation, inaction, and solitude.
I feel this fits Mars’ retrograde and this momentary pause in the astrological calendar when we don’t have anything perfecting until Thursday, so there is a bit of a quiet period before things start to move again. So, take some time this week to rest and recuperate and get your strength up for the future.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment!
I hope this is helpful!
Until next week,
AstroMommy
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Today’s card was pulled from The Universal Waite Tarot Deck available on Amazon.
