The Start of Year’s End: December 2021 Forecast

What a long, strange trip it’s been. Throughout 2021 (and, frankly, 2020), it’s been said that each month has been the longest ten years of our lives. Our surreal timeline has seemed endless - but we have, in fact, made it to the last month of 2021.

The astrology outlook certainly reflects what many are aiming for in the months and years ahead: a refreshed perspective, a calmer emotional atmosphere, and opportunities to create dynamic change. We begin December with Neptune coming out of retrograde, bringing greater clarity, creativity, and faith.

Events continue December 4 with the new moon in Sagittarius, complete with a total solar eclipse. This will help us broaden our horizons, turning from an inward focus to an outward one. December 18 brings the full moon in Gemini, a sign that’s always driven by the need for knowledge. This will be the time to solidify what values and beliefs will drive the next steps of our journey.

Combined with our Tarot reading (full details below), we can look at December 2021 as our time to come to terms with the dramatic shifts in our lives. No longer can we rely on the status quo - and so many of us are ready to see 2022 rise like a phoenix from the ashes of the last two years.

What’s In the Cards

Our Tarot forecast is a perfect complement to what’s in the stars for us. For this month’s spread, I chose the Sun & Moon Tarot by Vanessa Decort - available here at Indigo Moons, along with dozens of other decks, perfect for holiday gifting or your own personal practice!

This deck has its basis in the Crowley Thoth Tarot, with some symbolic differences from the Smith-Waite Tarot tradition; today’s interpretation will be informed by both styles. Sun & Moon Tarot has a slightly whimsical art style, and features diverse human figures alongside symbols incorporated from Greek, Egyptian, and Hindu mythology; runes; and the I Ching.

I used a three-card spread of Embrace, Accept, Release - one of several you can learn about in my class Three Cards and the Truth, coming up Saturday, December 11. (Check our Facebook page or the Events page on indigomoons.net for details!)

1: Embrace - Eight of Cups

This familiar scene depicts a person moving along a new path, but in a specific way: that is, what’s important is what’s being left behind. Thoth defines this card as “indolence,” and there is a distinct energy of stagnant emotions - and of abandoning them, along with the people and situations that cause them. 

What, then, should we embrace? Instead of a careless casting off of outmoded concerns, it’s up to us to create a positive change. Be mindful as you let go of what may be keeping you stuck in the past. As you release, honor the lessons that these circumstances and the previous months brought you. Be ready to put the past behind you, but never forget that what you learned will always be there to reflect on.

2: Accept - The Fool

In both Thoth and Smith-Waite, The Fool represents curiosity, openness, and the beginning of the soul’s journey. We’re all adapting to a new normal - in some ways, a whole new path than the one we’ve always known. But are we excited about a realm of new possibilities, or are we stubbornly trying to cling to what’s familiar?

This concept comes up in the “accept” position because a lot of us continue to struggle against the tide of change. The new realities of living on Earth have certainly brought profound upheaval and loss - which means that if we’re still standing, we have an opportunity to choose better ways going forward. The Fool is a symbol of infinite opportunity, a blank slate for the pathway ahead.

It’s all right to grieve not only loved ones who have crossed over, but friendships, places, habits that have fundamentally changed. We can honor that which we’ve loved and lost while creating improvements in our lives and in the world.

3: Release - Judgment (Aeon)

Through the Smith-Waite lens, the Judgment card often stands for an awakening - a spiritual transformation that clears away past circumstances. In Thoth, where it’s also called the Aeon, the correlation with the phoenix is even stronger. In this reading, it’s completely in tune with the other cards. Aeon represents the finality of transformation, a fiery destruction followed by a magnificent awakening.

In this position, then, Aeon isn’t so much an instruction as an acknowledgement. It doesn’t instruct us on how to release; it tells us that release is inevitable, and that it will bring reckoning as well as redemption. Adjust your perspective and view life from a higher spiritual lens. You may not be able to escape change, but if you seek to find your flow, you’ll be part of the process to create a better world.

Susan (aka the Dragonfly Charmer) manages the Indigo Moons website, and is an intuitive reader with over 25 years of experience. She also teaches Tarot classes at the shop. See her latest thoughts at instagram.com/thedragonflycharmer, or visit thedragonflycharmer.com to learn more about her.