3 Must-Do’s for Year End According to the Stars

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? — when we realize that another year is coming to a close and we only have a few weeks left to accomplish the most important things we planned on.

As your friendly, neighborhood astrologer, I consider it my job to provide insight on where the energy of the universe is currently calling us to invest time in these closing weeks of the year so we can make the most out of them.

Here’s my read, based on the astrology, for areas where you can give some final TLC to make the most out of the waning weeks of 2020. Choose just one if you are busy (and who isn’t during the holidays?) or contemplate all three if you have a bit more time or are feeling ambitious.

#1: Last Call: What Are Your Operating Instructions?

After two and a half years, Saturn is finally moving out of Capricorn and into Aquarius on December 17th, 2020. So this is the last call (as far as Saturn is concerned) for you to do the Capricorn work needed to set you up for your next chapter in Aquarius (December 17th, 2020 to March 7, 2023) when you will be called to use your unique gifts to uplift your tribe and advance the collective.

Saturn in Capricorn’s question to you is this: what is your personal operating system? How must your day-to-day life be designed in order to support you in being the best version of yourself? Before you can launch you (your business, your new venture, your next chapter, your next soul-mated relationship, etc.) in 2021, you want to be operating at your top capacity. You need daily routines and rituals to keep you healthy and high-functioning through life’s ups and downs. For example…

What times are best for you to sleep and wake each day? What kinds of work are you best suited to do in the morning versus the afternoon? Are your files and systems organized in a way that works smoothly and is easy to maintain? How much exercise do you need each day or week, and how can you most easily and enjoyably fit that into your schedule? Do you need to implement a better self-care routine? Do you engage in a spiritual practice consistently to renew and reconnect to your inner voice of wisdom?

Hopefully you have already been building these areas in your life naturally, as we wrap up two and a half years of Saturn in Capricorn. If not, the next few weeks are a great time to get clear on what routines, tools, and structures you need to implement, to bring your healthiest self to each day. Put those final pieces into place now, and you will reap the benefits in 2021. If you are just showing up to the task now, don’t worry, however! Once Saturn moves out of Capricorn on Dec. 17, 2020, Pluto will remain in Capricorn until Jan. 20, 2024 so you can continue tinkering with your operating system in the new year and beyond to make sure it — and you — are humming along.

#2: Release Toxic Mindsets So You Can Begin Anew

As I mentioned last week in my blog, we are in the middle of eclipse season, with a lunar eclipse last Monday (11/30) and a solar eclipse this coming Monday (12/14). Eclipses are like full moons and new moons on steroids, triggering us to clear out the old so we can bring in the new. What better way to end the year than to clean out our our mental closets to prepare for some new goodies. Pick one toxic mindset that you are no longer willing to tolerate and take the rest of the year to practice releasing it. Yes, it’s time to retrain your brain’s “muscle memory.”

For spiritual brownie points — and an even stronger impact — consider creating a little ceremony to formally release your toxic mindset. Keep it simple but make it real by lighting a candle, journaling, speaking it out loud to a partner, or meditating on your intention. Then observe yourself in the days that follow to keep yourself on track. Come up with a mantra to say to yourself to aid the process; and, for extra motivation, plan to do a new moon ritual on or near next Monday, December 14, 2020.

New moons are the best time to create a goal for your next venture, and Monday’s new moon in Sagittarius will be energetically potent given that it’s part of a solar eclipse. What better way to motivate you to release a toxic mindset than to honor the new creation you want to attract after your closet has been emptied of its skeletons. Take the rest of this week to get clear on the mindset you are releasing, and Monday you will be ready to speak your new moon intention to the universe.

#3: Continue to Savor the Simple Pleasures

If the previous two end-of year tasks feel like too much (and who could blame you in a year like the one we have all been having?) try this last one on for size. It’s short, sweet, and easy. With Uranus in Taurus retrograding for one more month (until January 14, 2021), now continues to be a good time to revisit what you truly value in life.

What are the simple or earthly pleasures you want to do a better job of enjoying? Time in nature? Cooking or eating delicious, healthy food? Using essential oils to give your body or your room a stimulating scent? Tasting of fine wines or good quality chocolate? Raising orchids or house plants? Think about anything that brings a smile to one of your five senses: taste, smell, touch, vision, or hearing. That’s Taurus.

What sensory delights do you truly value and aim to bring more of into your life in 2021? Once Uranus goes direct on January 14, 2021 you can start putting everything you learned during this retrograde (August 15, 2020-January 14, 2021) about what you value into action.

While the past year of COVID-19 has been intense and pushed many of us at times to near breaking point, the “gift” of this year has also been a realization for many of us of what we can, and can no longer, tolerate. What toxic mindsets must you send on their way? What life pleasures must you find a way to enjoy on a regular basis? And how must you care for yourself each and every day so you are able to operate at your highest capacity?

Although it would be easy to, this friendly neighborhood astrologer wants to remind you: don’t be pulled into the illusion that 2020 was not “productive” enough. As astrology often reminds, you are exactly where you need to be. Trust instead that the self-learning you gained this year, if acted upon, will set you up for a powerful 2021 where you are able to launch your next venture from a place of joy, peace, and strength.