Have you ever watched a gold medal Olympic athlete just prior to putting on her performance? Winners are never distracted. They tend to spend time alone, centering themselves, going through their upcoming performance in their mind, imagining every detail of their routine or race so that they can recreate in real life that perfect performance that exists in their mind. Preparation matters, for gold medals are won by millimeters.

Dear Capricorn, this sense of preparedness describes what you need to do at the start of December. You are about to be crowned celestial favorite for all of 2008 by Jupiter, the planet of gifts and luck, on December 18. On that day, Jupiter will enter Capricorn for the first time since 1996 and make this a year of unprecedented opportunity and personal growth.

With five planets in your area of strategy and secret, behind-the-scenes preparations, you will be involved in many talks that will help you put the finishing touches on a project that you have been working on for a while and that is critical to your future. You won't want to launch anything important prior to December 18 - wait until then or until the new moon January 8 instead. Keep in mind, however, that Mercury will go retrograde on January 28, and you will want to keep as far from that date as you can!

On December 11, there will be a monumental meeting of Jupiter and Pluto, a well-anticipated aspect that occurs every thirteen years. This conjunction will bring you in contact with a very powerful VIP who will want you to keep his or her involvement under wraps. He or she will have the power to rock your world - this person has all the right contacts, so respect this person's wishes. Not a word!

As you begin December, you will have almost no sign that so many benefits are about to flow your way - trust that it will. When it does, it will arrive gently and quietly but will keep building. In hindsight you will see that the very best new parts of your life showed up at the end of 2007 and during the course of 2008.

Both personally and professionally, doors will open for you, giving you the kind of access and opportunity you've rarely enjoyed so far. Influential people will want to see you do well, and you'll need to be very specific about how they can help you if asked. Your health will improve impressively, and you'll likely travel more often in 2008 than you have in any previous year in recent memory.

Your only danger will be to accept too many of the offers and spread yourself too thin. As you move forward, be selective. Focus in on the areas with the biggest potential to maximize this trend.

As you begin your countdown toward this date in the first half of December, take a moment to center yourself. Re-examine your priorities and decide if you'd like to reorder them. If you have outgrown certain goals, there's no harm in deleting those and updating your list by adding one or two new ones.

Also, be sure to create an open space for the universe to fill. If you are too overscheduled, overbooked, and lacking in free time, you will be like a computer with no more memory space - you'll be overwhelmed and ready to crash! You won't be able to add the new, and that would be a shame.

On December 20, Jupiter will conjoin Mercury, an annual event, a day that would be ideal to sign a contract. (Mercury rules negotiations and agreements of all kinds.) Jupiter only aligns with Mercury once a year - this is a rare and special day, and they will meet in Capricorn. You may also travel on this day, or buy a device that helps you communicate more effectively, like a computer, iPhone, or BlackBerry, for example, and if you do, you'll love it.

Travel taken on this day, December 20, or December 29, would be outstanding.

A very important moment will come over the weekend of December 22-23, when Jupiter conjuncts the Sun. I call this the luckiest day of the year - an annual event we all love and always look forward to. If you have been dating, this weekend could bring an exciting, heartfelt engagement. If so, you will have chosen an ideal time to promise your love, the day when Jupiter conjoins the Sun.

If you are married, on this day, which also happens to be the full moon in your relationship sector, you will feel quite adored by your partner. You are about to enjoy the closeness you have built together over the years and perhaps advance to a new level in coming months.

If you are invited to a party over the weekend of December 22-23, this should be an outstanding celebration, and you must go!

No sweetheart or spouse? You can use this outstanding time to seal an important business alliance. Do so in the days leading to this weekend (as the aspect is building in energy) because it will be unlikely you'll get together on this weekend. Stunningly lucrative results from this alliance will arrive over time.

Financially, near December 22-23, you could do very well and reverse so many of the fears and frustrations you've had about credit, loans, taxes, and joint finances during July 2005 to September 2007. While not all of that period may have been distressing for you, it is likely about nine months of that period was, and happily this aspect will help you correct things.

It's worth buying a number of charity raffle tickets over this weekend, or a few scratch-off lotto tickets. Make sure the drawing will take place over this weekend. (That's why I like scratch-off tickets - you can control the date the prize is "awarded.") Don't go overboard buying too many and don't enter contests that have outlandish odds. Stay reasonable and you could win a nice prize over December 22-23.

If you were born on December 22 or 23, or within five days of these dates, you will have a double dip of luck immediately as well as throughout your birthday year! Wow!

With Venus about to tour your social sector (eleventh house) from December 5 to 29, your dance card should be quite full, and your only problem will be how to fit in all the events you want to attend. If at some point during December's first three weeks you feel a little tired or frazzled, it's OK to beg off some of the invitations. The best ones will arrive after December 20, so it's worth resting up for those.

For New Year's Eve, it looks like someone you know from work may be giving a party, and this person may be a co-worker or boss, but either way, this party looks special. If you like the people you work with, go! This party looks like fun.

On so many levels you are due for exciting growth, dear Capricorn. A year from now you will look back at where you stood at this time and be astounded by the growth and successes you will achieve on both a personal and professional level. You won't want to return to your old way of life because it will seem too small and unsophisticated by comparison. You will travel far and wide in the coming year too, and you will learn from places you go and people you meet. You are walking over the threshold of the best year of your life. Are you excited yet? You should be!

Romantic evenings: December 10 - 12, 15, 18, 20, 22 - 23, and 27 - 29.

Make a promise to a partner: December 22 or 23

Summary:

You are on the cusp of the very best period of your life, when the whole world is about to open up for you like a big beautiful hibiscus flower, dear Capricorn! Jupiter, the planet of luck and happiness, will enter Capricorn on December 18 for a year's stay, a privilege you've not had since 1996.

Think back to mid-2003 to mid-2005. During part of that period, depending on your exact birthday, you went through a very difficult time. For example, if you have a December birthday, you found the end of 2003 and early 2004 hardest, but if you were born, say, near January 15, you found late 2004 through early 2005 hardest. Now the universe will make a correction and as hard as it was then, you will have just the opposite - nothing but wonderful developments, coming one right after the other.

It matters not what your main wish may be - to find true love, to make money, to climb the ladder of success at work, to buy a house, or travel internationally - you name it, and send it out into the wild blue yonder. Once you state your desire and set out to achieve it, the universe will respond in kind. Jupiter has been associated with miracles too, so keep that in mind.

To get the most out of your coming year, take a little time at the start of the month to think about what you'd like to achieve in the coming year. Go over goals and redesign your list if necessary. Your practical nature will allow you to choose the goals that offer the biggest potential. At the same time, think big and don't sell yourself short. The coming year is a year unlike any you've ever seen. You will have great help from influential people, but when they ask, you should not blink - you'll need to know precisely what you want. Have confidential talks and assess goals from December 9 to 20.

Within that period, on December 11 you may have a secret strategy meeting that turns out so well! An influential person may want to help you get to the next level. If so, you'll have to keep this person's involvement mum - no problem there! Don't launch any new ventures until after December 18 for best results.

Your best day this month will occur when Jupiter meets the Sun on December 22-23, the time I call the luckiest of the whole year. You should be thrilled with developments within your relationship, and also with financial news. You may get a nice check or a very generous gift from someone who loves you.

Some Capricorns will get engaged at this time, and if that describes you, you will have chosen the most heavenly time ever to do so. Other Capricorns will sign business deals, and similarly, those readers will do very well, too. You might want to take a chance on a small contest, because on top of all your other luck, you could win that as well!

Be sure to celebrate this coming New Year, dear Capricorn! It just may be the very best year of your life!