Winter Solstice: Finding Alignment

Newgrange spirals

Winter Solstice
December 21, 2012

In astrology, the Winter Solstice happens when the Sun enters Capricorn, cardinal Earth. The Sun goes to ground, so to speak, standing still for about three days before turning back from decline and beginning to rise higher in the sky once again.

Since the time is marked by the Sun's entry into Capricorn, the astrological solstice does not always fall on December 21. This year, it does, arriving just before dawn, Eastern Standard Time.

Much has been said about this December 21, and much written. Here, I'll focus on the astrology of this day––which is compelling in its own way, though not (in my view) catastrophic.

Throughout this Solstice chart, we see a combination of the mystical and the practical. The Sun at 0 Capricorn, the workhorse of the zodiac, sextiles Neptune at 0 Pisces, the zodiac at its most visionary. The Sun in conjunct Juno, the goddess focused on justice and social contracts. Neptune is conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer and mentor.

We see pragmatic action grounded in reality connecting to the deepest, widest, broadest, craziest, most impossible dreams we can dream.

There's energy here too, a wild fiery blending of mind and heart: The Solstice Moon rides through the middle of Aries, cardinal Fire, making a flowing trine to Mercury in Sagittarius.

Here we have emotions and thoughts flaming together, moving confidently into new territory.

Then the heavy hitters, bringing gravitas to the celebration: Saturn and Pluto form a tight sextile, made more powerful by their mutual reception. These two share energy because they're 60 degrees apart, and because each travels through the sign ruled by the other.

Saturn, that bastion of responsibility, practicality and hard work, is at his most mysterious and magical in Scorpio. This Saturn has hidden depths, doesn't miss a trick, and seems to know everything.

Pluto, lord of the depths, is at his most comprehensively thorough in Capricorn. He leaves no stone unturned; in fact, he's moving continents.

The only question with these two working together is, can we stand it? Can we look unflinching at the secrets uncovered? Can we look truth in the face and go toe to toe with Goliath? This is a real question, not a rhetorical one, and the Solstice chart says we're still thinking about it.

Saturn and Pluto are each inconjunct Jupiter, forming yet another yod or finger of fate. The pattern is especially strong today, with all three less than a degree apart in each sign.

So, Saturn and Pluto join power, making Jupiter really uncomfortable. Can we be sure of anything in these times? What do we really know? Jupiter is retrograde in Gemini, remember, and much less sure of himself than usual. The philosopher-sage has a lot on his mind.

The yod aspect always points to a place where we need to make adjustments––this yod, combining as it does, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter, points to big adjustments. The answer to the problem posed by a yod is said to lie underneath the apex––and there we see Venus, generously optimistic in Sagittarius.

Venus is personal. She's creative and relational. She's clever, holding her own in debate while never losing sight of the human aspects of a situation. You remember the slogan, the personal is political? This Venus, resting opposite Jupiter, poised between Saturn and Pluto, might be telling us the political is personal––or perhaps challenging us to realize this.

Another way to express this might be to say that what we do and how we do it, say more about who we are than what we say. If our actions are already aligned with our values, this is comforting. If they're not, well, it's going to feel a bit awkward until we get things lined up better.

At the Winter Solstice, at Newgrange in Ireland, the Sun pierces deep into a stone tunnel carved with spirals and other drawings. Just one day each year, a shaft of light illuminates this shadowed spot. We don't know what––or who––might have been placed in the niche at the end of the passage. We don't know what significance the ancients attached to this.

Yet there's a long waiting list, to be one of the few allowed in to see this Solstice light. We've all got those dark places in need of insight and healing. We've all got unanswered questions. We look to the Solstice Sun to show us, not everything, but the next thing.