Sun in Capricorn ☼ Dec 21 – Jan 20

Dec 21 (Winter Solstice) – Jan 20, 2019

The Sun sign is a much-celebrated astrological element, usually given more significance than it deserves. Remember – the Sun is just one planet in your star-soup.

Happy birthday goaties!

We’re in the upper echelon of the zodiac, next stop Capricorn. As the last earth sign in the wheel, Capricorn represents earthly culmination. Rest your bones here awhile.

Capricorn is a realist, representing all that is. Yes, it is comforting to have plans and expectations, but the goat often believes that everything must be done a certain way. He can be stiff, repressed or emotionally constipated. Alas, t’is the season for criticism and all of Capricorn’s highest standards. Embrace structure and discipline, but remember to smile, Saturn-dwellers.

The goat moves at one of two speeds: insanity or total stillness. If you, like me, have heavy earth energy in your chart, this cycle signals hibernation. When the Sun moves into Capricorn, I hit the sheets bear-human style. Overcoming inertia feels pretty impossible at this time of year.

Some things that are important: sleep. Go to bed early and wake up early. This is really imperative, otherwise you will sleep through this entire cycle. Eat lightly and not too late at night. Exercise as soon as you wake up. Spend time in the sun. Schedule something into your day and then make sure to show up and do it. This is also crucial: get out, leave your house. Outings don’t have to be social – just move about, go for a walk. If you are feeling overwhelmed or depressed, try incorporating citrus, cinnamon, hot chilies or other pitta–inducing foods into your diet. These will help keep your energy elevated. Take hot baths. Stay away from screens, TV, etc. Pick up a book instead. All creative work encouraged per usual, but I know how hard it is to create when you’re not feeling inspired!

Capricorn season coincides with all kinds of big holidays celebrated around the world. What better way to honor the sea goat’s love of ritual than by enacting our own, year after year? Just as we must look beyond the rigid archetype of Capricorn to understand his nebulous inner folds, we must also look beyond the commercial aspects of holidays like Christmas to understand their spiritual essence.

Get excited about the first day of Capricorn (Dec 21). The morning begins with a harmonious trine between Venus and Neptune. 20 minutes later, Mercury glides into a conjunction with Jupiter in Sagittarius. Both of these aspects suggest that social interactions will go really well. This is the perfect day to have a difficult conversation with someone, for example. The winter solstice officially comes at 2:22pm PST. Take a moment to look up at the sky and welcome some LIGHT BACK!

The second day of Capricorn (Dec 22) is a full moon. Out of all the full moons, the one that falls in Cancer, as this one does, tends to be the most powerful. Expect to really feel something.

New Year’s Eve is the next thing to get excited about. Mars is moving into Aries, the first sign in the zodiac, signaling rebirth energy. Everyone needs to dance.

The good news keeps on coming, goat people. On the evening of Jan 1, the sun will be conjunct Saturn in Capricorn. You really can’t ask for a more symbolic start to the new year. This is because Saturn is ruler of Capricorn, and the whole “gotta get in shape and get my life together” vibe of the New Year is extremely fitting for the archetype of Saturn/Capricorn. I’m not saying I encourage the self-deprecating notion that you aren’t good enough now and you better be perfect by Jan 1, but it is certainly nice to know that if there were ever a time to really buckle down and get our shit together, Jan 1 is truly the day to do it.

On Jan 4, Mercury joins the sun in Capricorn, which takes us right to the solar eclipse of Jan 5. We finally see the end of Uranus Retrograde one day later on Jan 6. The end of Capricorn bumps up against Uranus with a sharp square – prepare for an interesting day on Jan 18 and avoid travel if possible, especially in the evening. The first day of Aquarius is going to be really crazy with a full moon lunar eclipse and some more squares between Venus and Neptune, but we don’t need to worry about that just yet. For now, grab a blanket and get cozy. In meditation, focus on the root chakra. Give yourself a hug – right now. Breathe. Breathe life into yourself, your goals. Breathe and EXPAND. Don’t be too hard on yourselves, goats. Stay grounded with Capricorn Yoga.

Mantra:  take root