December 25th ~ January 1st

It is the season of the birth of the Sun: the coming back and bringing into fructification those seeds and plants needing Sun energy for their growth and expression ~ but, it is more than that, because behind the Sun, as behind every single body, there is spirit, there is life, and there is intelligence. ~ Robert Crosbie

Capricorn ushers in the Winter Season in the Northern Hemisphere. The tropical zodiac used in the West follows these seasons of the North. And so Capricorn is a sign associated with the frigidity and stoicism of Winter, the year at its most aged decline. In normal times it is customary to gather and form warm circles amongst our family and tribes. A reflection of the annual Cancer Full Moon warming our hearths as well as our hearts, and breathing incipient life into the seeds of what may come. There is not much that is ‘normal’ about 2020 though, and many will be glad to see these last days of the old year decline. 

After the Solstice, the Sun will gradually make its way back North again, bringing the return of the Light. In the darkness before the dawn we are confronted with our own soul’s journey, found within the seasonal lights that inspire our own inner light. Whether we seek this light through ritual, religion, community, prayer, parties, holiday lights, candle-light, or love; or embracing the wonders of nature; this time of year brings a wistful longing for renewal, for rebirth, for wisdom and light. For hope.

This year the Full Moon at 8º of Cancer falls on December 29th/30th. Nostalgic, emotional and protective, the Full Moon in Cancer is usually a time for reflection, looking back on where we have come, while also looking forward to where we hope to see ourselves going in the future. The Sun is in Capricorn, a disciplined and organized sign, armed with a plan and a resolve. Very helpful for making our annual New Year’s resolutions come January. It can feel at this time of year as if we are standing on a precipice, gazing between our past and our future.

Although Cancer is a reflective sign, there is no nostalgic clinging to the past with this Moon. With a square to Chiron and a sextile to Uranus this moon seems to be making quite a different statement. Limping to the finish line, Chiron begs us to face those problems we’ve been avoiding, and examine the issues that have been drawing societies, families and communities apart. In the process we will looking for a safe harbor in which to lick our wounds, and seek comfort from our nearest and dearest. The sextile to Uranus dares us to look forward with a bit of hope and excitement for something new and different. For opportunities for renewal and growth, and the realization that we don’t have to keep doing things the way we always have in the past. Change and resolution are in the air as we approach the New Year.  

Change is imminent, and perhaps even inevitable as we approach 2021. But change is not always easy. For some, change feels threatening because there is the fear of losing what we already have. For others it is exciting and hopeful because it implies that things can get better. But when the time comes that like a hermit crab, we have outgrown our old worn out, too-tight shell, it is time to leave that outgrown shell on the shore, and seek better, more appropriate accommodations and conditions, that will serve us well into the future. 

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea! ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

For this week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES

Image: Full Moon on the Rockies