Capricorn, winter solstice and another retrograde Mercury

This year the winter solstice is 21st December at 9.47pm in the Northern Hemisphere. Our longest night is also the when the Sun switches from Sagittarius into Capricorn, and the focus of our consciousness shifts from our journey and purpose, to how we can achieve that, and what we can build.

The Moon is balsamic (at the very end of its cycle) this winter solstice putting the focus on healing. Mars is in the last stages of retrogradation (before going direct 13th January) so it is also a good time to consider what has been learnt about how your energy has been expended, and what you would like to focus on and put into action once Mars energy is directed outwards once again.

Working with the seasons, winter is yin. It is naturally a time to go within, the releasing of autumn complete, and be still. Seeds start in the dark before they germinate. So the long dark night of winter solstice can be that still, but nurturing time, so that when Spring comes and the days get longer, the seed is ready to sprout.

Looking more at the sign of Capricorn, ruled by the great teacher Saturn, it is where we get serious about things. Saturn, as the furthest planet visible with the naked eye, surrounded by rings of ice, is where we meet our limits. The previous sign, Sagittarius, was where we looked beyond our immediate environment and journeyed. Now we meet our limits. Represented by the goat, Capricorn achieves by steady and sustained effort, just like the mountain goat plods steadily, but determinedly up the hill. Capricorn exists somewhere in all of our charts. If we have planets in Capricorn the nature of that planet will be expressed in the theme of Capricorn.

Every sign has positive and negative attributes. For Capricorn, the strengths lie in pragmatism and taking responsibility. There is a preparedness to work hard, and no expectation of an easy ride. Capricorn intends to get to the top, but unlike Aries (that will fight its way to the top) or Leo (whose charisma will shine and get noticed) Capricorn gets to the top through grit, determination and hard work.

The shadow side of Capricorn is that there can be a lack of emotion. It is what it is and you have to just get on with it. Working badly Capricorn can be authoritarian and a tough taskmaster. Without the balance of the opposing sign, Cancer, Capricorn can be cold and distant. Capricorns can also lack confidence and be pessimistic. It is better to be prepared for the worst, then you can't be disappointed says Capricorn.

Planets that work well in Capricorn are Saturn and Mars. The hard working and pragmatic nature of Capricorn works well with a planet that represents limits and karma. Saturn in Capricorn will work hard to overcome limits, and will see past karma as something to be worked through. Mars is more interesting, as it represents our energy and drive. But the Capricorn drive to succeed fits with the warrior like nature of Mars. When Mars is in Capricorn the energy is spent wisely and in a focused and determined way.

Planets that struggle in Capricorn are the Moon, Jupiter and Neptune. The Moon is naturally emotionally sensitive and intuitive. This nurturing energy based on instinct struggles to find expression in pragmatic Capricorn. Jupiter's natural expansion and optimism finds the brakes going on in Capricorn. Neptune, the planet of imagination, illusion and oneness with the Universe, also has a hard job expressing those traits in a sign that is firmly rooted in good old fashioned common sense.

Just before the calendar New Year Mercury turns retrograde in Capricorn, on the 30th December. There is an earlier blog Surviving Retrograde Mercury, but abridging it, this is a time for review, rather than new. New year is often a time for resolutions and goals, but with Mercury retrograde this one is a good one to review existing goals. Alongside retrograde Mars, are those goals worth our energy? Are they what we truly want? If we haven't achieved them (and we still want them) what do we need to change? According to Joanna Wickenburg (I found her book "Your Hidden Powers" really helpful - you might have noticed) a planet has overstretched itself when it turns retrograde, and in the case of Mercury, it has got too far from the Sun, our core. During the retrograde phase it travels back to the Sun, our consciousness, and I think that is us "finding ourselves" again.

Mercury turns direct again on the 19th January, when the Sun is at the end of Capricorn. The Sun enters Aquarius on the 21st January, and we also have a New Moon at the beginning of Aquarius that day. I am looking at that as an astrologically better time to start new things. Aquarius naturally looks to the future and is about the new, and also community and helping others. This Capricorn cycle with retrograde Mercury for most it, will be about reviewing and organising goals, with the 21st January as a good date to actually start. The days will be starting to be noticeably longer, and the snowdrops will be appearing, the first signs that Spring is coming.