Astrology of the Solstice

The timing of the Solstice is linked to the moment the Sun enters the Sign of Capricorn, which will take place this year on the East Coast on December 21st at 4:48 PM. The Solstice is named for the cosmic moment when the Sun appears to stand still, to pause in its regular movement across the sky. How remarkable, the possibility, even for just a cosmic moment, that time can stand still. Astrology only works when we accept the truth of “As Above, So Below” - that the dance of the cosmos is reflected by our dance here on earth. The alignments of the planets on cosmically meaningful moments like the Solstice can be seen to resonate with the events in our personal and planetary realities for months or years following the event. So what does this astrology offer us going into this time of pause, the brief possibility of time standing still? This Solstice is about our relationships, as the sun will make its ingress (entrance) into Capricorn in the 7th house of ‘Other’, or relationship. Literally, it will shine it's light on those we are in relationship with: our lovers, our partners, everyone who is not ‘us’. And yet, as cosmic mirrors, our relationships are, also, ‘us’ - and with the ascendant or rising sign in the opposite energy of Cancer, the emphasis of this solstice will be on nurture (Cancer) for ourselves and the others we love and who love us, and the structures and institutions (Capricorn) in which that nurture is expressed. This could mean the structures of marriage, or education, or the military or finance - all the ways we organize our world. The question is: Can we take care of ourselves and each other in a way that is equitable, loving and fair? Amplifying this message are the planets of Venus, Mercury and Pluto, also in Capricorn, in trine (harmony) with Uranus and the North Node in the sign of Taurus in the 11th house of Blessings. Again, the question is, can we use these harmonic energies and their blessings to truly make the world a better place? With the Mid-Heaven (the North Star compass point of the chart) and Neptune, planet of Spirit, in the 9th house, we are assured of the energies and impulse toward compassion, and Jupiter at the Aries point at the very top of the chart assures that the Flame of Spirit will be alive, adding the fire we need to propel this moment. Perhaps most important, Mars in Gemini will be in the 12th house of Quiet - just the opportunity we need to still all those chattering voices that distract us from the better world we know we can create.