Winter Solstice 2011
The Longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere coincides with the Sun’s entrance into the sign of Capricorn. As a season starting Cardinal sign, the energy of Capricorn is initiatory in nature. As the last of the earth signs in the natural zodiac (Taurus & Virgo being the other Earth signs) & the last of the Cardinal signs as well (Aries, Cancer & Libra being the others) there is a sense of both culminations & beginnings simultaneously.

In the natural zodiac Capricorn is associate with the 10th house of career, authority & the public persona. The cusp (starting point) of the 10th house is the highest point of the wheel called the midheaven, symbolizing the pinnacle of outer success and social prominence. And so we will find individuals with a preponderance of Capricorn or 10th house planetary placements living very public & often well-heeled lives, for they have an innate understanding of what it takes to be successful. The willingness to take on responsibility, to delay gratification and to work not only hard, but smartly are all qualities that are imbued within Capricorn.

This Solstice, which occurs on December 22, 2011 at 12:31 PM EST. A chart drawn for that time for Washington D.C. will give us an idea of what energies are being initiated for the USA. For those in other parts of the world a chart can be constructed for your own country, state or even immediate location by changing the place and time the solstice occurs at that location.

Because this chart is drawn at the moment the Sun moves into the sign of Capricorn, aspects to the Sun are powerful. The Sun has three major aspects that give us clues to what seeds are being planted. A trine from Jupiter in Taurus to the Sun in Capricorn creates a smooth flow of energy. Taurus rules our essential needs as well as our material values. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, as the natural ruler of Sagittarius, is also connected to the Natural World and the laws that govern nature. This connection to the Sun in Capricorn brings the awareness of nature, her resources, and that manner in which they are utilized.

Pluto, the planet of transformation is also in Capricorn, as it has been since 2008. Pluto’s function is to tear that which no longer serves. Since Capricorn is also connected to things such as government and banking, those areas of society are undergoing a metamorphosis. First Pluto points out the problem then proceeds to break down the structures that perpetuate the problem. A conjunction between the Sun and Pluto gives us the power to destroy the old while creating the new. In an individual’s chart this can be felt in the area of your chart that contains Capricorn.

And the most dynamic of the aspects to the Sun in Capricorn is created by a square to Uranus in Aries. Squares are always crisis points. Uranus is called the Great Awakener, working like a ’bolt from the blue’ bringing to us flashes of intuition. This is a very disruptive energy, yet ultimately highly creative. This square brings in new ideas forth so that we can create a better future. Although initially it may not feel like that, it may just feel like our lives are being blown to smithereens.

The old order, despite it’s greatest efforts is doomed to collapse. Societal structures that do not take into consideration Natural Law will ultimately become obsolete. We can no longer our lives blind to the needs of others or blind to the damage we are wreaking on our planet. It is up to each individual to begin to take responsibility for their own sense of authority (Capricorn) and emotional maturity. It is the individual journey that shapes the collective. If we want things to change, we must change ourselves. This Solstice reminds us that we have all we need if we are willing to take responsibility for our choices or non-choices. And that we have the power of free will to choose a better more equitable future for ourselves and the planet we live on.