On Thursday, December 21st, 2023, at 10:27 PM EST, a solstice will occur. In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice occurs. It is the year’s longest night as the Earth’s poles tilt away from the Sun. In the Southern Hemisphere, Summer Solstice occurs as the year’s shortest night occurs, and the poles tilt closest to the Sun.
Astrologically, the event marks the ingress (entry) of the Sun into the cardinal Earth sign of Capricorn. Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn’s energy is generally generative, supportive, and formative. It can also be repressive, depressive, and compressive. Capricorn correlates to the 10th House of the horoscope. It is the domain of those with authority and social status, the CEOs, presidents, kings, and those who make the rules and set the standards by which society “should” live. In Evolutionary Astrology, Capricorn correlates to the consensus evolutionary state, the pressure for conformity.
Two powerful astrological configurations format the energy of this celestial moment. The lunar nodes are stationed retrograde, in a 90° square aspect to Pluto. The God of the Underworld is momentarily back in Capricorn, inching its way forward to its entry back in Aquarius on January 20th. The lunar south node in Libra applies to a waxing last quarter square to Pluto. The lunar north in Aries separates from a waning 1st quarter square to Pluto. In Evolutionary Astrology, this implies what is known as a “skipped step.” Some karmic necessity has been skipped over, resisted, avoided, or denied. There is increased pressure for change. This is a crisis condition. The degree of the crisis directly corresponds to the degree of resistance.
Something from the past is out of balance (Lunar South Node in Libra). The ruler of the lunar south node is Venus in Scorpio, Pluto’s sign. Events conspire to generate cataclysmic change whose intensity will be formatted by the degree of resistance to the skipped karmic necessity. Capricorn is about taking responsibility. Pluto is at the 29° anaretic (last) degree of Capricorn. This is a “ring not pass” condition. Evolutionary change cannot occur unless the issues still “hanging fire” as part of the need to take responsibility, Capricorn, are resolved.
The second powerful configuration is a focused Yod, “Finger of God,” from Mars in Sagittarius, and the lunar south node, focused by Venus, pointing directly at Uranus. Venus correlates to our values and the priorities they dictate. Mars relates to the choices that we make according to those priorities. Mars in Sagittarius seeks a new experiential adventure. The impulse is to connect with something greater than self, something transcendent. Uranus correlates to disruption and interruption. The lunar nodes correlate directly to our evolutionary/karmic trajectory—the inherent instinctual emotional nature from the past and our soul-intended direction in the future. Generally, the dynamic patterns from the past are recreated in the future. The pressures from these two planetary configurations pressure existing patterns to change. There is no guarantee that it will. It depends on the choices (Mars) made going forward.
At the ingress, a self-fortified Taurus Moon separates from a waxing partile (exact) 1st quarter facilitating trine to the authoritative Capricorn Sun. Jupiter in Taurus retrograde adds emotional weight to the moment. A strong sense of self-reliance takes hold, anchoring and stabilizing the moment and potentially hunkering down in accustomed behavior.
Mercury retrograde in Capricorn applies to a new phase conjunction to the Sun. Though it is not an acknowledged concept of the Evolutionary Astrology paradigm, some astrologers consider it a Cazimi condition.
According to theastrologydictionary.com,
“Cazimi is a Medieval astrological term that is used to refer to planets that are so close to a conjunction with the Sun that they are “in the heart” of the Sun. Cazimi is a Latin transliteration of the Arabic term kaṣmīmī, which means “as if in the heart.” The astrological significance of the concept is that it was thought to be an ameliorating and strengthening factor for planets. In Traditional Western Astrology, planets that get close to a conjunction with the Sun, especially within 15 degrees, are thought to be weakened because their light is obscured or overpowered by the light of the Sun. Cazimi has been introduced as an exception to that general rule so that it is no longer harmed when a planet is within a specific range of the Sun.”
The Sun applies to a waning balsamic sextile to Saturn in early Pisces, increasing the potential for opportunities for more numinous experiences as the season unfolds and for times to come.
The Sun applies to a waning semisquare to Uranus retrograde in Taurus. Disruptive events unfold that can shake our sense of safety and security.
The Sun separates from a Balsamic semisextile to Pluto, adding more intense pressure for some closure. This combination of balsamic energy adds a “dark of the moon”, mystical aura to the overall event. As the season unfolds, there will be a sense of the numinous, transcendent, and otherworldliness seeking to be embedded in the emerging forms and structures.
“The excitement of life is in the numinous experience wherein we are given to each other in that larger celebration of existence in which all things attain their highest expression, for the universe, by definition, is a single gorgeous celebratory event.“
— Thomas Berry
