Astrological Insights: Winter Solstice

"Today marks the winter solstice, shortest day  and the longest night of the year. There’s an aura of stillness that envelops the day. It’s not as if things won’t happen or progress, but just that we may be more readily able to connect to a deep sense of peaceful quietude. Today the Sun moves into the sign of slow-but-steady Capricorn.

This is the third of the three cosmological meetings this year of the planets Jupiter and Neptune (the first occurred on May 27, the second on July 10). It’s a day that may feel dreamy but one that will remind you that your dreams can become reality.  There’s a profound sense of connecting to a deep power within us, from which our creativity can flow forth.

What happens when hopeful and visionary Jupiter dances in the sky with imaginative and spiritually inclined Neptune? You may feel captured by a sense of romanticism that infuses even the most mundane with a sense of poetics. You may find yourself drawn to music, color, and images—rather than solely to words—when expressing your thoughts and feelings. You may experience especially vivid dreams, as your subconscious mind more strongly pierces the veil of your conscious mind during sleep.

Yet, take heed: Jupiter conjunct Neptune can usher in the trio of “-sion”s: confusion, delusion, and illusion. Due diligence is even more important during this time so that you can best tune into the “reality” of what is occurring.However the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction individually manifests for you, one thing is for sure: both these planets carry an “up, up, and away” energy and so it’s important to stay open to their inspiration but grounded at the same time."

(Written by Stephanie GailingSource: Planetary Apothecary)