HOROSCOPES FOR WINTER SOLSTICE AND THE FULL MOON IN CANCER
Friday, December 21st is the shortest and darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. At 2:23pm PST, the Sun enters Capricorn, marking the beginning of winter. For some, this is the start of a new year, a cycle re-activated. On Saturday morning at 9:49am PST, the Moon reaches peak fullness at 0°Cancer49’. Full Moons mark culminations, celebrations and big releases. This Moon follows a series of exciting harmonic aspects around the zodiac, bringing lightning news, sweet connection and explosive bouts of energy that can help us accomplish tons in a short bit of time.
While still a significant distance from the nodes at the end of Capricorn and Cancer, this Full Moon ushers us into eclipse season by waking up the signs we’ll be working with for the next year and a half. Practice being held in the light of awareness that help us close some doors while we open others. As emotions tend to run high on Full Moons, this weekend pulls focus to all the shifts that are inaugurating themselves under the surface. Bolstered by a fervent Venus in Scorpio approaching a trine to Mars in Pisces, this Moon can support us as we surge into the action of evolving.
With the North Node newly in the sign of Cancer, this Moon initiates an unraveling of our relationship to mothering. It ignites a light in spaces where we want to provide and permit more care with our kin. Wants to pull us away from power-over and into protection of all people as our own. While we focus on cultivating softer cycles and more sensitivity in the part of our charts that contains Cancer, the planets are requiring extra effort in the opposite area of Capricorn.
We are a year familiar with Saturn in Capricorn but this slow planet requires our patience for the next two years in its home sign. As the Sun transits Saturn and Pluto, the South Node can bring to light negative Capricorn tendencies that we’re ready to do without.
Capricorn is known for its leadership. For its strength of standards, magnificent moral compass and inexhaustible patient determination. Capricorn’s strategy against its limitation is to try harder and initiate accomplishment with extra elbow grease. It breeds effectiveness with ample effort. But Capricorn can be rigid, sometimes depressed, and often overly serious and severe. Note: the sea goat’s tail forms a fluid, emotional and soft foundation offered to the few who endeavor to look. This gives it incredible sensitivity, not unlike the intuitive crab. But this also means its esteem is constantly in question.
Use this time to honestly reflect on where you feel insecure. Where are you experiencing your own limitations? How does uncertainty inform your process? Where does guilt, melancholy and instability propel you into growth or suck you into despair? What does rocky, shaky, uphill ground look like for you? Where do your challenges come from being unyielding, hard or indifferent on the surface?
As we turn to Capricorn season we are able to “make do” with available resources. We practice being responsible in order to be right. We struggle with reality and its demands. Capricorn currently contains a stellium of intensity, throwing us Saturnian roadblocks that require incredible restraint and Plutonian power dynamics that guide us to excel under pressure. We are learning to let go of physical structures so we can enter the process of osmosis. In evolutionary astrology, the placement of Pluto asks us to integrate its polarity point for profound soul growth. So, we consider the sign of Cancer as a light that guides the cycles of our current outer work. We are building the hard shell but we cannot know what that shell needs to look and feel like without considering the soft core it will ultimately contain. Our perseverance means naught if we reject the warmth we want it to bring.
If you know your rising sign and your sun sign, read both. If you only know your sun sign, that's okay too. If you like, you can read your moon sign for good measure. Horoscopes and forecasts are meant to be read as inspiration. The impact of planetary forces on our lives is more immense than we can see and a horoscope's level of resonance can vary from week to week. I suggest revisiting this page as often as you like while tasting horoscopes of a few other astrologers. Note which voices uplift your spirit. As always, take what you like and leave the rest. If you find support here, consider making a contribution.
horoscope for aries and aries rising
When I am reactive I will retreat. When I am offended I will appreciate the part of me that automatically estimates I am excellent. When I am admired I will extend my authentic respect to the ones who are acknowledging my explosive endeavors. And when I am tired, I will allow myself eagerness for a little more ease.
As the Sun lights up the part of my chart that directs my outer accomplishments, I will work tirelessly to eliminate the obstacles to my inner longings. I will remember the rooms from which I rise. I will wrestle with reality until I realize that relenting is also an option.
When this labored year comes to a close, Mars will enter my sign, bringing much needed attention and energy to my personal willpower. My courage can come from my core and my kindred. My character can be found in the reflection of the company I keep. My independence can escort me as I embark on the quest for a tribe that rings true.
As this Full Solstice Moon hovers at the doorway to my first house of ancestors, home and emotional origins, I will find gratitude for all the growing I’ve done beyond my background. I will tend to my personal spaces with the same pride I give to my external accomplishments. I will acknowledge that I might need more. I will pay homage to the matriarchy by mothering myself.
I will call myself home. I will look undauntedly at the emotional underpinning of my impatience. I will honestly engage my cycles of striking sensitivity. I will remind myself that my work evolves in a rhythm; the height of my sweat finds its strength in the softness of tears that tell me about my vitality. I will nudge myself into a new type of nest that can hold and protect the most potent parts of my pioneering identity.
horoscope for taurus and taurus rising
Every time I show up I am changed. Each conversation I consider compels me to count my blessings. All of the care I put into communicating with every part of my physical, mental and emotional body is clearest when I am kind.
As the Sun sings toward Saturn and Pluto in my ninth house of higher consciousness, I will explore the physics of my faith. I will find power in communicating my values. I will allow myself to be roused by the many right ideas I root out in my exchanges. I will read the messages I’m receiving from this Cancer Moon like telling tea leaves; earthly treasures transporting me to otherworldly wisdom. While I dig through the reality of my rationale, I will be open to seeing where my rigidity is restricting my ability to grow.
Venus is waltzing her way through my seventh house of intimate partnerships for the third and final time this year. As she parts from a soulful song with Neptune and prepares to trine Mars in Pisces, I am soaking myself in the sweetness of merging. I am blooming in the many mirrors of me that want to make themselves more than a mystery. I am shifting my assumptions of what stability needs to mean in partnerships.
I will cultivate compassion when my faith begins to wane. I will refocus on material questions in front of me as the way to the ever-waxing big picture answers. I will find solutions in the service I can supply to my immediate environment. I will write a contract of infinite care and concern for the way I show up for myself on the daily. I will recall that time can be an indicator of my growth. In giant waves and little ripples, I am never not expanding the significance of my contribution. When the weight of my solitude becomes too heavy, I will choose to see the extraordinary maturity in my major and minor movements.
horoscope for gemini and gemini rising
When I am feeling under-appreciated, I will applaud my sensitivity. I will stop trying to figure it out and start by hearing my full-scale song of emotions. I will turn internal with affirmation of my softness. When my world claims I’m insensitive, I’ll acknowledge my incredible capacity to adjust to the tide of my environment. I will witness my vulnerability without chaining myself to values that will inevitably change. I will define what rich means for me so the value in my voice can rise.
The Sun is bringing brilliance to the part of my chart that asks for my surrender, preparing for empowering encounters with Saturn, Pluto and the South Node. Capricorn season will be demanding of my honesty. Will work tirelessly to unearth any wisdom I might be hiding from myself. Will unveil areas where I am leaning too heavily on the input of others. Will emphasize that the intelligence behind my evolution is readily available in my own essential and ever-mindful understanding of fluctuating trends.
As the South Node highlights my skillset in the dirty work of digging for answers outside of myself, I will re-engage the harder questions that come from within. This Cancer Full Moon ushers me into an eclipse season that wants to soak me in my worth. Wants to bring luminance to any meagerness of my assets. Wants to illustrate the abundance I am more than able to establish. I may have to put a little more effort into letting go of outside input so I can be effective with my intuition.
I will begin to brew a cocktail of finest quality. I will not let it boil over in the crazed chase for a cup of empty quantity. I will extract opinions that are keeping me from crystallizing the vitality for which I’m fighting. I will revel in the brightness of bitters; the experiences that propel solid, critical effort which build my resilience. But I will not forget the sweetness of honey; as I begin to stir I will allow myself to cycle, delicately, between distress and delight.
horoscope for cancer and cancer rising
I will come home to me. When I feel tossed around by the tides of life, I will remember there is magic found in the ocean’s madness. I will honor anything slipping away in the process of erosion.
When we speak of my sign, we name hard shells and soft interiors. On this Full Moon, I will take time to find softness on my outsides. I will finger the silken quality that erosion cultivates on the edges of a seastone. I will praise my capacity to give control to the tides. Noting the smooth curve of my current container, I will admire my reflection in my community. I will speak with the sensitive souls who are left to hold me in the wake and foretelling of any storms.
As the Sun enters Capricorn, it fosters awareness of any prominent problems in my partnerships. Saturn will push me to work at my commitments to my intimates. Pluto will encourage our osmosis. The South Node will suck away associations that bring too strong a struggle. In this process, I will learn about solitude; where it serves and where it stings. I will develop a new relationship to rigidity and boundaries that keep me barren. I will unblock myself from any closeness I might crave.
This eclipse season requires that I be painstakingly honest with myself about who is helping and who is hurting my evolution. Demands that I begin by looking at me. Insists that I choose waterfalls where I can dive deep and not drown. Considers that chaos can cascade from many sources. Wants me to commit to relationships that are willing to work with me.
Yet this process of metamorphosis strives to support me in seeking considerable comfort. Asks me to be more concerned for my own care. With Venus swaying for the third time through Scorpio in my fifth house of creativity, personal passion and love affairs, I’m offered an intensity of inspiration. As she comes to trine Mars and Chiron in Pisces, I am equipped to align myself with the faith that I am healing.
I will be aware that sorrow and kindness are kindred spirits. I will see clearly where suffering fuels compassion. I will give caution to authority and care to power. I will concern myself with my own safekeeping and watch as protective figures fill my life with light. I will bask in the brilliance of the abalone shell; the wisdom of its many colors is a mirror to the mystery of my incredible emotional memory. When in doubt, I will saturate myself in this sensitivity that tells me when to wax and when to wane.
horoscope for leo and leo rising
When I’m feeling pained, I’ll rouse myself with uproarious laughter. While I’m fighting the traumas of this world, I’ll teem with the significance of being full of heart and constructive compliments. When the world’s suffering weighs on my shoulders, I’ll pounce with the promise of positivity that is always available to me.
As the Sun enters Capricorn, it lights up the part of my chart where I am most of service. Saturn embeds me in the process of building my fire from the bottom up. Turns my focus to the work of gathering kindling and constructing the frame for my flame. Pluto punches me in the gut with the power of my love. And the forthcoming eclipse season whispers of the shift between harsh reality and empathetic engagement.
I might be wrestling with the routine. Wanting to to bolster my body with more support. Devoting myself to the health of my hearth. Working hard to find more flexibility as I form new habits. Leveraging my fixed nature with an iron-clad fist full of uncompromising change.
As I manifest new growth, this Moon takes advantage of my heat. Teaches me how my fire is a resource that can alchemize severity. Can melt the frozen mantle whenever I feel motionless. Can bring a kiss of warmth to any cold corner I’m determined to occupy. You can’t keep a lion cool and quiet for long.
My willingness to evoke joy within the aches is not inappropriate. My welcome is not unwanted. My wanting is not unwarranted. I will affirm that radical life-living gives incredible resources to the cycle of revolution. Reminds us all what we’re fighting for. Has the capacity to kill depression and workaholism without invalidating heartbreak. I will allow this Full Moon to be an initiation that lengthens my light. Carries my kindness into myself and out to others. And protects me with the force of my undying fervor for being alive.
horoscope for virgo and virgo rising
I am willing to idealize amusement. To entertain the company of creating elation. To support myself in the service of tasting my own sweetness. I am open to doing the emotional labor that allows me the understanding that I am lovable and the experience of being loved.
As the Sun enters my fifth house of fertile creations, leisure activities and romantic affairs, it prepares to join two planetary powerhouses. The Sun’s pending conjunction with Saturn might highlight the immense amount of work I seem to require in order to reap an ounce of joy. Might illuminate how hardened I’ve become to the act of experiencing pleasure. Might clarify where I’m blocking myself from bliss. Might provoke me into working hard at learning how to have fun.
This process of transforming my capacity for leisure is punctured by Pluto’s presence. Pluto has been permeating this part of my chart for a long time. This eclipse season will emphasize Pluto’s work here, asking me to begin to surrender all that Saturn will continue to restructure over the next two years. While the Sun occupies Capricorn and transits these planets, I will open myself to the insight that arrives when light is shined on an issue. I will consider my happiness an issue worth analyzing.
I will do right by this Moon by cultivating my relationship to receiving. By being tender when I am tired. By allowing myself to be held intimately by the community that I have created. By seeing the treasure of the tribe that surrounds me as a testament to my excellence. A mirror of my merit. A reflection of my profound virtue. I will honor their love for me by loving myself all the more.
I will devote myself to the long-term dreams that help me divine my purpose in this world. I will scoop away the severity of my situation by dancing with my aspirations. I will let every drop of sweat I perspire be an affirmation of my labors for love. Every whirl will be a wonderful evidence of my artistry. Every shift will be an indication of my ability to submerge myself in the cycle of my own becoming. Every pivot will pierce the pleasure that is always arriving when I allow it.
horoscope for libra and libra rising
I will not ignore that I am an adept when it comes to accountability. I will admire the part of me that always shows up. That is committed to consciousness. That orients myself with the other. That has high standards for my side of the street. I will set a standard for myself to have lower expectations of others. I will be ecstatic when they are exceeded. I will work hard to show my chosen family how much they mean to me.
As the Solstice brings the return of light, the Sun begins to demystify my fourth house of origins, family, emotional undercurrents and protective coverings. My old habits might exhaust me. I might be seeing how my upbringing affects the way I’m relating to my safest spaces. Gaining ground towards Saturn and Pluto, the Sun in Capricorn initiates a month of working hard at feeling home. Asks me to look at my relationship to authority when it comes to my landlords, even if that means looking at me. Wants me to see what I truly want beyond this battle. Questions whether I can let go of worn out conflicts that are blocking me from campaigns that currently need my attention.
On the 31st, Mars will enter Aries, bringing energy, and perhaps clashes of ego, to my seventh house of intimate partnerships. Under this transit, I will remember that my loved ones might be particularly prone to pain. Might need a little more leniency from me. Might be desperate for compassion that I am capable of giving when I remember everyone is doing the very best they can with what they have.
Eclipse season draws attention to my desire to show how much I care. To manifest a residence for others to rest. To build myself into a profession that allows me to be some kind of mother, maybe to the masses. Whether I am in the spotlight or behind the scenes, I am beginning to understand how much my mission matters.
Under this Full Moon in Cancer, I will call myself home to my calling. I will consider the many avenues through which my exceptional aesthetic ideas can be abstracted. I will allow the aches of my private life to fuel my professional endeavors. I will consider where my comfort with strict rules and regulations might need coopting. I will innovate a new set of laws for living with myself.
When I am in doubt, I will remember that my profession, reputation and eye for achievement is ruled by the moon. It is subject to changing tides, able to contain the craziest of waters, and sensitive to needs of the collective. I will surrender to the phases as I rise, catching waves and letting myself be carried by them.
horoscope for scorpio and scorpio rising
I will look more intently at my immediate experiences as my greatest teacher. I will glean glamour from my everyday lessons. I will promote my own principles as a filter for the stories I’m narrating to myself. I will remember that kindness, gratitude and curiosity go a long way when I’m trying to up my learning curve. I will not grade myself, or others, on a scale of severity. I will utilize my talent for transforming troubles into tutorials for letting go.
As the Sun brings light to my third house of communication, siblings, neighbors and immediate environment, I might be putting extra effort into my regular and constant contacts. The Sun approaching Saturn helps me see where I might be too severe in my messaging. Asks for elbow grease when it comes to understanding the information I’m collecting. Wants me to look at how my process of questioning and gathering might be blocking me from experiencing knowledge that is readily available. Saturn, Pluto and the South Node together are penetrating old habits of transmission that keep me from my big picture learning goals.
This Moon is celebrating my actual brilliance. Is honoring the faith I had in myself that got me as far as I am. Is a witness to my wisdom that comes from my willingness to explore. Is happy to help me study my sensitivity as one of my strongest assets. Is noting that my senses for freedom and security might go hand in hand.
As Venus leaves her third trail of crumbs through my first house of self, identity and expression, I am tasting the sweetness contained in my own mystery. I’m realizing I have more mystique than I might have before admitted. I’m understanding that to own my natural charisma not only breeds my confidence, but is an act of respect for myself.
As I enter this eclipse season, I will be prepared to shift my core beliefs so they can be more inclusive. I will put faith in principles that protect the power inherent to every individual. I will promote the power that arises from an equal collective. I will use my mastery of consciousness and my maternal wisdom for care. I will develop the courage to share my knowledge and my concern for community so I can advocate for social progress. I will defend what I know, intuitively, is sacred.
horoscope for sagittarius and sagittarius rising
As a Sagittarius, I may be inclined toward generosity. Able to constantly cultivate optimism that inevitably leads to exciting offerings. With Jupiter transiting my first house of self, I can affirm that this year doesn’t have to be one of lack. Can be a lesson in letting go some more. Can also bring light to where the investment of my efforts might need to be redistributed.
When the Sun enters Capricorn, it calls attention to all the energy I’m putting into the expansion of my resources. Asks me to work harder at discerning my worth. Clues me in to the power I’m generating when I hit the gas for the sake of my gains. While this can be great for my bank, the pressure I’m putting on myself to muster a sense of security can have miserable effects. I can have a little more faith in the phases of my paycheck.
As the Sun approaches Saturn, I am acquiring insight on the restrictions under which I’m operating. On where I can give a little more bend in my boundaries. On where I can spend a little less. On where I can cut myself slack for having or being spent. On where my security could benefit from a little systematizing.
I will do the work to restructure without falling into fear of losing what might not be giving me what I want anyway. I will look honestly at my goals so I can align my labor appreciably.
I will survey my resources. Yes, my money. But also my time, my talents and my ton of stamina. This Full Moon in Cancer is a champion for all the work I’ve done to see myself in kinder light. Is allowing me to bask in the affirmation of my worth. Is willing me still to release outdated reasoning. Is coaxing me to ask for the help I need to fortify my effects.
I will merge with the benefits of good company. I will open myself to appreciation from others that increases my awareness of my value. I will value the intimate partnerships that augment my aptitude for expansion. And I will be sensitive to the cycles of ebb and flow in my resources that sustain my soul on the path of extreme evolutionary growth.
horoscope for capricorn and capricorn rising
As the Solstice lights up my first house of personal expression, I am reactivating the cycles that sculpt my character. I am reformulating my orientation to myself. I am working to understand the way my identity and perspective helps and hinders my primary purpose.
While the Sun throws light on the work of self-discovery that Saturn is stimulating, I may feel a little contracted. I may be extracting myself from people, situations and conversations that spur my sense of smallness. I may be eliminating many experiences in which I used to find safety, support and satisfaction. I may be hankering for the high of accomplishments I haven’t yet set my eyes on. I may feel lonely in a bed I made meticulously myself.
This process of breaking down and rebuilding my M.O. isn’t easy but I will be easy on myself while I encourage my efforts. I will be aware that I need to make space before I can fill it. I will use this time to clarify, calcify and strengthen the pieces of me that I don’t want to lose. When the Sun approaches Pluto in the midst of eclipse season, I will prepare to surrender all that the universe wants to transform for me.
While loneliness can be a side-effect of the all the patient personal restructuring in which I’m involved, this Full Moon in Cancer cries for me to give attention to my intimate partnerships. Asks for my awareness of who is still standing in my inner circle. Makes great leaps of gratitude that celebrate those most sensitive souls who see my softer underpinnings. As the sea goat, I am known for the hardness of my horns. But the loves I let in are likely attuned to the tender, fluctuating quality of my tail. I will honor their importance in my unfolding.
This year can bring major shifts in my most intimate partnerships. Will ask me to cultivate focus on the kinds of connection I want to form. Will force me to shift from the strictness of my standards to the suppleness required by care I want to give and receive.
I will affirm the work I’m doing without being inconsiderate of my partners’ processes. I will lean into letting myself be loved in whatever way the universe is offering. I will be the love I think I need to receive. I will explore where I already have the answers to my overarching questions. I will consider my monopoly on the cosmic clock and then I will consider sharing it. I will be less assertive with my “shoulds” and more open to my wants. I will yield to the cycles of time rather than exhaust myself in the effort of high achievement always forever. I will remember that phases have their place and benefit, that cold seasons give way to warmth and my ice can melt if I’m willing to wait with it.
horoscope for aquarius and aquarius rising
I will lean into the consistency of my compassion. I will amplify my awareness of how much work I’m putting into rest. I will examine the sacrifices I’m making in the name of safety and honestly discern whether they’re worth it.
As the Sun enters Capricorn, it lights up the darkest part of my chart. Awakens the work I’ve been wondering about because it’s difficult to see behind the scenes. The Sun’s approach to Saturn in my twelfth house might feel slow but it is sure and steady.
I will see where my suffering is a product of perspective. I will be willing to call it quits on my escapism. I will realize how much my presence is revered, respected and desired by my dearests.
This Full Moon highlights all the service I do that strengthens my standing. Illuminates my excitement for nourishing those who need me. Brightens the basket of my offerings by reminding me how much I have to be grateful for, and therefore how much I’m primed for giving.
This Full Moon in Cancer throws light on the care I take in managing my cohort of collaborators. In expressing my undying love for equality. In nurturing individuality as a blessing. In channeling the feeling of being othered into the grace of being the most inclusive.
As Venus sweeps one last time through my tenth of of career and most public pursuits, I will take pride in all the love I’m now letting out. In the profound value of my efforts. In the sweetness of big decisions that set me free.
I will release myself into the tides of my time. I will explore how I gain presence when I give away an hour of my own agenda. I will focus on the state of affairs of the moment rather than the rules of the future. I will honor where my progress is made each time I unlock myself from stale situations. Sometimes, all I need is willingness to see myself from another side.
horoscope for pisces and pisces rising
I will be kind to my kindred. To the family that fuels my fluctuating fervor. I will be honest with myself when I am marinating in resentment for sacrifices I chose to make. At the arrival of this Solstice, the Sun tosses light on my eleventh house of groups, gatherings, collective and long-term hopes and dreams. This area of my chart is asking me to allocate more effort in witnessing how much I prioritize my tribe. It wants my truthful reflection on ways I can build, bend and bolster the boundaries that may or may not be keeping me carefree.
When the Sun joins Saturn this season, I may notice that time seems scarce. That community is pre-occupied. Or that my usual desire for high-minded crowds is redirected toward my more confidential creations. While sailing with schools of many fish can feel safe with my skills as a chameleon, I will examine where my empathetic orientation and generosity with the group often leaves me drained.
I will surrender the powerful story of myself as a victim. I will cut myself short any time I start to deny or diminish my power. I will distinguish what is right for me. I will reclaim my right to separate from sorrow. I will allow myself to hold my heart in romantic and private matters.
As this Full Solstice Moon reflects out from my fifth house of passion and creativity, I will let myself step back and survey all the work I’ve done to compose some kind of magnum opus. I will honor the parts of me that want to dive deeper into romancing my dreams. I will encourage the soulfulness that nurtures my know-how when it comes to riding the waves of my making. I will lean into my sensitivity for the mystical. I will establish a cycle of creative habit.
Mars is finishing out his journey activating cuts and cures in my first house of identity and expression. When he enters Aries and my second house of wealth on December 31st, I might breathe a sigh of relief. I might let myself sleep. Likewise, I might be gun-ho for the grind. I will accentuate the hustle in my step for the sake of making bank.
Whatever I do, I will notice the little actions I can take that put me in the flow of receiving ample resources. I will remember that rain is not always a flood. I will do well to save water in case of a drought. As a Pisces, I can activate the wealth in just about anything. My ability to see treasure in a trove of trying trauma is unparalleled. I will energize myself for short daily deeds that add up to a large chunk of change. I will fill up my cup bit by bit and make use of every drop of delight that collects in my vessel.