When: December 21, 2024, at 1:20 AM PT
What: The Sun enters Capricorn, signaling the seasonal solstice.
Takeaway: This sacred turning of light invites you to let go of the old from 2024 and set new intentions for 2025.
First of all, what is a solstice?
When the Sun enters Capricorn December 21it signals the seasonal solstice. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year, when darkness dominates a greater portion of our waking hours. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true: the sun shines longer on this day than on any other day.
The word “solstice” combines the Latin words Sol (the sun) and sister (stand still). Symbolically, this is a time of silence and peace, but also of celebration. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice is a symbolic rebirth; the light of the sun has reached its lowest point and from this day it begins to increase again. In the Southern Hemisphere the light has reached its glorious peak. Both events are threshold moments and transitions to honor.
A time to reflect and reset
Like the equinoxes, the solstices are intertwined with the cycles of sowing, harvesting and regeneration. Light is life for all agricultural cultures, so this turning point in Earth’s orbit around the sun has profound implications for human survival. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks a time of hope, wonder and reverence as we anticipate the revival of the light of Sol.
Borrowing this agricultural language helps us think about the “growing seasons” of our own lives. Because the December solstice falls so close to the Gregorian New Year, it’s a powerful time to think about what you want to take with you into 2025 and what you want to leave behind in 2024. If there are memories, ideas, situations, or relationships that you don’t feel comfortable with, If you want to hold on for longer, put them down.
Wherever you are in the world, this solstice is a sacred highlight before the days grow longer or shorter. To celebrate this occasion, here are 10 rituals in honor of the December solstice:
10 rituals in honor of the December solstice
- Immerse yourself in nature. Visit your favorite park, garden, farm, body of water or other natural place. Sync with the rhythms of the season and reflect on what these cycles can teach you.
- Recognize all of that culminates in your own life. Recognize the efforts that have reached a crucial threshold at this time. Think about all you have accomplished and the challenges that are yet to come. Celebrate your work in progress and boost your morale for the final stretch.
- Edition the idea that you have to get it right, and embrace the reality that you are in an ongoing process. Refuse to carry unrealistic expectations with you into the new year. Have a letting go ceremony in which you write down every unreasonable standard you want to say goodbye to, and then tear up the list. Recycle the scraps or bury them outside.
- Set resolutions for 2025. Whether you want to learn a new skill, commit more fully to your ambitions, develop a budding relationship, or explore unknown depths in an existing relationship, cast your spells. To achieve your dreams, it helps to identify what you desire in the first place. If your goals seem intimidating, break them down into achievable steps and then write them in your calendar or our calendar Astroplanner 2025.
- Invitation warmth in your home, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Light candles on your altar. Brighten up your room with lamps, Christmas baubles, stars or golden garlands. Make it cozy. By doing this you welcome the rebirth that is unfolding in your life and all around you.
- Decorate your home and/or altar with local foliage, such as cedar boughs, ripe fruit, dried oranges, mistletoe, pine cones, flowers, honeycombs or anything seasonal in your region. Transform your space into a sanctuary that reflects the time of year. This way you can connect with the spirit and beauty of this sacred moment.
- Gathering with friends, family and chosen relatives. Host an office party, a secret elf exchange, or a celebratory dinner with your inner circle. Spend time with the people who keep your faith burning.
- Meditateor commit to an exercise that helps you go deeper within. If you need some ideas, check out the plethora of guided meditations in the CHANI app.
- Learn about the most important astrological moments that will affect your life in 2025 and plan accordingly under the guidance of our Yearbook 2025.
Looking for more information? Read your daily horoscope:
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