Welcome to Winter, the season where we carry the light through the night until we rise again in the spring. All seasons start with the cardinal signs. Cardinal signs grab a spoke of the wheel of time and pull it forward, continuing the momentum over time. Capricorn is cardinal earth and signals a new beginning of all things material. That includes anything with a physical form, such as our bodies, homes, foodstuffs, and any other item that takes a material form. Cardinal Air, Libra passes along the torch to Capricorn, removing its hand from the wheel of life to give its care to our Saturn-ruled earth sign. Saturn rules over the physical form: the shape that we take and the habits required to change that form.
The sea-goat represents the sign of Capricorn. An animal that is deftly built to climb the highest mountains and swim within the depths of the ocean. That exemplifies Capricorn’s energy. As the final earth sign of the Western Zodiac, Capricorn energy grounds by encouraging us to explore the heights of what we can achieve, not just physically, but in effort and action. Saturn is known as the wise elder, associated with Chronos or time. Saturn is an apt ruler of Capricorn, as it highlights that we are subject to the effects of time. We grow older, our forms change, our circumstances shift. It is inevitable. There is no avoiding, stealing, or turning back time. It will trudge forward regardless of what we do to try to change it. Saturn makes us aware of time through the weight of what we commit to.
- Saturn asks us are you willing to hold tight to the stone that pulls you to the depths of the ocean stealing your breath or will you release your chains and swim back towards the surface?
- There is a similar question for the heights that we climb. For our ambitions and goals.
- Is the work worthy of our efforts?
- Or more importantly, are you climbing the correct mountain?
I enjoy watching films and documentaries on rock and mountain climbing, which is a great physical and mental feat. The climbers must be aware of the weather conditions, their own physical health, and the scale and nature of the rock or mountain they are climbing. Often, there is a journey to even get to the base of the climb. You must carefully plan to have the correct amount of food, water, and gear, but you also do not want to weigh yourself down by bringing surplus. Climbers train their bodies and minds to fortify themselves against the harsh and challenging conditions of their climb. I often think of Sagarmāthā, or what you might know as Mt. Everest. It can take up to 14 days to hike to the first base camp. That’s right, the first base camp. There are four camps on the north side and five camps on the south side of the mountain. It is recommended that if one is sedentary, they should train by walking longer distances and remaining active to prepare for the trek. If you are actually attempting to summit, there are behavioral expectations, as it is a dangerous activity. Many attempt to make the climb, but few complete the summit. That is not the only danger, though, as even once someone has reached the top of the mountain, they must make the journey back down without becoming disoriented after hours at such a high altitude, with limited oxygen, and intense stress upon the body.
This is a great example of Capricorn activity. Preparation, precision, skill, perseverance, and clarity are all required to complete an ascent. This winter, we are asked to consider where we want to focus our attention. Are we climbing the right mountain? Because when we have the clarity that we are focused on the correct great work in our lives, then the hardships, unexpected changes, and possible setbacks are not signs that we are in the incorrect place, but signals that we need to reevaluate how we approach our desire.
Let’s now look at Saturn and Neptune. These two planets are still slowly making their way through the end of Pisces. We are encouraged to continue to refine our spiritual habits and routines. This is also a great time to allow space for those new dreams to reveal themselves. This transit is a lesson in learning to enjoy the process. It might feel frustrating to wait, but lean into the slowness. Enjoy it while it lasts, because once Neptune moves back into Aries in March 2026, right after the spring equinox, things are going to quickly pick up.
This energy is square the Sun and Mars in Capricorn, which are preparing us for the major conjunctions coming in January 2026. Pisces, as mutable water, and Capricorn, as cardinal earth, can work together to help us define and take action towards what our unconscious has revealed over the last few years. Things may have felt very nebulous lately. There is a desire for growth and change, but it may have been hard to define what to do and how to make it stick. Don’t worry, Capricorn is here to lead the way towards a solid plan. Couple this with Venus in Sagittarius, which encourages us to remember the importance of not limiting ourselves based on others’ expectations, and we have a recipe for success. Venus in Sagittarius provides a nice break from the heaviness of the deep inner work that we have been and will accomplish come winter. This energy loves to be independent. There is a desire with this transit to learn and grow through experience. The wisdom gained through this experience reveals what works and doesn’t in relationships. This helps us to further refine our relationships and plans. This Winter, remember to make sure you schedule in time for love, adventure, and spontaneity as you plan for the next season.
Jupiter continues to support our Saturn and Neptune transits in Pisces, helping us to define the difference between care and healing that nurtures us, or where we are leaning into excess. This may lead to some uncomfortable truths as we face that our habits, routines, and spiritual beliefs do not support our ability to receive and give care. Allow yourself the freedom to adjust your beliefs and actions as necessary. When we remain stuck in a situation (Saturn), we only prolong the suffering. Saturn is always asking us if we are finally ready to let go. Are we finally ready to face the truth? That will take a lot of courage, but don’t worry, that Mars energy is on its way to lend us a hand.
Finally, we have Pluto in Aquarius trine Uranus in Taurus. Fixed air and earth have come together. Part of the individuation process is learning to be present with ourselves as we are. Our ability to observe our thoughts allows us to identify:
- Where we are trapped mentally
- Where our thoughts are distorted
- Where we might need to adjust our lens towards others
While I do not support the magical thinking ideology that our thoughts create our reality like a magic wand, our thoughts do frame our reality, behaviors, and self-concept.
When you are aware of your thoughts, you can examine whether they match your lived experience. To do that, try incorporating mindfulness practices into your daily routine.
Mindfulness helps you stay present and increase your self-awareness. Somatic practices such as body scans, movement-based activities like dance, yoga, or tai chi, or body-centered meditations support our ability to create safety in the body. When we feel that our physical forms are our allies, we can view them as part of our system of integration. The body serves as the container that holds our thoughts, emotions, spirit, soul, essence, mind, psychological aspects, ancestral knowledge, and physical components. During times of extreme stress, we may disconnect from the present mentally, emotionally, and physically as an act of survival. Healing invites us to re-member ourselves. Acknowledging the role of the body further supports our emotional and mental health, as we can slowly examine events, emotions, and thoughts that feel big or overwhelming because our bodies are capable of holding all of who we are. This work will not lead to our destruction. In fact, it does the very opposite, creating the circumstances to develop a mind-body connection as a solid foundation for individuation.
Next, let’s look at Pluto in Aquarius to Uranus retrograding in Taurus. This transit represents the connection between the individual and the collective. Here, we see how we, as individuals, come together to design our world. Through the process of individuation, we reconnect with our talents, gifts, and desires, which we can then bring back to our families, friends, community, and global society. This is the process of uncovering the essence of a subject to create something new in alchemy, which brings heaven to earth. Taurus, in this case, represents the physical and material world. Taurus brings us back to the body, centering what brings us internal peace. This sign also represents the material items that we view as ours. This also includes what we own, what we have, and the value that we place upon those things. While completing the work of Aquarius, we are learning to reconnect with our physical forms. This will also rework our relationship to what we have, what we value, and how we treat the world around us.
Lastly, Pluto sweeps through as the Lord of endings, sacrifice, and new beginnings. A rewiring of our world is possible in a way that supports our talents and individuality as a component of society, not as something that needs to be forced into conformity. We learn that diversity is power. Uranus the planet of sudden breakthroughs, change, and innovation, sweeps through our value systems, making us redefine what actually matters to us. How do we express this physically and materially? Uranus is currently in retrograde, meaning this is review season. We have already been here before. Do you like where you find yourself right now? Look around you. Look at what you have, what you do, your finances, and resources. Do they align with your values, or does it feel like you are just doing, buying, and behaving like what is expected of you? Or perhaps you realize that you do not feel at peace physically, because your ideology towards the world and yourself does not have enough space to hold all of the wonderful aspects of you who do and could exist.
This winter, take time to:
- Reconnect to your physical form – ground yourself in your body
- Identify what does and doesn’t make your body feel at peace
- Build a practice of mindfulness that explore the mind, body, emotions, and spirit.
- Observe your thoughts to identify where you are experiencing limitations
- Allow curiosity to guide you towards expanding your mental capacity
- Begin to break down where you limited thoughts are weak and can be adjusted to support change
- Create a plan with small steps to move forward towards making your dreams a reality
In essence, manifest heaven on earth.
With love, Kamilah Rose