Winter Solstice Tuesday at 6:38 pm est
It is a rare event to have the Winter Solstice on the same day as a total Lunar Eclipse. NASA reports that in the last 2000 years, only one such combination occurred 372 years ago. The next one won’t be until Dec. 21, 2094. So this is a very special longest night and shortest day.
The Winter Solstice is a time of new beginnings. Most people think of the Winter Solstice as the longest night of the year, and that is true since the Sun’s light has been decreasing since its peak six months ago at the Summer Solstice. But it also means that the Winter Solstice is when the Sun is reborn, creating an increase in light again. This yearly cycle of the Sun has been celebrated for millennium, and represents the continual life, death, and rebirth that marks the dance of life on earth. Christmas, the birth of Jesus, became celebrated at this time, since he too represents the birth of the Son. It may be dark and cold outside, but the Winter Solstice points to the knowledge that the seeds of life are alive under the hard earth, ready to rise up when the day become warm again. Life, like the Sun, is never ending and always renewing.
The Winter Solstice is when the Sun moves out of Sagittarius and into the zodiac sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is represented by the goat, that sturdy animal who makes its way to the top of the mountain one step at a time. For you: It is a time to take the dreams and visions of Sagittarius and bring them into the hard cold steps of reality. Take this time of winter to show not only belief in yourself, and patience in the workings of the Universe, but also actually start to plan and figure out the practical, logical steps you need to take to bring your greatest ideas to fruition. Capricorn reminds us that it is through hard work that the great ideas are brought to form.