Capricorn and the Winter Solstice

At 16.27 pm UT today (21^st December), those of us in the northern hemisphere celebrate the Winter Solstice, the solar festival sacred to the Old King and to the reborn ‘Sun Child’, whom we find in various incarnations - Mithras, the Mabon, Jesus, among others.  ‘Solstice’ means ‘sun still’, and refers to the sun seemingly being at a standstill – its turning point, the ‘shortest day’ – as well as its lowest point in the sky.  Up to now, the hours of daylight have been decreasing, the nights growing longer.  Today though, the sun ‘stands still’, the Wheel of the Year seems to stop, and time appears to hang...but from now on the light will start to increase and days will lengthen.

‘Capricorn’ ©Alison Coals

The Solstice also marks the Sun’s ingress, astrologically speaking, into the sign of Capricorn, the tenth astrological sign in the zodiac. It originates from the constellation of Capricornus, usually shown as a goat with a fish’s tale, but is also seen as a more conventional goat that we’d see on land.  

There are, as usual, a number of myths and stories behind the sea-goat. One involves Pan, the goat god. When he was attacked by the monster Typhon (so now you can guess where the name ‘typhoon’ came from!), he ran into the Nile to escape. The part of him below the water’s surface transformed into a fish.  Images of sea-goats go back to Babylonian times, with symbols for the god Enki being both a goat and a fish. The constellation of Capricorn is also sometimes called Amalthea, the goat nymph (in Greek mythology) who reared Zeus after he was saved from being devoured by his father Kronos.

Kronos was the father of the Greek gods, and was also known as the ‘father of time’, giving us the word ‘chronology’. In the Roman pantheon, he was known as Saturn – the planet that rules the sign of Capricorn.

©Animal Jam Wiki - Fandom

Capricorn, then, has links to time, as well as to structure and boundaries. In the image of the mountain goat we can see the Capricorn qualities of tenacity and sure-footedness, determination to overcome obstacles as it works its way towards to its goal.  It’s about retaining integrity, but can also be ambitious. There’s a business-like quality to Capricorn, too – it’s an Earth sign, so it’s practical and level-headed, but at the same time it’s also a Cardinal sign, so it’s not afraid to get things going, to start new enterprises. On the ‘shadow’ side, it can appear as greed, in terms of material ambition. 

Over the next few weeks, as we move through Capricorn, I’ll explore the cards in the tarot that are associated with this sign... Watch this space! 

‘Capricorn’ comes from my AstroArt series, inspired by walking the Glastonbury Landscape Zodiac. The image is a collage, using watercolour on paper.  

The bull roars!

At 22.26 BST today, the Sun moved (astrologically) into the zodiac sign of Taurus. Here in the northern hemisphere, the buds that started to appear in Aries (or maybe even earlier, this year) are now bursting into blossom.  Taurus is ruled by Venus, the Roman counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty (among other things), adding an appreciation of the splendour of the natural world around us.

Taurus, though Venus’ rulership, has become known as the sensual sign of the zodiac.  Through our senses, we experience the growth of the seeds planted in Aries – we see the colour, we smell the blossom, we hear the birds, the bees... the world continuing to come to life and live up to the promises and intentions set in Aries.  I have to admit to a particular attraction to this time of year, being a double Taurus! There’s so much pleasure to be had simply by going for a walk in the woods, or out on the Levels – seeing and listening to all the birds, seeing the flowers coming out. Even in my mini-garden I love watching the plants beginning to emerge.

In astrology, Taurus is one of the three Earth signs, along with Virgo and Capricorn, as well as being one of the four Fixed signs. You could say that this makes it the most enduring of the three Earth signs, although some might associate that with stubbornness!  It takes what’s been initiated in Aries and gives in form – as we see in the natural world around us at this time of year (again, apologies for the northern hemisphere bias).  

Taurus is often called ‘the builder’; it provides the stability as well as the tenacity to maintain what’s been started.  Other qualities associated with Taurus are solidity, dependability, reliability, patience, and perseverance.  Taurus is a hard worker, like the other Earth signs, willing to put in the hours in order to maintain financial and/or material security.

Taurus is also known for being indulgent!  Going back to the sensuality of Taurus, via Venus, it’s not only pleasure through sight, smell and sound, but also taste and touch.  Good food and wine... and not only the enjoyment of consuming (Easter eggs, perhaps?!) but also the growing.  Being an earth sign, Taurus loves being close to the earth – it’s the sign of the farmer and the gardener - but by extension, to any form of creativity.  

‘Taurus’ © Alison Coals

As an example, the idea for the image to the left (from my AstroArt series) was born during an exploration of Taurus during a workshop held at Chalice Well in Glastonbury and in the Glastonbury Landscape Zodiac., a few years ago. The exploration of our senses in those surroundings brought ‘Taurus’ (a collage created with watercolour on paper) into being!