motivation
When we’re comfortable, well-fed, have a roof over our heads, and no immediate threat to our safety, it’s hard to find the motivation to save the world—or even just think about the future. But Saturn, now in Pisces, insists that we do just that.
as Sun in Sagittarius square Saturn This week (December 16, 2025, 8:33 PM PST, 25°28′ Sagittarius-Pisces), we’ll discover why our efforts to get comfortable and enjoy cooler weather are thwarted by restrictions, obligations, and a lingering sense of insecurity. The changing landscape is calling us to action and the future can no longer be ignored.
brightness
In the Northern Hemisphere, December tends to be one of the coldest months of the year. For most of us, weather like this is better suited to wrapping up in cocoa in front of a fire, safe and warm, rather than flying to the unknown. Even our winter holidays shine with a glimmer of despair, their songs and gatherings a kind of spiritual CPR designed to coax us to stay alive during the long, cold season.
Maybe it’s the faint karmic memory of Scorpio’s recent life, but Sagittarius is better equipped than most to handle the cold, dark loneliness of December. He is not easily frightened. The long dark night made him excited and dizzy. Their stars were representations of distant lands he might never see, a silent yet twinkling assurance that no matter how much he explored the world, there would always be new lands waiting to be discovered.
At the winter solstice, the sun enters the constellation Capricornus and is at its lowest point in the midday sky. The calendar year is coming to an end and we start making plans for the new year ahead. But at the New Moon in Sagittarius (December 19, 2025, 5:43 PM PST, 28°24′ Sagittarius), We’re not ready to make a resolution yet; we’re still exploring the possibilities. We stood by the frozen lake, in the flat, white winter light, wearing scarves knitted for us by some gentle Cancerian, thinking about questions big and small. What happens after we die? What happens if we forget about life? Overhead, a few stragglers of winter birds flew in formation. We want to know where they end up and whether it’s worth following them on their journey.
homesick
to understand Sun square Neptune (December 20, 2025, 5:02 PM PST, 29°24 Sagittarius-Pisces) Imagine you’re far away from home, in a place where you don’t speak the language, and you’re not sure if your attire is appropriate or if your natural personality is acceptable. Your usual personality becomes a little softer; your sense of self shifts, and your confidence is a little low. It feels uncomfortable to be a stranger.
But when you don’t have your usual tricks to fall back on, when your constructs of identity and what you are don’t match your surroundings, you have a unique opportunity to figure out who you are without those constructs. It turns out that the real you has little to do with any of these things.
If you find yourself feeling some kind of homesickness during this transit, consider that it’s not necessarily a different place or person you’re homesick for. You are the one who misses home.
patience
Venus in Sagittarius square Saturn in Pisces This week (December 20, 2025, 9:09 PM PST, 25°37′ Sagittarius-Pisces). Not the happiest planetary combination. Think of an outdoorsman with Venus in Sagittarius who goes out to sledding or ice skating, only to find that a lot of sleet or rain makes things muddy. Or planning a holiday solstice party and then contracting the virus. If you have to do last-minute holiday shopping, you might have a hard time finding what you want at the right price. Or maybe you were looking forward to spending the weekend with your significant other, but they ended up having to work or were stuck out of town due to a storm.
Venus-Saturn aspects often bring delays or disappointments. But sometimes, the lesson is patience—and in the case of Saturn in Pisces, acceptance. Maybe something you wanted to do was canceled so you can do something different and more interesting later. You might like it more because you have to wait for it.
rise
On the day of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, Sun enters Capricorn (December 21, 2025 at 7:03 a.m. PST through January 19, 2026) and reaches its lowest point in the midday sky. Energy and spirits may be low. We’re heading toward the finish line, and when we look back on the year, we may be punishing ourselves for things we haven’t accomplished yet.
At the Summer Solstice in Capricorn, there’s nowhere to go but up. Over the next few months, the sun will gradually begin to rise, eventually reaching its highest point at the summer solstice.
We make appropriate decisions at this time of year. What heights can we climb in the coming year? Meanwhile, it’s dark and cold, and we light fires and candles, plugging in sparkling lights to remind us that the world won’t always be this dark.
I think a lot of us are feeling the need for some light this summer solstice. Everything has felt dark for a while and it’s nice to be reminded that everything is part of a cycle and the light is returning.
Text and images © 2017-2025 by April Elliott Kent
