The Winter Solstice 2025

On December 21st at 7:03 AM PST we have our first moment of Winter. It begins with the shortest day and longest night of the year. We have left the fiery adventurer of the Sun in Sagittarius behind and are entering the Cardinal Earth sign of Capricorn.

As 2025 is nearing its end, we shift gears into this grounded energy. It is the dreamtime where nature beds down and hibernates, having made preparations to survive the season ahead. Likewise, we have gathered all of Summer’s and Autumn's harvest and prepared them for our time inside.

All over the world people celebrate this moment in time. The Germanic festival of Yule commemorates this day with bonfires, feasting and decorating with greenery. In China families make Chinese Dongzhi (tangyuan dumplings) to symbolize the intimacy of family love. In India, Makar(a) Sankranti is the celebration of the Sun's journey from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an auspicious time. Makar translates as 'Capricorn' and Sankranti means 'transition'. In Scandinavian countries a festival of light with girls dressed as St. Lucia, leading processions with candles to symbolically bring the light back. The world honors this time of the year by gathering together and celebrating the return of the light to come, each day getting longer.

Capricorn is serious, disciplined, and quietly ambitious energy; where we are driven to prove ourselves by achieving material accomplishments and success. Our work, our position in the world, and our contributions to society are very important to us at this time. We will persevere through enormous hardship and frustration in order to reach a goal we have set for ourselves, and  might sacrifice much in the area of personal relationships and home life in order to do so.

While we prepare for our own celebrations, we can see what this new season will bring us by looking at the aspects of the Sun at 0 degrees Capricorn from the other planets. Every year we have a different alignment as the planets move into new signs with new energies. This year the Sun is conjoined by Venus at 26 degrees Sagittarius, and Mars at 4 degrees Capricorn. With Venus joining with the Sun, we look for the bright "Evening Star" (Venus) near Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest after sunset in late December 2025 for a beautiful planetary show. Venus will move into the sign of Capricorn on Christmas Eve. This conjunction gives us a strong need for kindness, friendship, and affection. Our artistic and creative powers are also strong now, and we can do everything in a harmonious, gracious, and pleasing manner. The conjunction to Mars helps us to be assertive, energetic, active, courageous, and vital at the same time. We will have a very strong physical drive which expresses itself as sexuality and passion, a desire to compete with others, and a tendency to fight. We’ll have a victorious spirit and the will to win. Blending these energies can bring us the power to set a straight course to success while keeping our feet on the ground.

The Sun also has a square from Saturn at 25 degrees Pisces and Neptune at 29 degrees Pisces. The square from Saturn can bring feelings of personal inadequacy, inhibitions, and self-doubt. We’ll have a cautious, careful, realistic attitude toward life and take our responsibilities, obligations and duties very seriously. With the square from Neptune we will be extremely sensitive and imaginative, and can easily get lost in our dreams, fantasies, and visions. We are also drawn to mysticism and have deep spiritual aspirations and yearnings now. These aspects can detour our hopes and wishes if our self esteem is low. Remember this time of year we have the opportunity to go inward, to seek our highest goals through our minds and hearts.

Celebrate this day with new hopes, new dreams, and build your castles in the dreamtime in order to manifest them in 2026! Blessings to the world at this magical time.

Judy Crescenzo

Thank you, Judy for your wisdom. If you would like to inquire about a session, please find Judy's contact information below.

judy@skypatterns.com, Skypatterns also on YouTube and Patreon

New Moon in Sagittarius 2025

On December 19th at 5:43 PM PST the Sun and Moon conjoin at 28 degrees Sagittarius 25 minutes, giving us the last New Moon of 2025. Time to dream your biggest wish for what is to come.

Sagittarius is a Mutable Fire Sign. All mutable signs happen in the last month of a season, and we are moving from Autumn to Winter. These signs are naturally flexible and able to adapt to what lies ahead. Mutable signs are mental, having to change from one thing to the next, and learning the best ways to accomplish tasks. The fire element fuels this sign, infusing it with a powerful fiery temperament. Sagittarius uses this power to create unfettered, or, to tear apart their friends/family with frustrations and anger. The energy is so volatile it needs to be channeled correctly. It is masculine/positive energy Fire signs are the powerhouse of the zodiac, adventurous, passionate and action oriented. This Fire Sign is the seeker of truth and knowledge.

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. It is so powerful; it expands and exaggerates this already powerful sign, and gives it a greater capacity. Jupiter is the benefic planet, bringing promise of greater things. This energy lends itself to immense contributions. The Centaur is the glyph for this sign; the half-human, half-horse centaur symbolizes seeking higher knowledge (human) and earthly instincts (horse), bridging spirit and matter.

So, on this New Moon we are shooting higher than ever with our goals and hopes for the future. We need to think larger, access the big picture, and see where it leads us. There is so much creative energy with this sign, don’t limit yourself to what was, but consider what can be. If we are working with the energies, we are seeking higher ground. We are walking away from the past toward our future, with an optimistic skip in our step.

On this New Moon we have some interesting aspects to these luminaries. We have a grouping of planets/luminaries, called a stellium in Sagittarius, which includes the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus. This concentrated energy makes the themes of Sagittarius and the house it is stationed in, in your natal chart, a guiding force or significant life focus. As always, I suggest we all have our natal chart as a reference to where and how we personally are being affected. With Mercury in this sign, you possess vision and foresight, and your mind is often occupied with big ideas, plans, and goals for the future. You are interested in what is possible and what is on the horizon, rather than what has already been done. Mars in this sign makes us assertive, energetic, active, courageous, and vital.

But on this occasion, the Sun, Moon and Venus are squared by Saturn and Neptune transiting in Pisces. The square to the Sun from Saturn can bring feelings of personal inadequacy, inhibitions, and self-doubt. You have a cautious, careful, realistic attitude toward life and are highly responsible and disciplined with regard to your obligations and duties. And Neptune's square makes you extremely sensitive and imaginative, where you can get lost in your dreams, fantasies, and visions. You are attracted to mysticism and have deep spiritual aspirations and yearnings. The key is to stay grounded while your heads in the clouds.

The square to the Moon from Saturn you often feel that you must do something or be something other than who you are in order to receive approval and acceptance from others. You are very sensitive to criticism and easily feel left out or neglected. With the square from Neptune you may have trouble distinguishing the real from the imagined or illusory. This heavy emotional energy can get in the way of change where it is most needed.

The square to Venus from Saturn can make you feel serious and find it difficult to enjoy yourself in a lighthearted, open and playful way with others. You can be very close-fisted and miserly. With the square from Neptune you may avoid becoming intimately involved with anyone or making definite commitments. You can be evasive and dishonest with yourself and others, when it comes to love.

Believe, in yourself, in the majesty of this life, and what you can do. Use the creativity of Sagittarius to stretch your imagination and seek higher truths. Allow the misgivings from the planets in Pisces to reorient your thinking by challenging you to know who you really are and to seek your highest version. I know you can do it!

Judy Crescenzo

Thank you, Judy for your wisdom. If you would like to inquire about a session, please find Judy's contact information below.

judy@skypatterns.com, also Skypatterns on YouTube and Patreon

Super Full Moon in Gemini 2025

On December 4th at 3:14 PM PST the Sun and Moon oppose each other; Sun stationed at 13 Sagittarius 4 minutes and the Moon at 13 Gemini 4 minutes. This is the last Full Moon of the year, and it’s a Super one! This Super Moon is in a rare astronomical cycle; the Major Lunar Standstill, happening about every 18-19 years. This causes the Moon to be one of the highest rising Full Moons we will see until 2042, and will be brighter and appear closer.

With every Full Moon, we look back to when it was new in this sign for what is culminating now. On May 26th of this year the Moon was new in Gemini. This was the last month of Spring, with all of Summer’s goals in sight. Gemini is a Mutable Air sign, full of curiosity and wishing to communicate what they’ve sought to learn. This intellectual sign is full of wit, humor and surface skimming, keeping things lite and fun. The issue can be spreading themselves too thin, having so many ideas and hoping to manifest them all. Now, with this Full Moon opposite the Sun in Sagittarius, we are balancing the superficial and the deep dive. Gemini energy wants to know a lot about everything while Sagittarius wants to focus on the destination. What did you set your sights on?

On this occasion the Sun and Moon are without aspects, only being opposite each other. But the other planets have a story to tell. Let’s begin with Mercury at 22 degrees Scorpio. There is a Grand Water Trine between Mercury, Jupiter at 24 degrees Cancer, Saturn at 25 degrees Pisces, and Neptune at 29 degrees Pisces. Grand Trines are the best of the best, aspect wise, and this much needed review came at the perfect time. Mercury is the messenger, here to bring us wisdom and understanding. It is also the ruling planet for Gemini, the Full Moon sign. The Water element is all about emotions, compassion and empathy. This assists us as the Sun is in a Fire sign and the Moon in an Air sign, making things cut and dry. So here comes Jupiter in Cancer, emoting love, patience and leading us through our feelings in regards to how we communicate. When we open our hearts to each other, talking becomes a release of good energy towards one another. Saturn in Pisces focuses our attention on finding a way to manifest our higher goals, as in spiritual and creative dreams, rather than escaping responsibility. And, Neptune in Pisces thins the veil of our awareness to see the truth behind what we seek.

These planets will be moving out of the Water element in the coming year, and now is the time to get our emotions in check. It’s like cleaning out the closet of our soul, seeing what still is useful and what can be released. While we have this beneficial planetary alignment, take this opportunity to comb through the past, the hurt feelings, the misunderstandings, and put them to rest. Squeeze out the tears related to these past events and soak in the lessons learned. We don’t have to repeat these themes over and over again; we can get it straight now, and move on.

The next important signal is from Mars at 22 degrees Sagittarius. It is the pinnacle of a “Yod”, and includes Jupiter and Uranus. This aspect is created when two planets are sextile each other (Jupiter in Cancer and Uranus in Taurus), and both are inconjunct a third; Mars. This aspect asks us to reimagine, adapt and improve, and represents an opportunity for creative problem-solving and personal growth by forcing adjustments and adaptability. Mars represents how we use our energy, and in Sagittarius we are shooting for our highest mission. The challenge from Jupiter asks us to temper our enthusiasm with patience and consideration for others. And Uranus is all about freedom, self determination, self rule. This uncomfortable energy between action and surprise will push you into overdrive in the best way. That project you've been stuck on might suddenly get the inspiration it needed, or you'll find yourself approaching old challenges from angles you never considered before. Flow with this energy and see new solutions to old problems.

So, use this time wisely, and consider who you want to be in the coming year!

Judy Crescenzo

Thank you, Judy for your wisdom. If you would like to inquire about a session, please find Judy's contact information below.

judy@skypatterns, also Skypatterns on YouTube and Patreon