Embrace Nourishment in the Darkness with Your Winter Solstice 2019 Tarotscope AQUARIUS

Dear readers, as the sun shifts into Capricorn during the winter solstice, which brings us the longest nights of the year, Spirit sends a message for all signs to ponder: “Do not fear the darkness.”

The winter solstice brings a time of sacred rest and reflection. It asks us to be honest with ourselves about where we are, what we’ve done this past year, and to review what we’ve learned from our triumphs and failures. It asks us to put ourselves first, to hibernate if we need to, to nourish ourselves so we may be energized when the snow begins to thaw. It asks us to find the beauty in the shadows, to make peace with the parts of ourselves that we usually hide or wish to change, and to understand how to integrate our shadow selves because although we are love and light—we are also wounded, imperfect, and still learning—which is a beautiful thing.

Your Tarotscopes below will help you tune into what your soul needs to focus on or address during this Capricorn season. Read for your sun, moon, and rising.

ARIES

3 of Swords & King of Cups

Dear Aries, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to acknowledge the emotional growth and maturity you’ve leveled up to this past year.

The 3 of Swords reveals the wounds we all carry, the moments that broke our hearts open and made us feel sorrow. The King of Cups brings mastery over emotions, not through suppression but through flow and allowance.

Our journey here on Earth is to experience. We are here to experience joy, love, laughter, connection, and fulfillment. We are here to also experience pain, fear, turmoil, loneliness, and emptiness. We would not know the light if we did not move through the darkness. The 3 of Swords reminds us that to cry and to be in anguish is to be human.

The King of Cups asks us to accept this and to allow these moments to transform and strengthen us. The King of Cups is not afraid of the volatile seas of emotions, we can weather the powerful waves as well as the calm waters—we can master ourselves.

TAURUS

Knight of Swords & The Hanged Man

Dear Taurus, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to calm your mind through pause and surrender.

The Knight of Swords charges forward with great speed. This Knight can be prone to action with no thought or contemplation. The Hanged Man brings a time of suspension, a time where doing nothing is absolutely okay. Work with the cycles of your life, not against them. The Knight of Swords pushing against The Hanged Man is like a gust wind trying to blow over a steel wall. If the effort you’re putting in yields disappointing results, take a step back and take a look at it from a different perspective.

The challenge presented to the Knight of Swords is to think things through. This knight must tap into the power of The Hanged Man to gain enough self-awareness and detachment to decide if the direction they are rushing toward is aligned with their soul. This pause is a gift, use it to reevaluate and create a new strategy.

GEMINI

7 of Pentacles & Knight of Cups

Dear Gemini, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to plant seeds of intention toward opening your heart. The 7 of Pentacles brings a time of patience, a time of waiting to harvest the fruits of your labor. The Knight of Cups is the knight of romance, art, and creativity. This knight wears their heart on their sleeve and celebrates the joy of love.

We have all been heartbroken, we have all felt that aching pain in our chests. It takes time to heal, but we owe it to ourselves to get back on the saddle. This is not specific to romantic love. We cannot live a life with a closed heart.

The 7 of Pentacles lets us know that we are healing, even when it doesn’t feel like it. The Knight of Cups rides in to remind us that it takes true courage to be vulnerable, to be open to love. Whether that love is toward a romantic partner, a friend, a family member, or toward yourself. Time does heal, but so does love.

CANCER

Temperance & The Lovers

Dear Cancer, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to find harmony within, and to create harmony without. Temperance is the card of alchemy, transmuting dark into light through balance and inner work. The Lovers is the card of connection and relationships with yourself and with others.

We cannot change people; we can only change ourselves. The expectations we project onto the people around us reveals the parts of ourselves that we must take a closer look at. Temperance reminds us that our power lies within, and to change our reality or our perception of reality, we have to alchemize our own energy and psyche.

The Lovers provides the key to this transformation, and it begins and ends with love. We have to love ourselves enough to heal and to not be triggered by what others do. And if we are triggered, this card asks us to have enough self-love to decide if we want to continue to have that person in our life or not.

LEO

2 of Swords & 6 of Pentacles

Dear Leo, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to heed the wisdom gained from the previous month by challenging your notions of what it means to give and receive. The 2 of Swords is about boundaries and indecision. Pay attention The 6 of Pentacles—the card you received las month—which depicts a figure giving to those less fortunate.

Leo, Spirit is really trying to teach you a lesson of humility, and the gift of allowing someone to help you. At a younger age, you may have been programmed to believe that people with money are evil, or that when you are given something there is always a caveat. It is time to heal these judgements and false beliefs.

The 2 of Swords asks you to bring up the ways you block the flow of abundance, do you immediately feel there is a hidden agenda when someone tries to assist you? Do you feel embarrassed and ashamed when someone offers to buy you dinner or help you when you’re in a financial rut? All of these judgements and triggers come from a place of fear, of not feeling worthy. “I am worthy of receiving.” Repeat that mantra.

VIRGO

8 of Swords & 9 of Cups

Dear Virgo, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to surrender to the universe when you are feeling stuck. The 8 of Swords is about entrapment, shortsightedness, and frustration. The 9 of Cups is the card of emotional well-being and inner peace.

The truth is, we won’t always know the result, we won’t always know where to go and which steps to take. The 8 of Swords asks us to stop resisting the unknown, it is okay to have no clue.

When this happens, the 9 of Cups instructs us to trust in a higher power. This card, usually depicted as the card of wish fulfillment, also calls for you to surrender. You are being watched over and guided, even when it does not seem like it. Call for help, through prayer, meditation, journaling, ritual, etc. When you can’t see 3 feet ahead of you, the key is to stay present and find the magic available to you now—whether that’s a beautiful song, a majestic tree, or a hug from a loved one.

LIBRA

6 of Swords & 10 of Cups

Dear Libra, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to seek shelter in your sanctuary. The 6 of Swords is the card of a safe harbor, where you are brought to safety after a time of stress and difficulty. The 10 of Cups is the card of emotional comfort, joy, and family.

Libra, make sure you invest time and energy into the people, places, and things that feel like home to you. We all need respite from the outside world, and this card calls us to seek this whenever we need it.

And with the 10 of Cups, you are being asked to find this respite through connection. Who makes you feel deeply connected? Does a phone call with your mother make you feel safe and nurtured? Does an intimate dinner with your dear friend lift your spirits? Does a silly movie help you smile and tickle your inner child? Sanctuary is not just a place; it is a feeling.

SCORPIO

4 of Cups & 8 of Pentacles

Dear Scorpio, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to keep your eye on the prize. The 4 of Cups depicts a person refusing to accept an offer. The 8 of Pentacles is about hard work, steady progress, and perseverance.

When you dedicate yourself to a goal or an ideal, it is important to put your entire being into it if you expect to see results. The 4 of Cups reminds you that there will be times on your journey where you are not inspired. This does not always mean that you are not fulfilling your passion or soul purpose. This card also reminds us that there will be times where we have to say no to things that we know will steer us off our path.

Similarly, The 8 of Pentacles asks us to stay focused, to work diligently, and to invest in the long term and the big gains.

SAGITTARIUS

Ace of Pentacles & Strength

Dear Sagittarius, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to invest deeply in yourself and what you want to manifest next year. The Ace of Pentacles is the card of physical potential and can relate to career, health, or finance. Strength depicts a figure calming a lion, showing that true strength is gentle and not oppressive.

Forget about New Year’s resolutions, at this present moment, the Ace of Pentacles encourages you to begin manifesting the dreams and aspirations that will benefit you for the long run. This isn’t about diet plans, it’s about a sustainable health regime that will help you feel your best. It’s not about making enough money to buy this luxury item or to go on that vacation, it’s about a responsible plan that will help you feel financially free.

Strength asks you to set goals that will feed your soul and help you on your spiritual journey. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

CAPRICORN

The Tower & 10 of Pentacles

Happy Birthday, dear Capricorn! This season the Tarot invites you to detach from any false sense of security. The Tower is the card of external destruction, it asks us to let structures crumble because something better is on its way. The 10 of Pentacles is the card of financial success and fulfillment.

Capricorn, you’ve worked hard for all you have, you’ve worked hard for your career. However, understand that that is not who you are. You are not your bank account; you are not your job title. Those things can be gone in a flash. The Tower reminds us of the fragility of the material world. The 10 of Pentacles asks us to invest in true security, the things that cannot be taken from us. For some, it may be their spirituality, their faith in a higher power, their sense of compassion, or their conviction. What is it for you?

5 of Swords & Page of Wands

Dear Aquarius, this Capricorn season, do not let the darkness in others dim your light. The 5 of Swords depicts those people in our lives who want to win at any cost, no matter who gets hurt on their road to victory. The Page of Wands is the optimist, the believer.

We will come face to face with people who are not kind, who want to hurt others, who put themselves first at the cost of their own morality. We cannot control these people, we cannot always avoid them, but we cannot let them poison us. It is easy to become like them, to practice toxic self-servitude.

The Page of Wands encourages us to hold on to our innocence, to our positivity. When someone throws you under the bus, defend yourself and stand strong, but most of all shine your light even brighter. If someone shows you hostility, create healthy boundaries, but practice radiating even more compassion.

PISCES

8 of Wands & The World

Dear Pisces, this Capricorn season the Tarot invites you to travel, to reenergize your spirit with new experiences.

The 8 of Wands is about speed and quick progress, The World signifies the completion of a chapter in our lives. Both cards also symbolize travel.

Travel does not have to be far, and travel does not have to be expensive. We can have new experiences just by taking a different route to work than we usually do, trying different restaurants we normally would not go to, the idea is to throw ourselves into the unknown. It is so easy to get stuck in our routine because it feels safe to do so. This can be something small, or something life-altering—like moving to a new city or beginning a new relationship. The 8 of Wands and The World want you to open up to the magic that awaits when you take risks, when you explore, when you let the Universe surprise you.

Art by the enchanting Ana Novaes