| Every December 21st, the Sun reaches its most | | | | four seasons. Capricorn follows Sagittarius. It is time |
| southerly point on the ecliptic, its apparent path | | | | to build upon your faith with hard work and a |
| around the Earth. This is the time when nights are | | | | no-nonsense embrace of practicality to get through |
| longest and days are shortest in the Northern | | | | the period when trees are bare and vegetation does |
| hemisphere. | | | | not grow. |
| It is a turning point and the time that the Sun begins | | | | Despite the bare appearance of trees and |
| its annual journey through Capricorn marking the | | | | vegetation, there is a lot going on beneath the |
| official beginning of winter. | | | | surface. As anyone who has ever planted a perennial |
| It is a sacred moment, the astronomical dark before | | | | garden can tell you, during the times of winter's |
| the dawn, so to speak, because from now on the | | | | apparent dormancy, plants are strengthening and |
| hours of daylight will slowly lengthen as the Sun | | | | spreading their root systems so they can greet the |
| slowly makes it way north on the ecliptic. | | | | spring, bigger and stronger than ever. |
| Many traditions have used the Winter Solstice as a | | | | You can use this time productively by mimicking the |
| time of celebration of the prior year's abundance and | | | | plant world. Use this time to root your dreams by |
| the time of long nights when we can look forward to | | | | taking the time to plan thoroughly, then build and |
| longer days returning. | | | | strengthen your root systems--the foundation that |
| Despite the gaiety of the holiday season, the Winter | | | | supports your goals--to enable you to put into place |
| Solstice marks the beginning of the harshest of the | | | | all you will need to make them happen. |