Winter Solstice 2023: Astrology, Tarot & Candle Magick to Assist Your Rebirth!  

A brand-new season is upon us! On Thursday, December 21 at 7:27 p.m. Pacific Time, the sun makes its annual entrance into Capricorn, activating the last cardinal point in the sky and resetting the entire energy for Winter. To discover the influences that will be present from this moment on until the March 19, 2024, Spring Equinox arrives, Astrology.com interviews mystic and professional Tarot Reader Fernando Salinas. 

By providing spiritual guidance, pulling cards, and targeted ritual guidance for this special day, Salinas guides us in anchoring and honoring the magick of the season and the natural rhythms of Earth. 

2023 Winter Solstice Energetic Themes

When analyzing the chart of the Winter Solstice, our eyes are first drawn to the sun, which on this exact day reaches minimal light, slowly bringing longer days in the Northern Hemisphere. According to Salinas, “Happening in the midst of Mercury retrograde, the 2023 Winter Solstice provides us with some much-needed time to reflect, rest, and edit the things that perhaps have grown a little too wild or not been given enough structure. There is some haziness in the air that goes beyond the Winter’s morning mists, and we need to be careful to not overextend ourselves.” 

Featuring a blend of Capricorn and Sagittarian energies, the season ahead will be about setting ambitious goals for the future. After all, “Capricorn season loves for us to set goals, so let the sun’s movement into the Goat’s sign guide you to creating the plan to conquer the mountains of success. As the stars twinkle softly in the darkest and longest night, imagine your own self shining brightly with that light, and remind yourself to rest, reflect, and edit so as to grow stronger just as the sun will,” Salinas adds. 

But before getting to the top of the mountain, we must first take the time to sit down and reflect on our past. By giving ourselves this opportunity, we time-travel our desires into a future existence! The Winter Solstice chart features a heavy influence from Jupiter, which means that, even though there will be a lot of rethinking and some trial and error, we will come out successful! The planet of luck and abundance ends its retrograde on December 30 and is scheduled to bring accelerated growth in the Spring of 2024. Spring is merely a dream here, but that dream is gaining strength—what can you plant now to see grow as beautifully as possible in the upcoming months?  

“On the Winter Solstice, we feel the sun’s light beginning to strengthen, and even though it is the longest night, it speaks to the ways in which we can also be reborn. Use this time to reflect on the things in your life that have played out their usefulness and need to be put to bed in the long night, as well as to ponder that which you’d like to see grow in the lengthening days to come,” Salinas adds.

Tarot Guidance for the 2023 Winter Solstice

This Winter Solstice, the cards are singing the carols of joy, patience, and clarity—perfect for the long night and the lengthening days! For the 2023 Winter Solstice, we have The Sun, The Hanged Man, and The King of Swords, so let’s see what each card is bringing to all of us! 

The Sun

First off, we have The Sun card, which is highly appropriate as we move into the strengthening of the sun in the upcoming weeks and months! The Sun card represents joy and rebirth, and we are being called to rejoice in all of the splendor around us and also think of where we want to see our own lives renewed. With The Sun card in our corner, think of all the ways you can bring some happiness and contentment into your life, while also looking forward to all of the joy that’s yet to come.

The Hanged Man

We next have The Hanged Man, advising us to take a pause to gain wisdom and a new perspective. With the Winter Solstice reminding us of the importance of rest, allow yourself to slow down and stop to figure out what you’ve done so far, and see if there’s a new path you might want to take or a new approach to the path you’re already on. Perhaps you already know exactly what it is that you’d like to do, but The Hanged Man is advising you to rest anyway, and to allow yourself to see things from a different angle. You might just learn something new! 

The King of Swords

Finally, The King of Swords is bringing us some much-needed clarity. With the Winter Solstice happening right before the December 22 conjunction between the sun and Mercury, the King of Swords inspires us to lead with clear-headed logic and rational thought. When the skies in your mind seem cloudy or unclear, remember that you are the one in charge of your thoughts, and refuse to succumb to confusion—you got this!

Candle Magick for the 2023 Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is perfect for candle magick, particularly one set around goals. For this ritual, gather up some frankincense incense, a small gold candle, and some paper and pen (gold ink, if you can find it!) Since we are honoring the sun’s rebirth, gold is the perfect color for performing candle magick, as it is the color of success. 

Center yourself, envisioning a circle of magic and light around you, and light the gold candle. Next, light the incense with the flame of the candle, and see both how in the darkness of night the candle’s light burns bright, but also how the darkness is necessary in order to see the light.  

As the magical scent fills your space, write your biggest dreams, your most heartfelt goals, and the secret wishes you have, and envision that as the days grow longer, so will you get closer to achieving them. Run the paper through the smoke of the candle and the incense, and place it in a place where it won’t be disturbed but hopefully get a bit of sun. As you place it in the secret place, bless it with your energy, and let the candle and the incense safely burn out.  

With joy, patience, and clarity pervading each of our days in the Winter Solstice, we can trust that this Winter Solstice will be a magical one! Allow yourself to celebrate, and see what great things will happen in the days and months to come!