How to make Solstice magic, December 2024

When: December 21st, 2024, at 1:20 am PT

What: The Sun enters Capricorn, signaling the seasonal Solstice.

Takeaway: This sacred turning of the light invites you to release the old from 2024 and set fresh intentions for 2025.

First things first: What is a solstice?

When the Sun enters Capricorn on December 21st, it signals the seasonal Solstice. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year, when the dark presides over more of our waking hours. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite: The Sun shines longer on this day than on any other.

The word “solstice” combines the Latin words sol (the Sun) and sistere (to stand still). Symbolically, this is a time of hush and peace but also celebration. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is a symbolic rebirth; the Sun’s light has reached its lowest point, and from this day on, it begins increasing again. In the Southern Hemisphere, the light has reached its glorious culmination. Both events are threshold moments and transitions to honor.

A time for you to reflect and reset

Just like the equinoxes, the solstices are entangled with the cycles of sowing, harvesting, and regeneration. Light is life for all agricultural cultures, so this turning point in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun has profound implications for human survival. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice marks a time of hope, miracles, and reverence as we anticipate the resurgence of Sol’s light.

Borrowing this agricultural language, we can consider the “growing seasons” of our own lives. Because the December Solstice occurs so close to the Gregorian New Year, it’s a potent moment to reflect on what you want to take with you into 2025 and what you want to leave behind in 2024. If there are memories, ideas, situations, or relationships that you no longer want to hold on to, set them down.

Wherever you are in the world, this Solstice is a sacred culmination before the days start getting longer or shorter. To celebrate this occasion, here are 10 rituals to honor the December Solstice:

10 rituals to honor the December Solstice

Immerse yourself in nature. Visit your favorite park, garden, farm, body of water, or other natural spot. Sync up with the rhythms of the season, and contemplate what these cycles can teach you.
Acknowledge all that is culminating in your own life. Recognize the endeavors that have reached a crucial threshold at this time. Consider all that you’ve achieved and the challenges still to come. Celebrate your works in progress, and boost your morale for the final stretch.
Release the idea that you need to get it right, and embrace the reality of being in an ongoing process. Refuse to carry unrealistic expectations into the new year. Hold a letting-go ceremony in which you write down every unreasonable standard that you want to bid farewell to, then tear up the list. Recycle the shreds or bury them outside.
Set intentions for 2025. Whether you wish to learn a new skill, commit more fully to your aspirations, develop a budding connection, or plumb uncharted depths in an existing relationship, cast your spells. To realize your dreams, it helps to identify what you desire in the first place. If your goals feel daunting, break them down into doable steps, then write them in your calendar or our 2025 Astro Planner.
Invite warmth into your home, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Light candles on your altar. Brighten your room with lamps, baubles, stars, or golden garlands. Get cozy. By doing so, you cheer on the rebirth that’s unfolding in your life and all around you.
Adorn your home and/or altar with local foliage, such as cedar boughs, ripe fruits, dried oranges, mistletoe, pine cones, flowers, honeycombs, or anything seasonal in your region. Convert your space into a sanctuary that reflects the time of year. In this way, you can connect to the spirit and beauty of this sacred moment.
Gather with friends, family, and chosen kin. Throw an office party, a secret elf exchange, or a festive dinner with your inner circle. Spend time with the people who keep your faith alight.
Meditate, or commit to a practice that helps you go deeper within. If you need some ideas, check out the abundance of guided meditations in the CHANI app.
Learn about the major astrological moments impacting your life in 2025 and plan accordingly with the guidance of our 2025 Yearbook.

Looking for more intel? Read your daily horoscope:

Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer | Leo | Virgo | Libra 

Scorpio | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces

Then download the CHANI app on iOS or Android for additional horoscopes, meditations, affirmations, readings for the current Moon phase and sign, and more.