On 11:29 am on December 21st, the Sun will be directly overhead 23.5° south of the Equator. Saturn rules this land. This latitude, the Tropic of Capricorn, is the southernmost point of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth.

This is the Winter Solstice. That point where the Sun’s direct rays are most distant from the northern hemisphere; a time when the hours of darkness reach their maximum length. It’s also the time when the Sun begins its journey through that 30° arc of the ecliptic called Capricorn.

For three days the Sun moves so slowly it appears to be at a standstill, appearing to be stationary on the Tropic of Capricorn. Solstice, the word comes from the Latin “sol” or Sun, and “stere” to stop. The Sun reaches a stopping point, turns and heads north. A turning point, to be sure.

But this isn’t just any old entrance or ingress into Capricorn. Because when the Sun steps into Capricorn it does so in lockstep with Saturn himself who has just entered the sign barely forty-eight hours before.

Capricorn is Saturn’s territory. And 0° of the sign, at the Tropic that bears its name carries the most Saturnian energy of any point in the Ecliptic. Just call it essence of Saturn.

In a review of Saturn into Capricorn ingresses I was unable to find such an occurrence going all the way back to 1600.

A cold front is about to overtake us.

The good news is the overabundance of fire of late is dissipating quicker than the speed of wild fires fueled by Southern California Santa Ana winds. Which will dissipate, too. As will much of the noise, hysteria, and chest pounding of late. They too will be frozen out by Saturn’s chill.

For when Saturn comes to town, it’s time to buck up, sober up, and grow up. Because during Capricorn’s time, it’s cold outside. It’s best to be practical and husband one’s resources wisely. By the weekend, after Mercury has resumed direct motion, commitments will be firm and deadlines real.

The Universe is sounding a wake-up call and it wants you to listen. The weather, at least the astrological weather, is about to change in a big way. The adults are about reassert control.

But now Saturn is in the sign where it will meet Pluto in just two years. Consolidation of wealth and power will be the order of the day. The rich get even richer and the rest of us scramble.

Oftentimes, an event is triggered when a major planet enters a new sign. Like the O.J. Simpson trial as Pluto entered Sagittarius and the fall of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers as Pluto entered Capricorn initiating the recent economic downturn, an event marks Saturn’s Winter Solstice entrance into Capricorn. In this case, the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the jaw dropping transfer of wealth to the already wealthy about to come for its final vote. Its passage timed to the minute of the planet’s ingress. The bill is a perfect exemplar of Capricorn themes playing out.

And whether you rue or love the political theater playing out, appreciate the synchrony between events on the ground and events in the heavens.