Capricorn Season: Building What Endures

Capricorn season begins at the winter solstice, the darkest point of the solar year in the Northern Hemisphere. While the world appears still on the surface, something essential is taking place beneath it. The light, seemingly paused at the solstice, begins its slow return, and with it comes an invitation to build carefully, deliberately, and with longevity in mind.

After Sagittarius season’s exploration of meaning through philosophy and new experiences, Capricorn brings these insights down to the earth plane. This is the season of commitment to what was discovered in Sagittarius season. Rather than asking what we believe, Capricorn asks how we will live those beliefs over time in a way that creates something lasting and meaningful.

Capricorn is a sign of steady embodiment and growth. Capricorn has the gift of drawing from the ancient past (think lost societies and truths hidden in the ancient world) to build what will be sustainable in the future.

Ruled by Saturn, the planet of time, structure, and consequence, Capricorn teaches that mastery is earned gradually. There are no shortcuts here. What endures is built through patience, repetition, and presence.

Capricorn in the Body

In AstroYoga, Capricorn corresponds with the skeletal system, knees, and skin. These structures form the body’s framework, its inner and outer boundaries, and its capacity to bear weight.

The bones represent what remains when everything superficial is stripped away. They symbolize integrity, endurance and truth. When Capricorn energy is imbalanced, we may feel unsupported, overwhelmed, or unsure of our direction. When it is integrated, we experience a quiet inner strength that does not rely on external validation.

The knees, also ruled by Capricorn, teach humility and forward movement. They bend so we can rise. In both yoga and life, they remind us how to advance without force and how to carry responsibility without collapse.

Energetically, Capricorn connects with Muladhara, the root chakra. This center governs safety, embodiment, and our relationship to the material world. Capricorn season offers an opportunity to restore this foundation through conscious structure and reminding ourselves of our inherent worthiness to occupy space on this earth.

Practicing with Capricorn energy

Capricorn thrives on consistency. It favors slow, intentional movement that emphasizes skeletal alignment, joint support, and steady breath. Standing postures that cultivate strength in the legs and knees (like chair pose and warrior II) are ideal.

Practices that honor pacing, stillness, and integration allow Capricorn energy to take root in the body.

Beyond the yoga mat, this season invites reflection on commitment. What are you truly dedicated to, long-term, and what does that dedication show you about your inner world? Do your most important projects, relationships, and goals get the time they deserve?

A Seasonal Invitation

I’ve created a Capricorn AstroYoga Flow as a way to work directly with this season’s energy in the body. The practice supports the skeletal system, cultivates inner stability, and offers a grounded container for moving through the weeks ahead with clarity rather than pressure.

You can download the Capricorn AstroYoga Flow here.

Capricorn season reminds us that true growth is not rushed. It is built slowly, with care and discernment, over time. Let your practice become an anchor as you lay foundations for the year ahead.

Emily Ridout
Founder, International School of AstroYoga
Author, AstroYoga for an Aquarian Age

🏹 An AstroYoga Guide to Sagittarius Season

 Yesterday was Thanksgiving here, and I want you to know: I'm grateful for you. Whether we know each other or not, thank you for reading these emails and taking an interest in the cosmic patterns underlying this reality we share. 

In gratitude, I have three very special holiday offers listed in the bottom of this blog, but first: here's your Sagittarius season guide:

 

🏹 Sagittarius

Dates: November 21-December 21
Element: Fire
Modality: Mutable (Circulating, Changing)
Ruling Planet: Jupiter
Body Connection: Hips, Thighs, Liver
Chakra: Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra), the seat of joy and creative flow
Seasonal Themes: Expansion, wisdom, freedom, higher education, faith, travel, and adventure

 

♐️ From Depth to Discovery

Sagittarius follows Scorpio in the zodiac, and the energetic tone shifts from depth and transformation into expansion and exploration. Where Scorpio represents our willingness to explore what's hidden in the dark, Sagittarius helps us to see the light that's always shining in the dark.

Sagittarius holds the key to seeing that life is always giving us new tools for our soul journey in every circumstance we encounter. Where most people see the mundane, Sagittarius sees the light of truth. When we take care of these truths in the small circumstances of life, Sagittarius helps us lift our gaze to the horizon of possibility. 

Above all else, Sagittarius is the sign that believes in higher truth and isn't afraid to act on it. Philosophy is only as good as its application, and this is the season to live your beliefs by taking bold, brave steps toward your highest unfolding. 

 

Sagittarius Energy in the Body

Sagittarius rules the hips, thighs, and liver: the areas that allow us to move forward with purpose. the hips and thighs propel us into the world, symbolizing movement, adventure, and the courage to take the next step.

The liver, associated with emotional processing, helps us metabolize food as well as experience. When energy stagnates here, we might feel frustrated or constrained. When it flows freely, that energy fuels inspired action out in the world.

 

🌌 Astrology + What's Happening This Sagittarius Season

Sagittarius season began with some huge solar activity, creating a major upset in the Schumann resonance and setting the stage for big shifts this season.

In addition to this, Mercury retrograde, Saturn retrograde, and Neptune retrograde all conclude this Sagittarius season, bringing us from the inner realms back into the realms of action.

We are also leaving behind a major grand trine formation in water from Scorpio season, and moving into a time when what we've been imagining begins to take shape through what we choose to do and where we focus our minds, bodies, and actions. 

Here's what's happening:

  • Major increase of solar wind activity: November 25-27. 

  • Saturn and Mercury Station Direct: November 27 and 29, respectively. This marks an outward and forward movement of the mind and how we respond to life's realities and challenges. 

  • Full Moon in Gemini, plus our members-only AMA (ask-me-anything) where I read your charts. The meet up is December 3 and full moon is December 4.  

  • Neptune Stations Direct: December 10. This will be Neptune's final move through Pisces before moving into Aries to start a new cycle through the zodiac on January 26.  

  • New Moon in Sagittarius, plus our members-only AMA (ask-me-anything) where I read your charts. The meet up is December 17 and full moon is December 19. We will also discuss the full moon in Cancer and Solstice. Don't miss this one!

Not a member? If you'd like to understand how the ins and outs of astrology are affecting your life, I break this down + read personal astrology charts twice each month for members at the International School of AstroYoga. Membership is $50/month, and right now, you'll also receive a free 30-minute personal astrology reading when you join. 

 

🧘 Yoga Practices for Sagittarius Season:

  • Postures that move energy through the hips and thighs: warrior I, warrior II, humble warrior, and archer's pose are all ideal. 

  • Postures that lift and move energy through the torso: upward-facing dog and cobra work well here .

  • Ujayii pranayama: breathe deeply to move energy through the body and convert stored energy in the liver, hips, and thighs into useable energy.

 

🏹 Embody the energy: Sagittarius AstroYoga Flow

To help you embody and act on your beliefs this Sagittarius season, join me for the Sagittarius AstroYoga Flow: a 60-minute practice + 10-minute talk designed to connect you to Sagittarius energy and align you with the season.

Transformation comes from embodiment rather than thought:

✨ Get Instant Access to the Sagittarius Flow ✨

 

With light,
Emily Ridout
Founder, International School of AstroYoga
Author, AstroYoga for an Aquarian Age

P.S. It's the holidays. I have a few super special holiday offers here. 

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Mercury Retrograde: What Your Astrologer Wants You To Know

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You’ve probably heard someone blame Mercury retrograde for broken technology or travel delays, but this cycle is so much more than a string of inconveniences. Beneath the surface, every Mercury retrograde carries an invitation toward recalibration and renewal.

To understand Mercury retrograde and access its power for reflection, we first need to understand Mercury itself.

Who is Mercury? The Cosmic Messenger

In mythology, Mercury (Hermes to the Greeks) was the messenger of the gods and the only deity who could move between worlds. In the Hermetic tradition, Mercury connects to Hermes Trismegistus, father of alchemy, astrology, and the sciences, who legend holds had mastery over the three worlds. They say he was a man who accessed his divine nature, and so had access to insights and powers beyond the limits of the mortal.

In alchemy, Mercury is the key to the Great Work, the living practice that transforms our base matter (regular mind-body) into gold (enlightened mind-body). In astrology, Mercury rules the mind, communication, and the intellect’s power of reason. In Sanskrit, Mercury is the Buddhi, the higher intellect that uses awareness and reason to guide the lower mind’s habit-patterns toward liberation.

These ancient systems, as well as modern science, point to the truth that your mind has more power than most of us realize or utilize. In the mundane, the mind has the power to create joy or suffering, communicate well or poorly, solve our problems or create new ones. On a high level our minds have powers still being understood by modern science but well-documented in circles that study the esoteric: telepathy, creative imagination, travel into dream-realms, and psychic gifts are only a few of these.

In the body, Mercury travels along the nervous system, connecting the mind and body in ways that have genuine physiological effects (like when you’re worried and suddenly you experience tension, or when you imagine something wonderful and suddenly you have more energy).


Mercury is the bridge between thought and embodiment. This is the current that translates your beliefs and higher reasoning into your reality.

What Actually Happens During Mercury Retrograde

From Earth’s perspective, Mercury appears to move backward three to four times each year. Mercury isn’t truly moving backward, the apparent reversal is an optical illusion created by the geometry of Mercury, the Sun, and the Earth.

Each retrograde also has a shadow period: the time Mercury travels through the same degrees of the retrograde zone before and after reversal. When Mercury retraces its steps, we’re invited to do the same: to reflect, review, and realign.

Many people notice that Mercury retrograde coincides with a number of back-steps: travel delays, communication missteps, slow business, even exes coming back—it’s all fair game. But many people miss the big picture. These external events are the cosmic life power directing your intellect to rethink and reflect.

Mercury Retrograde as a Season of Reflection

Mercury retrograde is a time to notice the bigger picture in life. Yes, you may experience some snafus out in the world, but life isn’t all about efficiency. Mercury retrograde asks us to slow down and listen. Here are a few ways to work consciously with this cycle:


Review, Reflect, and Reconnect:

Tend to unfinished conversations, relationships, and COMMITMENTS

In the constantly moving world of always moving forward, are there relationships you’d like to tend to, recommit to, or even find closure from?

Rewrite Your Internal Script

Become conscious of your habitual thought patterns and choose which stories to keep.

Many of our thoughts are on auto-pilot, and often our habitual mental and emotional states are unconsciously creating our lived experiences. Now is a time to become conscious of what has been operating through your mental attitudes, beliefs, and emotions, and to select which ones you’d like to continue and which ones you’d like to shift.

Listen More Deeply

Reclaim silence as part of communication

Listening is a key part of communication, and with the world, media, and communications as loud as they are, it can be difficult to listen to the silent voice of the inner heart. Mercury retrograde is a great time to hone in on your listening. Learn to hear the hidden messages portrayed in the external world of communications as well as the silent truths that are always whispering from within.

Yoga and Astrology

Connect to Your Higher Knowing

Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to explore your soul blueprint in a personal astrology reading or to reconnect with your body through AstroYoga.

👉 Book your personalized Mercury Retrograde reading here

👉 Experience the Scorpio Season AstroYoga Flow here

The Deeper Lesson: Integration Over Perfection

We live in a culture that values output over reflection. Mercury retrograde asks you to slow down enough to truly integrate what you’ve been experiencing in life. Integration happens through your nervous system, breath, cells, and mind. Give yourself time to let what you’ve experienced take shape.

How to Work with This Mercury Retrograde

  • Shadow begins: Oct 21, 2025 - 20° Scorpio, conjoining Mars and Black Moon Lilith

  • Retrograde station: Nov 9, 2025 - 6° Sagittarius, conjoining Mars

  • Direct station: Nov 29 - 20° Scorpio

  • Shadow ends: Dec 16, 2025 - 6° Sagittarius

Specifically, this Mercury retrograde highlights the role of Mars in the recent (and still ongoing) grand trine in the water signs.

Mars is now in Sagittarius, conjoining Mercury as it stationed retrograde. A few weeks ago, during the shadow period, Mars was in Scorpio with Black Moon Lilith and Mercury, creating a trine with Saturn and Jupiter.

This formation is helping us uncover the shadows, redefine the suffering of the past, and ultimately align with our highest visions for life, if we’re willing to build from a soft place, and adapt from a place of hope and positive imagination rather than fear.

Mercury’s Pause

Mercury retrograde is a pause, and whether you love it or dread it, it’s a natural pattern of nature that we need. Take time to look within so you can look outward and forward with renewed clarity.

If you’d like to understand how Mercury’s movement activates your personal chart, and how to align your communication, nervous system, and purpose, book a personalized astrology reading.

A personal note:

This is an update of a blog originally published in 2018. It feels like a Mercury retrograde activity to go back, rethink, and rewrite this piece!

🦂An AstroYoga Guide to Scorpio Season

Dates: October 22-November 21
Element: Water
Modality: Fixed
Ruling Planets: Mars & Pluto
Body Connection: Pelvic Floor, Reproductive Organs
Chakra: Manipura, the seat of will and transformation
Seasonal Themes: Regeneration, creation, power, surrender, depth

 

♏️ Transformation and Power Begin Within

Scorpio Season begins as the days in the Northern Hemisphere shorten and the energy of nature turns inward. After Libra's balancing act, Scorpio guides us into the realm of depth, where surface appearances give way to the unseen roots of power, creation, and transformation.

 

Scorpio Energy in the Body

In the body, Scorpio governs the pelvic floor and reproductive organs: the generative centers through which energy becomes life. These are the physical symbols of creative potency, but in AstroYoga, their meaning extends beyond procreation. These are also the centers that rebirth you from within, that channel creative energy into your projects, and that rejuvenate your cells and activate certain centers in your brain.

Through the focused activity in yoga practice, we can learn to direct this creative power toward higher purpose and Self-realization. 

 

🌌 The Astrology This Scorpio Season

The hallmark of this season is a Grand Trine in Water, a formation representing smoothly flowing energy without resistance. Water corresponds to the underlying world of memory, imagination, and dreams. This particular grand trine involves a lot of planets including:

  • Jupiter in Cancer. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, expanding care, growth, and nourishment until his retrograde begins on Nov 11. 

  • Black Moon Lilith, Mars, Mercury, and the Sun in Scorpio. Archetypes of the shadow feminine, the warrior, intellect, and higher consciousness dive deep here. Mercury's retrograde will cross this formation three times, bringing layered understanding by the third pass.  

  • Saturn and Neptune in Pisces. Retrograding together, these planets turn structure and boundlessness inward. Neptune at the final degree of Pisces marks the end of a collective dream before we begin to dream a new one next year. 

 

By the way: If you'd like to understand how the ins and outs of astrology are affecting your life, I break this down + read personal astrology charts twice each month for members at the International School of AstroYoga. Membership is $50/month, and right now, you'll also receive a free 30-minute personal astrology reading when you join. 

 

🧘 Yoga Practices for Scorpio Season:

  • Mula Bandha (the root lock): engage the pelvic floor and direct energy upward.

  • Postures that tone the pelvic floor: malasana (garland pose), garudasana (eagle pose), and kapotasana (pigeon pose) are my favorites.

  • Breath of fire and bellows breath: break up stagnation in the low chakras

 

🐦‍🔥 Embody the energy: Scorpio AstroYoga Flow

To help you embody depth and transformation this Scorpio season, join me for the Scorpio AstroYoga Flow: a 60-minute practice + 10-minute talk designed to connect you to Scorpio energy and align you with the season.

Transformation comes from embodiment rather than thought:

✨ Get Instant Access to the Scorpio Flow ✨

 

With light,
Emily Ridout
Founder, International School of AstroYoga
Author, AstroYoga for an Aquarian Age

The Lion's Gate Portal 2023

Today is the center of the lion’s gate portal (8.8)! It is also the quarter moon, and a time when Venus Retrograde both conjoins Black Moon Lilith and squares Uranus.

These transits bring blessings with each challenge. The lion’s gate portal represents a moment when profound strength is available to each one of us.

This is a time when the profound inner light (which is your life force and your true identity), is shining to show you the path forward through whatever your current circumstances.


In these systems, the lion represents the strength of the heart, which sees by its own light. This strength has little to do with physical vigor, and much more to do with your capacity to see beyond fleeting thoughts and emotions in order to transcend into the realm of peaceful consciousness. It’s in this strong, peaceful space that life’s challenges are seen for what they are so that they can be rightly addressed or transmuted.

Venus, Black Moon Lilith, the Quarter Moon, and Uranus are all highlighting this strength for us right now. Old memories, thoughts, and feelings arise to be released. The true light and strength of who you are works on your life circumstances even while you sleep. Now is a great time to open to your cosmic light and refuse to settle for malaise, frustration, or apathy in this life.

Your personal reading will reveal exactly where and how this astrology is at play in your life.

Summer Solstice 2023 and A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Are you finding yourself faced with the paradox of how to simultaneously enjoy your life while creating meaningful growth in your career, home, or relationships?


For example, do you have the paradoxical desire to both celebrate life in the present while still growing, restructuring, and facing difficult truths within yourself?


In this week’s AstroYoga forecast, I break down the energies surrounding the Solstice and Saturn Retrograde. Use this knowledge to enjoy life while simultaneously reframing old patterns and doing the inner work for outer growth. Create energetic alignment with the future self you’re ready to embody while enjoying life as you are today.


Your personal reading will reveal specific details and provide you everything you need to know for enjoyment and restructuring in your career, home, and relationships.

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