Growing Green with the Zodiac: Capricorn Season 2024

Toward an Ecological Astrology.

Growing Green with Capricorn is the fifth in a series of 12 almanac posts in which I’m using the lens of traditional astrology—the ancient view that planets, people, and plants are all part of one coherent cosmic whole—as a way to think about our current ecological and environmental crisis. I hope these posts encourage all of us to pay more thoughtful attention to the green world, especially now that the incoming U.S. administration seems intent on rolling back many of the environmental policies worked out in the past two dozen years. It’s no exaggeration to say that our lives—and the lives of our children and their children—depend on it.

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Capricorn Season: December 22 - January 19

Guardian planet: Saturn, the outermost planet known to ancient astronomers

Element: Earth. Modality: Cardinal

Capricorn season marks a time of grounding, reflection, and purposeful action. Saturn embodies principles of limits, boundaries, and responsibility. Its sign, Capricorn, asks us to focus on responsibility, structure, and goals, and shifts the energy from Jupiter/Sagittarius’ expansive exuberance to encourage discipline and long-term planning. Occurring during the winter months in the northern hemisphere, Capricorn season is a time to focus on inner resources while creating the foundation for future outward-reaching growth.

Capricorn’s home in the Zodiac is the 10th House. On a personal level, the 10th House is where our work life, our reputation and public image, and our legacy come together. On a community level, it represents themes of public responsibility, societal structures, authority, and legacy. Ecologically, the 10th House invites us to reflect on our personal and our species’ role as responsible stewards of the planet, the actions that impact the Earth, and our legacy: the environments we leave to our children and grandchildren. It asks us to recalibrate what “growth” means in a world facing critical resource depletion, massive biodiversity loss, and near-irreversible climate change.

Capricorn Folk. When it comes to green, those who have a Sun, Moon, Rising Sign, or a cluster of planets in Capricorn, and/or a strong Saturn or 10th House or planets in earth signs Taurus or Virgo—are said to be natural gardeners, with a compelling sense of personal connection to the planet. They may not love to get their hands dirty, but they enjoy the detailed planning that goes into a successful garden and deeply appreciate the outcome. They may also be known for the work they have done on behalf of the environment. Three outstanding examples of dedicated Capricorn conservationists:

• Greta Thunberg (b. Jan. 3, 2003). Swedish environmental activist renowned for her efforts to combat climate change. She initiated the global “Fridays for Future” movement, raising questions about unlimited growth and inspiring students to participate in climate strikes.

• Meg Lowman (b. Dec. 23, 1953). National Geographic Explorer, scientist, founder of Mission Green, and director of TREE Foundation. She is the author of The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us (see Some Capricorn Reading, below).

• Aldo Leopold (b. Jan. 11, 1887). American author, philosopher, and ecologist. His Sand County Almanac remains hugely influential in environmental ethics and wilderness conservation.

Saturn’s Shadow. From an ecological perspective, Saturn’s shadow represents the denial, repression, and misuse of the principles of limits, boundaries, and responsibility that this planet traditionally embodies. When we fail to acknowledge these principles, the results are unsustainable growth, ecological degradation, and an unnatural disconnect from the natural cycles of the Earth. Confronting Saturn’s shadow requires us to understand what we have done to Earth and what we must do to help it heal.

Capricorn Season in the Green World

Winter’s lower temperatures and reduced sunlight prompt many plants to take the winter off. But some plants have other plans.

Shrubs, hedges, and trees—plants traditionally associated with Saturn/Capricorn—are actively at work in our gardens and yards. Above-ground growth is minimal: mostly bark thickening, structural hardening, and bud formation. But below ground, it’s another story, setting the stage for a burst of spring growth.

• After their leaves have fallen and there’s no photosynthesis going on, trees rely for fuel on non-structural carbohydrates stored in roots.

• Roots expand and strengthen, anchoring the plant and increasing its capacity to absorb nutrients and water in the coming spring.

• Depending on soil temperature, roots continue to grow while shoots and buds are taking a long winter’s nap. Studies indicate that nearly 90% of observed trees show evidence of root growth during Capricorn season.
  

Trees, hedges, and shrubs have traditionally been considered Saturnian because they are physical embodiments of its traditional characteristics: hardiness through time and seasonal challenges; the strength and dignity of structure; the security of underworld rootedness; and the usefulness of limits. Both nature and myth remind us of Saturn’s profound connection to the cycles of life and the grounding wisdom that comes with patience, discipline, and responsibility.

You can significantly enhance your outdoor space by planting trees and do the environment a favor, too. Trees help mitigate climate change by reducing the urban heat island effect and storing carbon dioxide, filter pollutants from the air, and help keep waterways healthy. They also support complex ecosystems and biodiversity (unless one species dominates, as Tom Kimmerer observes about the splendid ginkgo). They can increase your property value, too.

If you’ve been thinking of adding a tree to your garden, Capricorn season is the time for planning and even planting, if you live in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9, 10, and 11, where the ground doesn't freeze. Consider space constraints, sunlight exposure, soil type, and climate and hardiness zone. And please, think a decade or two ahead: that little twig from the nursery might grow into a 50-foot giant, like the bald cypress saplings that Bill and I planted beside our creek in 1988. Cypress trees are long-lived and resilient, thriving in challenging environments such as swamps and wetlands—and even in our arid landscape. Saturn, as the planet of time, endurance, and structure, aligns with these characteristics.

A Hedgerow Garden

One of our native hedgerows here at MeadowKnoll

In rural landscapes, wild hedgerows are everywhere: dense lines of shrubs and small trees that follow fence lines, enclose fields, border creeks, and provide shelter, protection, and food for birds and wildlife.

If you’ve been thinking of fencing your yard, you might consider a hedgerow instead. These living structures embody Saturn’s enduring wisdom: boundaries need not be rigid, impenetrable barriers but resilient, growing structures that combine ecological richness and practical purpose. If this interests you, Home & Gardens has some planting suggestions.

Saturnian plants have resilience and endurance, but their adaptability may be limited. As Substacker Sally Morgan reminds us, in a recent issue of Climate Change Garden, the warming climate is reducing the chill hours some trees need to produce their fruit. “I’m not sure our current favorite cultivars will be able to cope with the climate of the 2040s,” she warns, “so we need to be really savvy about our choices today.” And here in Texas, peach growers report that in 2023, they got only about 530 of the 830 chill hours they needed. “We’re looking at 30% of a typical season at best,” one grower said sadly. In Australia, Macquarie University has developed a program to help people choose which plant goes where, given the rapid changes in climate. Gardeners can go online, type in their location, and learn which plants will do well twenty or thirty years from now.

Planting a tree isn’t just a matter of digging a deep hole. It requires thinking long thoughts about the challenges of a changing environment.

Gardening by the Sun in Capricorn Season

Gardening in Capricorn Season depends on your zone. Zones 9-11 can enjoy gardening activity as usual, although tender plants may need protecting. The rest of us—well, not so much, unless we’re one of those lucky greenhouse gardeners. So let’s play it by ear. Here’s a checklist—choose the activity that fits your garden’s climate.

• Bring in the last of those late-season cabbages, carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard.

• Plant spring bulbs—tulips, daffodils, and crocuses—if the ground isn’t frozen. Squirrels a problem? Here are some ways to critter-proof your treasures.

• Prune and tidy things up—but remember to leave the seed heads for the winter birds. Now would be a good time to set up those winter feeding stations, too.

• Clean out the garden shed or garage and repair and store tools. All part of the job, right?

• And if it’s just too wet or chilly to work outside, get out that garden journal and start making notes for your 2025 garden.

Gardening by the Moon in Capricorn Season

Traditionally, it is said that the increasing light of a waxing moon encourages leaf growth and its increasing gravitational strength raises soil moisture and boosts plant sap production, while the decreasing light and strength of a waning moon is believed to encourage root growth. Each of the Moon’s phases (waxing, waning periods) lasts about a week.

Gardening by the Moon’s phases. Here are the traditional practices for Capricorn Season:

• Waning Gibbous (Dec. 21) to Last Quarter (Dec. 22-23). Plant perennials, shrubs, trees and cool-season root crops (climate permitting).

• Waning Crescent (Dec. 24) to New Moon in Capricorn (Dec. 30). Avoid planting. Harvest and store crops, fertilize, weed. On the New Moon, put work aside, reflect on your intentions for the coming lunar cycle, especially those that have to do with goal-setting, work plans, and promises you’re tempted to make to yourself about the new year ahead.

• Waxing Crescent (Dec. 31) to First Quarter (Jan. 6). Indoors or out (local climate permitting,) plant above ground annuals (especially leaf plants) and herbs.

• Waxing Crescent (Jan. 7) to Full Moon in Cancer (Jan. 13). Plant above ground annuals (especially fruit plants), grains, flowers. On the Full Moon, celebrate, gather medicinal herbs, reflect on the cycles of your life and your emotional connections with the people you’ve known.

• Waning Gibbous (Jan.14) to Last Quarter (Jan. 20). Plant below ground/root plants, perennials, trees, shrubs.
  

Gardening by the Moon’s signs. As the Moon changes phases, it also moves from one zodiac sign to another. Traditionally, each sign is suited to a different set of tasks, suggested by the planet that rules the sign. If you’d like to learn about gardening by the Moon’s signs, you’ll find an extremely helpful calendar and chart here. Before you tackle the calendar, scroll down to the chart, where you’ll see the phases displayed in the wide center column and the signs on the left. I’ve set the Astro-seek link for the beginning of Capricorn in December; you can reset it (top right) for the next calendar year: 2025. And here’s more, when you have time:

• Substacker Karen Falcone Krieger of Wild Working Gardens is a real-life lunar gardener who gives us weekly reports on the practice, and on regenerative gardening writ large.

• I am indebted to Karin for her recent mention of Sown in the Stars, by Sarah L. Hall—interviews with two dozen Kentucky farmers who follow the phases and signs of the moon in their farming and gardening. An unusual study that uses oral histories to bridge this ancient agriculture practice and contemporary farming life.

• From Sown in the Stars, I learned about Phil Case, who hosts a popular Facebook site, with regular updates to the lunar planting calendar and contributions from followers.

For Indoor Gardeners

If you’d like to add a Capricorn plant to your indoor garden, a bonsai tree might be a perfect choice.

Photo: Times of India

In Vastu Shastra (an ancient Indian architectural practice that aims to balance energy flow in living and working spaces), a bonsai tree can attract positive energies, enhance well-being, and promote growth and creativity. And not only that, it’s relatively low-maintenance. And gracefully emblematic of Saturn’s endurance, strength, wisdom, and longevity.

Some Capricorn Reading

The past few years have brought us a remarkable abundance of wonderful books about the amazing and little-understood world of trees—what they are, root to crown; how they live; and what threatens them. And Capricorn season is the right time to wander among trees. Here is a small forest for your reading pleasure. Each offers a different perspective on the significance of trees, braiding scientific research, cultural history, and personal narrative to deepen our understanding of their importance in our world.

• The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, by Peter Wohlleben. The intricate social networks of trees, exploring their lives in forest communities. “An illuminating account of the forest, and the science that shows us how trees communicate, feel, and live in social networks. After reading this book, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.”—The New York Review of Books

  • For another view of the “sentient tree” argument, read “Mother Trees and Socialist Forests: Is the ‘Wood-wide Web’ a Fantasy?”

  • And “The Less Selfish Gene: Forest Altruism, Neoliberalism, and the Tree of Life,” by Rob Nixon (an excellent exploration of why we so desperately want to hear this story, at this time)

• The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The serviceberry, Kimmerer says, “teaches us what is enough,” a Saturnian lesson about the natural limits of the planet we share with the rest of creation. A short and memorable book that says a very great deal in only 128 pages.

• The Overstory, by Richard Powers, winner, Pulitzer Prize in fiction. “An ingeniously structured narrative that branches and canopies like the trees at the core of the story whose wonder and connectivity echo those of the humans living amongst them.” —Pulitzer Prize jury citation

• Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above, by Meg Lowman. “Equal parts memoir, scientific reporting, love letter to the trees and a call to action in the face of the climate crisis . . . By the time you reach the last page of this book, you’ll either want to climb a tree, hug a tree or both.”―San Francisco Chronicle

Capricorn’s Medicinal Herbs

In the ancients’ view of a unified cosmos, the archetypal qualities of each planet were believed to be embodied in particular plants, which were understood to affect those parts of the human body most closely associated with that particular planet.

Saturn was thought to be responsible for the systems that give the body its skeletal structure and form: the bones, joints (knees, elbows), tendons. Also the teeth, the skin, hair, ears, and hearing. More broadly, Saturn was often linked to long-term health; to aging and degeneration; and to the durability of bones, joints, and connective tissues. Saturn’s rulership of the body emphasized the importance of structure, endurance, and limits.

Below is a representation of the body’s zodiac organization, as it was understood through the eighteenth century. For a remarkable visual history of the subject, visit Yale University’s website, Medical Astrology: Science, Art, and Influence in early-modern Europe. And for a more intimate contemporary report, here is the first in a series of interesting posts on the subject by Substack astrologer Maria Luz O’Rourke. Maria updates the traditional practice to include the outer planets and work by contemporary astrologers.

From Christian Astrology (1647) by William Lilly.

In traditional Western astrology, medicinal herbs ruled by Saturn were those that reflected the planet’s qualities of structure, endurance, limitation, and transformation. Here are four of the major herbs:

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale). Known as “knitbone” and “boneset,” comfrey contains allantoin, rosmarinic acid, and tannins and was used in poultices, salves, and lotions for bruises, sprains, bone healing, and psoriasis. Today, multiple trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of comfrey preparations for the topical treatment of pain, inflammation and swelling of muscles and joints in degenerative arthritis, acute myalgia in the back, and sprains, contusions and strains after sports injuries and accidents. In one animal study, it was reported to increase bone density. (Caution has been advised for internal use due to cancer-causing alkaloids, although later studies dispute this.)

Horsetail. Photo Kate Cullen on Unsplash

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Mineral-rich Equisetum has been used traditionally to strengthen bones, teeth, connective tissue, and nails. It’s also been used for urinary tract health and wound healing. Horsetail contains silicic acid, magnesium, calcium, potassium and significant levels of selenium and manganese as well as antioxidants. It is mostly consumed in the form of tea but is also available in capsule and tincture form. Not recommended for gardens unless you can strictly contain it. (Ask me how I know.)

Horsetail. Photo by Wouter De Praetere on Unsplash

Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum). The lubricating qualities of this mucilaginous herb were considered valuable for the treatment of musculoskeletal injury, including joint and ligament repair. In his 1597 Herball, John Gerard writes, “As touching the knitting of bones . . . there is not another herb to be found comparable to it.” In The Complete Herbal (1653), Nicholas Culpeper agrees: “To knit and join broken bones in any part of the body.” Solomon’s Sea rhizomes contain the anti-inflammatory allantoin, making the herb a useful addition to salves and lotions. Other active constituents: steroidal saponins, glycosides, polysaccharides, alkaloids, flavonoids. This shade-loving plant, a relative of lily-of-the-valley, forms an attractive groundcover. The berries are considered toxic.

Solomon’s seal. Photo: Wikipedia

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Kaempferol, an antioxidant that is one of mullein’s active constituents, is a flavonol that may reduce the inflammation of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, broken bones, and skin conditions. Mullein is available as a tea, tincture, capsule, ear oil, and in various herbal skin care products.

Mullein. Photo by Brandon Stoll on Unsplash

Mullein’s wide range of bioactive properties (shown with their constituent chemicals in the diagram below) makes this plant increasingly attractive to the pharmaceutical industry. You may be seeing more of it on drugstore shelves.

Properties of mullein. National Library of Medicine

That’s it for Capricorn season, friends. You’ll hear from me again on Thursday, January 2, 2025, with the first post in my 2025 Guerrilla Readers series, and on Monday, January 6 with the January edition of All About Thyme. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate it.

Supporters, your Capricorn workbook is coming in a separate email. It includes some ecological thoughts on the contemporary understanding of Saturn’s ominous reputation, more Capricorn reading suggestions, writing topics, and a recipe for a nutritious winter root-vegetable soup.