Holiday mode is here officially, and Mercury just got out of retrograde (yay), as the Winter Solstice is happening over the weekend.

Let's run down the astrological transits, followed by the week-ahead reading and a Yule collective reading.

On December 18th, the Sun in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces.

This transit creates a fog of confusion and uncertainty, making distinguishing between reality and illusion difficult.

While creativity and intuition may be high, keeping one's feet on the ground is essential.

Beware of idealism clouding judgment or overpromising.

Trust instincts, but double-check facts to avoid misunderstandings or disappointments during this time.

On December 19th, Venus in Aquarius makes a trine to Jupiter in Gemini.

This harmonic aspect encourages social connection, optimism, and intellectual curiosity.

Connecting with others can be light and adventurous, with great attention to ideas and developing relationships.

Collaborations on love, profit, and creation may be opportunistic.

Be spontaneous, share your vision, and use this energy to create your social or creative expanses.

On December 21st, the Sun Enters Capricorn, which marks the start of the Winter Solstice or Yule in the Northern Hemisphere.

Capricorn's ingress by the Sun in Capricorn is a time for real groundings and realistic goals.

It calls to you to have respective thoughts and celebrates returning light.

The time honors tradition, projects into the future, and balances work with rest. It is a season of discipline, patience cultivated, and gratitude.

Now, let's look at the week-ahead tarot reading, and these are the cards that came up for this week:

1. Your week as a whole - Four of Pentacles

2. Something unexpected that will arise - Temperance

3. How to stay grounded and balanced - Nine of Swords

4. Important emotion that you will feel this week - Justice

5. Something that will inspire you - Chariot

6. How your spirit guides speak to you this week - The Magician

7. How to best support yourself this week - Six of Wands

Card One - Four of Pentacles

The Four of Pentacles represents this week as a whole. This week highlights stability, security, and holding onto resources.

One might feel the urge to conserve energy, money, or emotions and prioritize the most valuable things to you.

While this stance would make one feel safe, the tendency to be rigid and possessive must be avoided.

Trust that you have enough for your needs, and balance saving with openness. Assess whether your attachments are due to legitimate need or fear.

Consider how you can establish security without constraining your growth or relationships.

Card Two - Temperance

As Temperance shows up in the position, you will be surprised by something that needs balancing and moderation, sharing that something unexpected will happen.

This may involve balancing two conflicting areas of life, mediating an argument, or finding common ground between diverse viewpoints.

You may be surprised that there is a middle ground or an integration of opposing forces. Trust the process of patience and steady adjustment.

Temperance, even surprises, can lead to greater peace if approached calmly and adapted.

Pay attention to the opportunity to balance a relationship or project; it can result in unexpected growth and alignment.

Card Three - Nine of Swords

The Nine of Swords suggests confronting anxieties and overthinking as a way out.

Balance comes from facing fears rather than avoiding them.

Journaling, meditation, or speaking openly about what's bothering you will help release mental burdens.

Acknowledge your worries, but do not let them spiral into over-analysis.

Staying present and addressing concerns will prevent them from overwhelming you.

Balance comes from self-compassion and distinguishing between realistic challenges and exaggerated fears.

Remind yourself that no problem is insurmountable with clarity and support.

Card Four - Justice

You can feel a strong sense of fairness, accountability, or the desire to see truth prevail, as Justice represents the important emotion you will feel this week.

This emotion compels you to seek balance and honesty in personal matters or larger social issues.

You may feel vindicated or called to take action that aligns with your values.

Justice inspires emotional maturity by selecting logical, fair responses instead of reactive ones.

This energy can be used to evaluate your emotions critically so that they align with your moral compass.

Justice asks you to recognize the cause-and-effect relationship between actions and consequences, fostering emotional integrity.

Card Five - The Chariot

The Chariot symbolizes motivation, determination, and drive to achieve goals. This week, find inspiration to push forward even amidst the tides.

Increased confidence or clarity of goals might set you moving.

Feeling empowered to take charge during your journey through the enforcement of willpower and disciplining the mind can get you across many difficult situations.

The Charioteer card encourages people to harness their energy positively and overcome obstacles through the sheer strength of willpower and resilience.

The more progress you make, no matter how little, the more motivated you will be.

Allow your inner strength and determination to inspire others around you.

Card Six - The Magician

Your guides speak through synchronicities, ideas, and resources that magically match your intentions, as the Magician represents how your guides will talk to you this week.

You might feel bursts of inspiration, new tools, or divinely timed opportunities. Trust in the manifestation of your desires with guidance and wisdom given.

The Magician reminds you that you have everything you need within and around you to succeed.

Pay attention to intuitive nudges or coincidences- your guides reminding you of your power to create and transform your circumstances.

Card Seven - Six of Wands

Celebrate your achievements and acknowledge your progress as the Six of Wands takes this position to support you.

The Six of Wands encourages self-encouragement and recognition of your progress.

Do not be shy about sharing with others, and accept praise for your victories. Positive inner and outer reinforcement will reassure your ego and inspire future victories.

Be around people who uplift and affirm your effort.

This way, you will focus on what is going well and give yourself momentum for future challenges.

Believe in your ability to lead and inspire, trusting that you’re on the right path.

This week, you’re called to maintain security (Four of Pentacles) while embracing harmony (Temperance) and confronting anxieties (Nine of Swords).

A sense of fairness (Justice) drives your emotions, while determination (Chariot) fuels inspiration.

Spirit guides provide tools and synchronicities (The Magician), and self-support comes from celebrating wins (Six of Wands).

Balance and courage lead to growth.

Now, let's do a collective Yule three-card reading.

The Yule Three-Card Collective Reading

Yule, celebrated during the winter solstice, marks the year's shortest day and longest night.

The good news is, the following days begin to grow.

It symbolizes the rebirth of light and is rooted in ancient pagan traditions. It honors life's cyclical nature and the sun's return.

Communities light candles, burn Yule logs, and exchange gifts to celebrate renewal and warmth.

Homes are adorned with evergreen decorations that symbolize resilience and hope.

The solstice encourages introspection, gratitude, and setting intentions for the coming year.

Yule reminds us of the rhythms of nature and the promise of brighter days to come.

It makes it a potent time for reflection, connection, and celebration of the light within and around us.

Now, let's do a three-card collective Yule reading:

1. What Light is Already Shining in Our Lives? - King of Cups

2. What Light Do We Need to Let In? - Five of Wands

3. What Darkness Can We Let Dim Right Now? - Lovers

Card One - King of Cups

The King of Cups embodies emotional wisdom and maturity that guide us through all of life's challenges with compassion.

This light represents an ability to balance feelings with reason, offering empathy and calm when times get turbulent.

You already embody it or find someone who provides stable emotional support and leads with kindness and understanding.

This energy highlights your ability to stay centered within, no matter what's going on outside of you.

Acknowledge the inner peace and emotional intelligence you have developed—they are a beacon of light to guide yourself and others forward.

Appreciate how you can hold space for others, leading from your heart and offering comfort where needed.

Card Two - Five of Wands

The Five of Wands suggests embracing challenges and competition for growth.

This light invites you to welcome different outlooks, even heated debates and inner conflicts, as opportunities for self-improvement.

As wild as this energy might feel, it invites you to break out of stagnation, test your abilities, and find hidden strengths.

Allowing this light in is accepting that conflict is not necessarily harmful and can, if treated constructively, be a hotbed of creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

Allow yourself to view challenges as stepping stones, not obstacles, and lean into the dynamic energy they bring for personal and collective transformation.

Card Three - Lovers

The Lovers in this position ask you to release dependency, indecision, or relationships that don't align with your values.

Darkness comes from choices made out of obligation or fear rather than authenticity.

This is a call to dim the unhealthy attachments to people, ideas, or ideals that compromise your integrity.

In releasing codependency or the need for external validation, you reclaim personal power and align with your true purpose.

Release the need to overanalyze every decision; trust your inner compass to guide you.

Move into autonomy and let the light of self-love dissolve shadows of doubt or misalignment.

This Yule reading emphasizes emotional strength (King of Cups) and challenges you to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, symbolized by the Five of Wands.

This, in turn, is a call to release unhealthy attachment or indecision via the Lovers that hinder authenticity.

These cards emphasize the need for balanced emotional stability, embracing dynamic energy, and letting go of what no longer serves you.

As the year turns, focus on leading with compassion, invite growth through constructive conflict.

You will want to unshackle yourself from the weight of toxic connections.

This journey promises clarity, empowerment, and renewal as you step into the light of your truth.

I am here for a reading if you like as all you need to do is head over to miriamreadstarot.com.

Don’t forget to listen and subscribe to my podcast The Tarot Table every Friday, on Spotify (also on Apple, Amazon Music, etc).