Kislev 5786: The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow
Chodesh Kislev 5786
November 21 - December 19, 2025
Constellation/Mazal:
Sagittarius (Keshet) ♐︎ – The Archer's Arrow
Tribe: Benyamin
Letter: ס (Samech) | Sense: Sleep/Dreams
Element: Fire (Mutable- Transforming Inspiration)
Planetary Ruler: Jupiter / Tzedek
Kislev is the Tribe of Benyamin — symbolized by the wolf who senses the hidden light before dawn.
This energy permeates the month: the hunt for truth, the reclaiming of spiritual territory, the awakening of inner fire, the courage to face shadow and bring it to light.
Rosh Chodesh Kislev arrives on November 21. Kislev is the month ruled by Jupiter / Tzedek, which is currently retrograde in Cancer. Jupiter enlarges and magnifies everything he touches – and Jupiter retrograde in Cancer asks us to take a deeper, more honest look at what “home” really means to us.
In a personal natal chart, wherever Cancer falls is where we seek the emotional security symbolized by Cancer’s key words: Food, Home, Mother, and Money. Rosh Chodesh Kislev triggers a tug-of-war between Desire vs. Possession, with the Sun in Scorpio opposite Uranus in Taurus. At the same time, the Scorpio Sun trines Neptune in Pisces – spiritual shorthand for a strong soul connection rising from the depths.
The Sun enters solar Sagittarius on Shabbos Toldot, with Mercury in Scorpio trine Saturn in Pisces and Jupiter in Cancer — forming a Grand Water Trine, with all three planets retrograde. Emotions flow… but do they flow backwards? These feelings are familiar, almost ancestral. What have we learned from previous cycles of emotional intensity? What have we integrated, and what remains unclaimed, rejected, or pushed into shadow? Embracing our disparate parts — including the messy ones — means consciously acknowledging our shadow selves. Even Sagittarius’ legendary rose-colored glasses can’t obscure that truth.
The Sagittarius Sun sextiles Pluto in Aquarius on November 23, reflecting a powerful pull toward idealistic universalism — and an equally powerful resistance to change. The fear beneath it all is the potential loss of particularism: the unique identity that differentiates us from everyone else.
Mercury retrograde conjuncts Venus in Scorpio on November 25, with Venus trining Jupiter and Saturn on the 26th — just in time for Thanksgiving in the USA on the 27th. Is it safe to share your deepest fears with your nearest and dearest? This configuration suggests that unexpected support may arrive from unlikely places.
Saturn stations direct at the First Quarter Moon in Pisces on November 28 and begins his inexorable march toward Aries, which he’ll re-enter in February 2026 and transit through mid-April 2028. This is the classic struggle between impulse (Aries) and discipline (Saturn). Remember that Aries corresponds to Yehuda, who struggled with impulse control until experience taught him self-regulation. He transformed frustration into motivation, impatience into action, and learned to set boundaries and accept responsibility. These are the life-lessons of Saturn’s transit through Aries — and wherever Aries falls in your natal chart is where that spiritual work will unfold.
Mercury goes direct on Shabbos Vayeitzei. We read “Vayeitzei Yaakov” — “and Jacob went out.” We go out now as he did: uncertain of the destination, yet propelled by destiny. Just as Yaakov fell swiftly and deeply in love with Rachel, the transit of Venus in Scorpio opposite Uranus in Taurus and trine Neptune in Pisces, before entering Sagittarius on November 30, may bring surprising, even divinely choreographed emotional and spiritual connections.
Venus sextiles Pluto on December 3, followed by the Full Moon in Gemini on December 4. The heart wants what it wants — but can it be trusted? Hidden motivations surface, and tender vulnerabilities risk becoming weaponized when Mars trines Chiron on December 5. “It’s complicated,” indeed. And yet, at the core, it’s simple: tell yourself the truth without excuses. When you own your truth, sharing it becomes much easier.
Mercury — planetary ruler of Gemini — trines Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, on Shabbos Vayishlach. If the Full Moon didn’t reveal the truth you were searching for, this transit likely will.
A fluttering, fussy flurry of celestial chessboard moves occurs December 7–11: Mercury trining Saturn, Mars squaring Saturn, Neptune stationing direct, Mercury opposing Uranus, and finally Mercury trining Neptune at the Last Quarter Moon in Virgo before entering Sagittarius. If this is a game, who’s winning? More importantly: who’s being played? And ultimately: who is playing whom?
The annual peak of the Geminid Meteor Showers arrives on Shabbos Vayeshev. It is safe and good to go outside and watch them.
As the moonlight wanes, Kislev approaches its spiritual crescendo: Chanukah, the festival that bridges Kislev and Tevet, and symbolically unites expansive Jupiter with boundary-setting Saturn. Jupiter–Saturn unions always carry epochal significance — as we witnessed during their Great Conjunction at 0° Aquarius in December 2020, where Pluto now lingers.
Mars squares Neptune and the Sun trines Chiron on Erev Chanukah. We light the first flame Sunday evening, December 15. Mars enters Capricorn the same day, highlighting hard work, responsibility, and the will to build.
The Sun squares Saturn on December 17 as Mercury returns to his original retrograde point at 6° Sagittarius. What have we learned since October 21, when the pre-shadow began? Integration is essential now — these lessons are here to deepen our understanding of our full, complex selves.
“The Sun of Righteousness arises with healing in his wings,” says the prophet Malachi. That healing energy flows through the Venus–Chiron trine on December 18.
The New Moon at 28° Sagittarius on 30 Kislev / Rosh Chodesh Tevet Day I / Shabbos Chanukah on December 20 holds precious secrets. Chanukah is the bridge between Kislev (Jupiter) and Tevet (Saturn), between expansion and boundary, miracle and discipline. The epochal changes of our era whirl through the cosmos — and through our very cells. We are, truly, part of the same unfolding.
As the light of Chanukah becomes brighter and brighter, let's not be afraid of the darker and darker shadows, especially those within us. The fear of individuality being eclipsed by collectivism, or personal uniqueness overcome by universality: are these not two side of the same coin? Walking the tightrope, learning to balance, and refusing to ignore or suppress either/or is the work. Let's give ourselves and each other some credit, and a much deserved break whenever possible.
