Why the Winter Solstice Is the Ultimate Yin Moment—and Why Honouring it Will Set You Up For the Year of the Snake in 2025

How the I Ching and Winter Solstice Teach the Art of Balancing Yin and Yang

The Chinese oracle, the I Ching, operates through casting lines from the ground up, with each line representing the possibility of being either Yin (a line symbolizing spaciousness) or Yang (a solid line). When a line is exclusively Yang, it reaches a state of maximalist saturation, where the restoration of balance—most often through entropy—becomes inevitable. Similarly, when a line is purely Yin, balance can only be restored through germination and regeneration, initiating a cycle of renewal. This paradox is fundamentally what informs Daoism and reflects the dynamic interplay between Yin and Yang; the pursuit of balance is the natural Cosmic order.

We witness this interplay in the mundane rhythms of life. With every inhale, we reach a Yang peak where the only natural next step is to exhale—or to enter death, activating a new cycle. The same principle governs the waxing and waning of the Moon. And now, we find ourselves approaching the Winter Solstice, the “Yinnest” day of the year.

I’ve always marveled at how the Full Moon, the embodiment of Yang energy at night, is accompanied by a supporting cast of witches, werewolves, vampires, and mermaids—quintessential Yin creatures basking in its silvery glow. As a Yin creature myself, I, too, crave the warmth of the Yang Moon, and Yang Sun. In all these instances, we’re shown that magic demands balancing. To resist this truth is to forfeit magic itself.

What does one see during a New Moon in the depths of winter? This December brings us two New Moons, and at first glance, there seems to be nothing—just an expanse of jet-black. Yet in this profound darkness, even the faintest hint of light becomes magnified—beacon-like, almost benevolent. There’s occult symbolism in how this December is bookended by Yin energy, with New Moons falling on December 1 and 30. It offers an invitation to enter the formless, take shape, and then return to the formless before stepping into the next Gregorian calendar year. Notably, as we approach the Lunar New Year in late January 2025, we collectively transition from the vibrant energy of the Wood Dragon into the guidance of the Green (Wood) Serpent—a creature steeped in supremely Yin energy. According to Chinese Astrology, being agile and mysterious, the Snake does not merely hold magic; it is magic itself.

There is a reason why it’s the Yang Dragon that ushers the Yin Snake in each twelve year cycle, first through its shadows, soundlessly. This is why 2024’s Winter Solstice becomes a key that opens the doorway to the Serpent from January 29, 2025 onwards, by working with Yang attributes. Perhaps it is our innate draw to Yang's predictable steadiness that makes us feel safe in the unknown. In the darkest depths of Yin, even a single flicker of flame feels like a promise. It’s a fitting way to honour the Winter Solstice—indeed, it’s the very way the old ones, across cultures have celebrated this time, a tradition that continues even now. 

Following the spirits,

Mimi
Animist spirit intermediary and educator in occult studies