Anyone who has attempted to breach the magnetically charged ring of ice around a Capricorn knows that their association with their planetary ruler, Saturn, could never be a coincidence. Look deep into the stone-flower eyes of a Capricorn and you will sense an earthly strength that could be cultivated only through a lifetime of holding it together for not only themselves but also for everyone and everything around them. Consider the impossibly gravity-defying steps of a goat delicately yet pragmatically traversing a rock wall along an invisible path. When you marvel at the fruits of a Capricorn’s labor, understand that they would not exist without the potent recipe of discipline and dignity, suffering and strife, responsibility and reverence. The planetary rings aren’t just a testament to the gravitational pull of the power that comes from pain — they’re also a crown, meant to honor and create protective distance.

The Ann Demeulemeester Black Livia Collar is a soft armor, supple and tough as the shearling and lambskin that forms it. The shoulder placement renders it a landing cushion for the weight of the entire world, for who bears a burden more elegantly than a Capricorn? It’s only fitting that the designer herself has Sun, Moon and Saturn in Capricorn and that the house has been known for decades for its tastefully restrained color palette and timeless futurism. The Capricorn reminds us that restrictions can provide a path to creative liberation — when directed into a narrow vessel, a previously unfettered artistic energy gains the opportunity to examine more closely elements that may have been missed in the exuberance of expansion. And as a traditionally feminine sign, Capricorn understands that severity is a kind of tenderness. In preparation for battle on a cold, dark planet, the shield must be donned — but who says it can’t be gracefully fastened with a bow?

It takes 10 steps through the constellations to find the landing place where protection can be lush, where luxury can feel ascetic, where beauty is monastic. Hardships are not to be avoided or fled from at all costs. Staying present with the sensations of any of the innumerable burdens that are thrust upon us can yield an experience of transcendence — or, at the very least, an acceptance of what inexorably exists. True peace can’t always be found in nonstop happiness, joy and pleasure — and although these experiences are essential, there are many, many more that constitute the tapestry of what it means to feel human and to feel alive. This winter, as we turn inward with the tradition of the season, may Capricorn be the light that chases away the fear of feeling the pain of being an earthling.

Goth Shakira is an Aquarian digital conjurer and Queen of Pentacles divining in Los Angeles.