 The Summer Solstice
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The Summer Solstice is the time when the Sun turns in its tracks and begins its tropical journey south, towards the equator. This, the shortest night of the year, happens on the eve of the 22nd of June. This major calendrical event is the focus of religious and social festivities in all cultures; Christian society marks the event with St John the Baptist's Day, a christianisation of the festival of Mithras, the Sun God. Midsummer is the central point of the magical year: traditional hilltop bonfires are lit to revive the power of the Sun; flaming disks are thrown into the air; blazing wheels are rolled downhill; leaping and dancing around and through the fire are ritual encouragements for maximising the harvest. Magical powers are heightened and the little people are about. It is the ideal time for gathering magical herbs: pluck them before dawn, before breakfast, while the dew still wets the petals. Fern and fern-seed is gathered on Mid-Summer's eve, to harness the power of the Sun. Golden solar flowers such as St John's wort, mugwort and mistletoe, the golden bough, are worn as garlands.
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Astrologically, the June Solstice marks the entry of the Sun into the Cardinal, Water Sign of Cancer. Cancer is ruled by the Moon and Mid-summer celebrates the elemental powers of fire and water. People would light fires and bathe in the dew on the morning of Mid-summer's Day..
 The Winter Solstice-
The Winter Solstice is the time when the Sun once more begins its tropical journey north. This, the longest night of the year, happens on the eve of the 22nd of December. This major calendrical event is the focus of religious and social festivities in all cultures, not just the Christian celebration of Christmas. The birth of the Sun has been celebrated since time immemorial on or around the solstice, which is why the birth of Jesus is celebrated at this time.
Astrologically, the December Solstice marks the entry of the Sun into the Cardinal, Earth Sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, so the ancient Roman festival of the solstice was called the Saturnalia. As with our festivities today, there was much feasting! Wine, women and song were spread liberally around. Indeed, when the Christian Church became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century, Christmas was not actually an official festival. Its pagan nature was frowned on. Things have loosened up a bit since then.
- NOTE: in southern latitudes, of course, the solstices are reversed, so that the mid-winter character of Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere becomes a hot mid-summer celebration in Australia, South Africa, South America, New Zealand and other places south of the equator. Naturally enough, the mid-summer celebrations in June become mid-winter chills down south! This presents something of a problem for Christianity and for Astrology, or any other seasonal philosophy with claims to universality, which we address in a forthcoming article.
The Equinoxes mark the other Cardinal Points. Click for more on The Equinoxes
Click here to view a Table of Equinoxes and Solstices |
