Solstice is when the sun appears to stand still in the sky before seeming to change direction. The northern solstice occurs when the sun at high noon reaches the most northerly point on earth, which became known as the Tropic of Cancer because the constellation of Cancer was where the Sun was ingressing at that time of year. Astrologically speaking this is the point at which the tropical sign of Cancer begins, usually around the 21st of June. It can be a day earlier or later because the calendar is not exactly aligned with the solar cycle.
In the northern hemisphere we have our longest day of the year, and because those of you in the southern hemisphere fear are tilted away from the sun now, it’s your shortest day. On this day, the Sun reaches the furthest point north of the equator it can during the Solar year.
The opposite happens at the southern solstice when the light of the sun is strongest at what became known as the Tropic of Capricorn. Then the days become shorter in the north and longer in the South, and the Sun’s light reaches the furthest South of the equator. As you can guess this is the beginning of the astrological sign of Capricorn, usually around the 21st of December give or take a calendar day.
Twice a year the Suns peak energy appears to move back to the equator, and we have roughly equal night and day around the world. These times are called the equinoxes and they mark the beginning of the astrological signs of Aries and Libra.
The tropical Zodiac mirrors the movement or tropos of the Sun. This is the foundation for tropical astrology and is also the reference point for sidereal astrology which grew out of tropical astrology. Sidereal astrology can’t be calculated without a reference to tropical astrology because the calculation for the precession of the equinoxes, meaning the backwards movement of the constellations when seen at the time of the equinoxes each year.
This calculation is known in Sanskrit as the Ayanamsha, or the number of degrees of difference between the Tropical calculations and the Sidereal or star-based calculations at the time of the equinox. There’s not a lot of agreement about which Ayanamsha is correct but currently there is roughly 24 degrees difference between the movement of the Sun as we can see it from the Earth at the solstice and equinox points and the position of the constellations Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn in the sky.
Because Tropical astrology is based on the movement of the Sun, this uncertainty doesn’t arise. Without wanting to get into the often-touchy discussion around the superiority of sidereal calculations over tropical astrology, it’s worth noting that the Sun is central to our survival. It is the centre of our solar system of course, and its heat and light are life-sustaining.
From our individual consciousness, the world revolves the notion of “self” – we can’t help but see it that way in our everyday lives and interactions because our perspective is unique. So, in this way the Sun represents our consciousness, our self, our purpose, and our physical health and vitality, as well as the father and important leaders.
Nor can we live without the Moon, whose reflected Sun light and phases are an indispensable part of plant growth and hormonal cycles. The ancient sages knew this which is why they gave the astrological symbolism of Father and Mother to the Sun and Moon. The astrological Moon represents our emotional and psychological experience – what we call the mind – as well as mother, water, and nurturance.
Modern science confirms that there wouldn’t be life-giving water on earth without the moon as our satellite. The phases of the Moon show how much of the Sun’s light is reflected back to Earth by the Moon. And we can see with our own eyes how these lunar phases change the tides and sea levels.
So this is a wonderful day to remember how influential the luminaries are in our everyday life – they are not just abstract symbols.
And to all of you yogis out there the Solstice has been the Day to celebrate Yoga for decades, and officially so since 2014. One of the meanings of the word yoga is to connect or yoke the mind to its source. In yogic terms, this is the meaning of Hatha – ‘Ha’ being the Solar or masculine energy and ‘Tha’ representing the lunar or feminine energy. It’s not a style of yoga – it is yoga! As above, so below – the mind is subordinate to consciousness, and the Moon is subordinate to the Sun.
Most of my current subscribers know me as an astrologer, but initially my subscribers were my direct yoga students, as I taught yoga for over 25 years. Thank you all for being here either way – I really appreciate your support.
If you are interested in yoga, especially if you’re a teacher of yoga, just before I retired from teaching group classes I wrote a book called Teaching Yoga in an upside-down world. I wanted to write a book that covered many of the things that I wish I had understood when I first started teaching and to clarify some of the common misunderstandings in the modern yoga world. Here is the link if you want to buy a copy.
Much love and light as always!
Susan
