The summer solstice is an astronomical event that marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year. It occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. Here’s a detailed explanation of the science behind it:
Earth's Tilt and Orbit
1. Axial Tilt: Earth’s axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the Sun. This tilt is responsible for the changing seasons as Earth orbits the Sun.
2. Orbit: Earth’s orbit around the Sun is elliptical, but to understand the solstice, it's often simplified as a nearly circular orbit.
Solstice Occurrence
- Summer Solstice: This occurs around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. On this day, the North Pole is tilted closest to the Sun.
Solar Position
1. Sun’s Path: During the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun takes its highest and longest path across the sky. This is why daylight lasts longer than on any other day.
2. Tropic of Cancer: The Sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5°N). This is the farthest north the Sun ever gets in the sky, marking the solstice.
Effects on Daylight
- Longest Day: The length of daylight is the greatest on the summer solstice because of the Sun's high path across the sky. The exact duration of daylight varies by location but is longest on this day.
Cultural and Biological Impact
1. Cultural Celebrations: Many cultures celebrate the summer solstice with festivals and rituals, recognizing it as a time of renewal and fertility.
2. Biological Impact: In nature, the extended daylight hours trigger various biological processes, such as plant growth and animal behaviours adapted to longer days and warmer temperatures.
Understanding the summer solstice involves recognizing the interplay between Earth's tilt, its orbit around the Sun, and the resulting changes in daylight and solar position. This astronomical event highlights the intricate and predictable dance of celestial mechanics.
ASTROLOGICAL ASPECTS
Neptune in Pisces at 29°53 squares Sun Venus and Mercury in Cancer
Mars in Taurus sextile Sun Venus Mercury in Cancer
Pluto Rx in Aquarius trine Jupiter in Gemini
ASTROLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
The Summer Solstice coming so close to the Full Moon in Capricorn sets the energetic tone for the next 3 months until the Autumn Equinox.
Neptune in Pisces at 29°53 squares the Sun, Venus and Mercury in Cancer. This is an out-of-sign square but extremely powerful and sets an interesting tone for inner reflection and thoughtful decisions. And warns us to be clear in our communications, particularly within our families and to be kind to ourselves and forgive ourselves for the negative feelings we may have towards ourselves and others. Neptune can bring paranoia confusion and delusion and at this final degree of Pisces is asking us to take a positive step forward even though the way ahead is unclear. It's about having faith when we're in the dark. And to accept our humanity represented by the eternal cycle of the Sun at the zero degree of Cancer highlighting a pivotal point in time for us to walk forward boldly with acceptance of our shadow side.
The Sun continues to remind us of the cyclical passage of life and death beginnings and endings.
If you're aware of the IChing channelled by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu then this Solstice chart shows us that this is not a time for grand gestures or decisions the energies do not favour us walking forward blindly to our presumed destination. The next 3 months suggest a time for inner reflection and faith if we feel alone in a dark fog.
The moon in Sagittarius is squared by Saturn in Pisces. Saturn is slowing down to turn retrograde thus putting the brakes on all of us but enabling us to catch a glimpse of the moonlight in Sagittarius as it waxes towards Full bringing hope that through our faith in our personal idea of the Divine Energy if we face our inner truth and accept our shadow side and through that transition available via Plutos widening trine to the beneficial and fortunate energies of Jupiter in Gemini we can learn to accept others with their light and their dark aspects thus moving beyond a distorted view of spiritual positivity and redressing the balance.
The spiritual community can get caught in inflated ego states feeling that all we need is love and light. But as Carl Jung said “If we ignore our shadow there is a huge price to pay” ( this is not an exact quote but includes my interpretation of the point he was making) and if we try to suppress our shadow it gets projected on others and becomes destructive.
We have to be aware that the rising and setting of the Sun the heart of our Solar System was recognised by ancient cultures as an integral part of our lives. The astrological energies for the next 3 months suggest slowing down and “retreating from the mountain “ so we can reflect on how we can become more of our authentic selves by seeking our truth warts and all.
ASTROLOGY BY PENNY DIX
June 21st 2024
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