Happy Solstice: June 21st 2017

Summer/Winter SOLSTICE – June 21 2017

Sun enters Cancer – June 21 2017 (04:24 GMT)

The Summer or Winter Solstice (depending in which hemisphere you live – north or south) takes place on Wednesday 21st June, the annual day when the Sun changes signs and moves into the cardinal sign of Cancer.

The Solstice is always an important turning point in the year when the Sun ‘stands still’, the exact meaning of the word ‘sol-stice’ and whether it’s winter or summer in your part of the world, there’s a shift towards a new season.

Mercury enters Cancer – June 21 2017 (09:57 GMT)
Sun conjunct Mercury Cancer – June 21 2017 (13:59 GMT)

This Solstice is especially powerful because on the same day that the Sun enters Cancer heralding the change of season, communication planet Mercury joins the Sun. They meet only a few hours later at 0 degrees Cancer.

0 degrees of any sign has intensity and power, a critical degree of the zodiac, pinpointing a fresh start. Cancer rules home and family, hearth and clan, past and legacies.

This could turn out to be an important day for a conversation that sets a wheel in motion, sparking a new connection or a link to the past.

New Moon [2 Cancer 47] – June 24 2017 (02:31 GMT)

Plus only a couple of days later, there’s another indication of a new beginning, a chance to start over, as the New Moon takes place in early degrees of Cancer.

During a New Moon, the Sun and Moon sit side by side and at this New Moon, the Moon is strong in her sign of dignity. The Moon is the significator for women and the mother in astrology and Cancer is the nurturing, maternal sign. This is a fertile New Moon ripe with potential.

Cancer is the sign that pulls you back to your roots and draws your attention to your home and your family. You seek out comfort, somewhere to nest so you feel safe and secure.

Wherever the New Moon falls in your own chart, this is where you feel the urge to retreat, to be in your comfort zone, to make everything nice and cosy.

The New Moon in Cancer is the perfect time to set your intentions for the month ahead, especially in the areas of home, family, your past and where you come from.

A New Moon initiates a new cycle and is prime time to start afresh, to organise family events, to focus on your home and anything else that gives you comfort in your life.

Happy Solstice

Back to the Solstice symbolism, a time of celebration when fires are lit in honour of the life-giving Sun and people gather at ancient sites like Stonehenge to watch the sun rise.

Whether you wish to honour this key marker in the annual calendar with a yogic Sun salutation, a bonfire or a quick jaunt to sunny climes to top up your tan, celebrate the power and vitality of the ever-present Sun.

Here’s wishing you a happy solstice and may it bring light and joy into your own life.