The journey of the Sun through the solstices is a reflection that we can see in our own lives. The solstices really mark a life cycle, and this life cycle is reflected all through nature. The ancients spoke in terms of masculine and feminine, or yang and yin. This determination colored the zodiac and the planets, including the two great luminaries, the yang Sun and the yin Moon.

The Sun is the primary mover of the cosmos, the great king that warms our earth and provides a constant solid structure to build and nourish life on. It is yang in the nature that it is active, seeking to build, create and be seen. The Moon, his queen, is a feminine reflective light that helps mother and nourish the seed that was planted. The moon has a quieter nature, intuitive and seeking an emotoinal connectivity. The moon carries a reflective image of the Sun, wishing to fulfill his promise. She provides water, sustenance, and protection. The Sun will always lead though, and every other planet follows in their own timing.  

Ancient astrologers had a teaching tool they used called the Thema Mundi, which represented the birth of the cosmos, it was essentially the natal chart of creation as we know it. The rising position of this chart, is Cancer, representing birth. This symbolized Cancer and the summer solstice point, as the moment when the Sun, the king dropped down from the heavens unto our earth and material life began. In winter, during Capricorn season, the sun will fall to its lowest point, this marks the winter solstice. Yet after the winter solstice, the Sun begins again the slow arduous journey through the waning darkness and will eventually rise to power again.

Cancer was called the “gateway of the gods” and my teacher Acyuta-bhava Das explains, “In Cancer, we have the beginning of descent of spirit into matter or the descent of light into the world. In Capricorn, we have the exiting of light from the material world out of the body.” 

This is the life cycle of the sun, symbolically representing our own soul. The active energy that it builds during the spring will start to wane, become more yin as the darkness grows and the moon will hang longer in the sky. The winter naturally makes us all turn more inward, quietly reflecting. Winter is a tough time to grow anything, crops are dormant, animals and humans both take to hibernation. All waiting for the solar energy to return.

Cancer ruled by the moon not the sun, marks an important time of the Sun’s journey. The Sun comes down to our earth, dropping into our plane, this realm was called the sub-lunar realm. Our earth, our existence a mere reflection of the divine-the Sun high above and the moon is the closest luminary light. Yes- the sun provides any chance for creation and survival, but it is the moon, the mother, that joins the divine light and leads the way on our daily existence. We need the mother and the father on this journey to create, survive, and hopefully thrive. Yet as soon as we are born, the hands on the clock begin to move. The darkness will return and overcome. The moon and her quick processions aligns with each of our own daily dramas and the unfolding of our fortunes.

Cancer, and the attributes given to this sign and relation to the moon is reflective of all of this symbolism. It is reflective of the nurturing, protective mother who wishes to see her babies grow. It is reflective of community and our village that we gather around and wish to support. It is reflective of nostalgia and times that have passed just too quickly. It is reflective of our rise and fall of fortune, health, life. The moon is associated with a mirror, it is exactly that, a reflective light that gathers the solar image and does its best to bring it forth. Yet like gazing into rippling water, the image is distorted, not quite exact.

The solstice is a time that reconnects us to the divine, to our soul, to our journey. It is period of reflection, death and renewal. It is such a subtle moment, since we don’t see the light change on the day, but have no doubt that the light is shifting. The Sun waxes and wanes like the moon, just at a much slower pace, yet the impact is so critical. Without the Sun, life cannot sustain, it falls away. When he returns, renewal and hope also is ushered in. 

Each solstice is a deep profound check point in the year, and it is a great period to give thought to your own life with a six-month check-in. What is wishing to be born and what is dying? What have you grown and what will you compost? Are you holding on to nostalgia that keeps you stunted in your own progress? How will you prepare for the coming darkness, what will you harvest and what should you let fall away? These are the questions to consider, even journal, as the Sun reaches its apex on June 21. The solar portal once again opens up and the gods reach down to touch each of our lives.