Summer Solstice 2017

Mermaid Rock by Ashlee Ray

IMAGE NOTE:  I found this art by Ashlee Ray and knew it was perfect for this year’s Solstice post.  Mermaids always resonate to the Sun entering watery Cancer and this mermaid has attitude too! She’s out of the water, and as her bright colors and sayings suggest, she’s tapping into the type of fire sign energy at the Solstice. You can find more of Ashlee’s work at ArtbyAshleeRay

Summer Solstice arrives this year arrives on June 20th at 9:24 p, Pacific time, and on June 21st at 12:24 a Eastern time, 4:24 a UT  – Winter Solstice for those in the Southern Hemisphere arrives on June 21st at 2:24 p AET.

 

The June Solstice is the moment each year when the Sun enters Cancer and is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. EarthSky always has good Solstice info as does Farmer’s Almanac. And here’s a slide show of Summer Solstice celebrations around the world in case you’d like to join in.

 

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

 

A bit of astrology 101: when you cast an event chart like the Solstice, the planets will always be at the exact same degrees no matter where you live, but the Rising Sign/Ascendant shifts according to the location. For example the Solstice chart for London has the ascendant at 24* Gemini, and for San Francisco it is 13* Capricorn.

I cast the Solstice cast for Washington DC, the foggy bottom capital city of the US,  because it’s foggier than usual, and at the Solstice moment misty Pisces is rising in the DC chart along with nebulous Neptune very near the ascendant and Wounded Healer Chiron not far behind. This means we can count on more obscure murkiness oozing out of the US political scene over the Summer.

 

Summer Solstice 2017

 

The Solstice chart is the birth chart for this new season and indicates trends we can expect. As always the solstice moment is the exact time the Sun enters Cancer every year.  This year Mars also travels in Cancer swimming like Michael Phelps churning through this watery sign. Last year Mars was retrograde in steamy Scorpio stirring up deep angry waters, while Cancerian waters are loving and healing. A nice shift!

At the Solstice Mars reaches out to satellite dish Neptune trying to tune into Neptune’s Piscean message of One Love, but since Neptune is retrograde now, all Mars gets is Neptunian fuzz. The USA, born on July 4th has Sun, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in Cancer all of which are triggered by Mars in the Solstice chart so expect the US to be a center of confused messaging this Summer.

Adding to the confused message concept is communicator Mercury at the very last degree of air sign Gemini, the sign he rules.  Last degrees are considered ‘charged’ and Mercury is charged up with all the news whirling around lately. The recent mixed-message election in the UK, political run-offs imminent in the US, members of Congress get shot at playing baseball, while President Trump unleashes more Twitter tirades (Mercury and Gemini rule Twitter btw). Mercury must be dizzy from it all! Since he is at this potent degree at the Solstice and forms a tense square to Chiron, expect more off balanced messages (and Trump Twitter Twirling) throughout the season.

Moon in the Solstice chart equates to the public’s mood, while Venus indicates social values. The Solstice Moon is in earthy Taurus the sign in which she is exalted. Venus rules Taurus and Venus herself is in Taurus traveling next to the exalted Moon. This lovely and loving duo reach out to transformer Pluto in fellow earth sign Capricorn. Venus and the Moon represent feminine energy and this welcoming hand to Pluto indicates their willingness to help transform in positive ways.

The movie Wonder Woman was recently released and reaches many European countries a few days before the Solstice and is archetypal of this Venus/Moon to Pluto connection. The movie portrays incredibly powerful female role models, especially Wonder Woman herself, and the film set records for the biggest domestic opening for a female director (Patty Jenkins) too.  Frankly it blew me away! Definitely one for the big screen. I was heartened by the idea that so many younger girls and women who see it will have these powerful females as role models. I see this as Venus and the Moon in action! It’s no cosmic coincidence that Wonder Woman is a summer blockbuster this year. Even Mars in Cancer now, which rules women and children, plays into this theme. P.S. if you see the movie, remember that Mars the god of war, is known as Ares in Greek mythology.

 

Huge Jupiter who recently turned direct maintains his position in airy Libra, the other sign ruled by Venus. Libra rules peace, love and diplomacy, qualities which seem elusive in our current contentious times, and in fact both Mars and Pluto form a T-square to Jupiter, rather like a hangman’s gallows where Jupiter swings helpless to act. However, you can never count Jupiter out, with his mighty strength he could swing up to the top of the T and take the whole platform with him! Will peace and love still save the day?! (Ask Wonder Woman what she thinks about that.)

Saturn in fiery Sagittarius is still near the Galactic Center in the Solstice chart and change-agent Uranus is in fellow fire sign Aries sending a sparky beam to Saturn attempting to light up the connection to the GC.  It’s difficult now because Saturn is moving in reverse, but that’s not keeping Uranus from trying.  At the same time Uranus forms another angle to the karmic North Node in the 3rd fire sign of Leo and together with Saturn they form a powerful Grand Fire Trine. That’s one of the reasons I choose the Mermaid image for this Solstice issue.  This mermaid may be a creature of the water, but she’s got some fire in her too!

Saturn turns direct later in the season (on 8/25) just after the total Solar Eclipse of August 21st at 28* Leo which vibrates directly to this Grand Fire Trine at the Solstice. When Saturn wakes up, he’ll remember the message Uranus was sending and once again lead us toward restructuring the world from a higher dimensional perspective, and if we use this energy well we’ll be building a new and better future on the best platform ever in human history. May it be so!

What does this mean for you personally? The most positive use of the Solstice energies is to let the fiery energy inspire you to be more creative in everything you do, whether it’s sweeping the floor or painting your masterpiece, and have more fearless fun too! The airy energy plays well with fire and helps communication stay on track, especially when you remember to stay focused. This easier to do when you blend in the grounded, sweet earth element.  The watery energy is a beautiful healing force, so schedule some bodywork sessions while you’re at the beach. Just be aware not to steam up the fire by taking things too personally, especially when it involves family.

So the outside world may be dizzy, confused and too hot to handle this season, but if you use the Solstice energy well your personal world will be full of fun, healing energy with practical solutions at hand to help you transform your own life in positive ways. Here’s wishing you all that and more. Happy Solstice everyone!