Time to Reveal at Summer Solstice
Dear Reader,
I hope this finds you well!
I'm writing to you on a warm, sunny day. Swifts are flying low and calling loudly, the ash tree outside my window is in full leaf, sunflowers are beginning to open their heads, and the Sun is standing high in the sky. Summer is afoot!
With the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter in Gemini, life has been feeling lighter, more playful, connected, and creatively stimulating these past few weeks. My heart is still sparkling after a weekend writing retreat with Ricarda Kiel and Kathrin Bach, which gave me so much joy, I didn't want it to end.
What are you noticing in your surroundings?
How are you coming into summer?
When the Sun stands still
The end of June features a major seasonal turning point in the yearly cycle of the Sun. At Summer Solstice, the Sun enters the sign of Cancer in the tropical zodiac and marks the exact midpoint between the Spring and Fall Equinoxes and the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This year, the precise moment that the Sun passes through the Solstice portal is June 20, 10:51 p.m. Central European Time (convert to your local time).
For the past six months, the Sun has been traveling on a northerly course in the sky. At Summer Solstice, halfway through the year, it reaches its highest point and appears to stand still for several days before and after the moment of Solstice, before reversing direction and beginning to move south again. We're in a moment of stillness and reflection, invited to pause, listen, and notice what needs our attention and care as we begin the second half of the year.
Summer Solstice is the 'Full Moon' and 'midday' of the year when the light is in its fullest expression. Tracing its longest arc across the sky, the Sun is bringing us the longest day of the year, preceded by our earliest sunrises and followed by our latest sunsets. It's the time of year when the Earth is bowing down to the Sun in gratitude and respect, and we're joining in thanksgiving for the generous, life-giving warmth and light of our home star.
Here where I live, in the middle of Germany, the Sun rises at 4:57 in the morning and sets at 9:29 in the evening, making the day of Summer Solstice 16 hours, 31 minutes, and 27 seconds long, which is an astounding 8 hours, 35 minutes and 29 seconds longer than the day at Winter Solstice. Look up your own location if you're curious.
Thank heaven there's a zodiac sign that isn't afraid to feel!
Cancer, the Crab, is a cardinal water sign, belonging to the Moon, and signifies a season of initiating emotional connection. Soft, sensitive Cancer gives us permission to be feeling creatures first, and reminds us of the beauty of having needs and showing genuine emotion.
Just as we need physical sustenance, we need emotional sustenance. We need to feel embraced, loved, comforted, and cared for. We need reassurance that everything will be okay. We need to know that we are lovable, that we carry love in our own hearts, and that our love and care are welcome.
Cancer is the nurturer of the zodiac and helps us sense what's happening inside of us, how we're really feeling, and what it is that we really need from one moment to the next. Cancer teaches us how to listen to our own intuition, honor our sensitivity, and follow our hearts when it comes to caring for ourselves and each other.
Recognize, allow, investigate, and nurture
A beautiful practice of bringing care and compassion to our inner lives can be found in Tara Brach's RAIN meditation. RAIN stands for recognizing what is happening; allowing the experience to be there, just as it is; investigating with interest and curiosity; and nurturing with self-compassion.
With her Moon in Cancer, Tara guides us to bring mindfulness to our feelings, affirm belonging and care, and turn towards love. Regardless of whether or not we have planets in Cancer ourselves, we all have Cancer somewhere in our birth charts and share the capacity for awakening our hearts.
Tara's Gemini placements, Mars and Jupiter, on the other hand, reflect her sense of curiosity and humor. In her talks, she often tells jokes and shares funny stories to lighten the mood and make our practice more enjoyable. Her light-hearted and playful tone might vibe especially well with us during Jupiter's year-long transit through Gemini until June next year.
Gentle giants
When it comes to supporting sensitivity, I've found a trusted friend in chamomile, whose delicate flowers I like to prepare as a warm tea or cold overnight infusion. Chamomile is the mother amongst the plants and has a connection to the Moon and Cancer. She's a great comforter, invoking calm and helping us feel held and cared for.
I also like adding a few leaves of lemon balm, who is another one of my favorite herbs, growing on my balcony this summer. Its delightful, uplifting citrusy scent is a balm for the soul. Like chamomile, lemon balm is deeply relaxing and soothing and helps us find contentment. I love them both for Cancer season and Jupiter's passage through Gemini alike. They help us care, calm, and deepen connection.
What this time is good for:
Working in the garden, laying in the grass, earthing, growing things, swimming, taking care of others, getting together with loved ones, making flower wreaths, picnics in the park, bonfires, rituals to celebrate the light, rising with the Sun, gathering sunlight, reflection, journaling
Opening the flow of communication with Venus and Mercury
At Summer Solstice, the Sun is traveling with Venus and Mercury in Cancer, giving us a way with words to communicate how we feel and what we need in relationships, including our own relationship with ourselves. As summer unfolds, feelings will be on our minds and in our hearts, ready to be explored and expressed with curiosity and care.
Mercury and Venus are moving through their hidden phases where they are too close to the Sun to be visible in the sky. Later this summer, they will reemerge as evening stars, gracing our sky. Until then, something new is simmering behind the scenes when it comes to our relationships, creative lives, and communications, gradually emerging into our awareness and lives.
The Sun, Venus, and Mercury are applying to a supportive sextile with Mars in Taurus, who is helping us to enact new ways of caring for ourselves and each other, follow what feels good, show how much we care, and strengthen our connections.
Feeling through the fog with Neptune
The Sun is separating from a square with Neptune, who is slowing down at the very end of Pisces, preparing to turn retrograde at the beginning of July. Neptune enhances our intuition and sensitivity, dissolves certainty, and moves us towards inner self-discovery. There's a possibility that we might temporarily feel lost, confused, or overwhelmed, needing to keep the faith and feel our way through until clarity comes.
Deepening faith with Jupiter and Saturn
The Moon, the ruler of Cancer and presiding deity of this Solstice, is in Sagittarius, well into her Waxing Gibbous phase, further amplifying the fullness of light available at Summer Solstice. This is a bright, fiery, free-spirited Moon who invites emotional honesty and invokes trust to explore where we haven't gone before.
The Moon is separating from an opposition with Jupiter in Gemini and applying to a square with Saturn in Pisces, who is standing still as it prepares to turn retrograde in Pisces later this month. While Saturn might put us to the test, Jupiter is helping us to keep the faith. We might perceive a limit to how much we're able to feel, having to decide whether or not we trust that we can, and decide whether to step back or move forward.
Horoscope for Cancer/Summer Solstice on June 20, 2024 at 10:51 p.m. CET
This Summer Solstice asks:
What makes your life sweet?
What do you care about?
What makes you feel connected?
What is growing in your life?
What needs your attention and care?
What is clear as day?
What are your wishes for summer?
I invite you to take these questions on your walk or into your journal, your dreamtime, or any other kind of creative or contemplative practice, either solo or with others. I hope they tickle you and help you weave yourself into the mysteries of summer.
Until next time...
I very much look forward to writing to you again around the time of Leo/Summer Cross-Quarter, which marks the height of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and heralds a time of fulfillment and fruition. It falls on August 7, 2:10 a.m. Central European Time this year (convert to your local time).
In the meantime, I'm wishing you a beautiful summer wherever you are.