IMAGES COPYRIGHT : WIKIPEDIA
In a world of endless light and brightness , it might seem quaint and archaic to pay much attention to solar ( sun-related ) cycles . After all , electrical lighting has been a way of life for us for a long time , providing us with flip-of-a-switch levels of light that used to be the sole preserve of the sun .
And yet , ancient traditions , symbols and subtle planetary energy shifts continue to play an important , albeit often secret , or hidden role in our modern lives . Look at what happened to the Winter Solstice . Celebrated with great reverence and revelry for thousands of years in the Northern Hemisphere ; it has merged — some would say morphed-- into the celebration of the Son ( Sun ) of God ’ s birthday , more popularly known as Christmas . Ask modern retailers how important Christmas is to them .
The Summer Solstice is the time when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator . This year ’ s Summer Solstice will take place on June 21 . The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year ; the day when the sun ’ s energy is strongest . Within 24 hours of the Summer Solstice , the sun ’ s energy begins to weaken , however , and the days begin to grow shorter and darker until the Winter Solstice around December 20 or December 21 , at which time the sun ’ s energy is “ reborn ” and begins to increase in strength daily as the days lengthen for the next six months .
The cycle of the physical sun ’ s birth and death is just one of the cycles and associations that is linked to the solstices . The word solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium , derived from sol ( sun ) and stitium ( to stop ).
There is a tradition that began early in Christianity and that continues mostly in esoteric philosophies today that depicts Christ as the Spiritual Sun , the illuminator of the soul , the light of God , the source of order , and the giver of life . According to this tradition , the Summer Solstice corresponds to the death of Jesus , just as the Winter Solstice corresponds to the birth of Jesus .
The human life cycle of birth , youth , maturity , old age and death has been correlated with the sun ’ s daily cycle . The sun rises in the east ( the direction the wise men came from to honor Jesus at his birth ) and symbolizes human birth . It moves clockwise to the south , which represents human maturity / adult phase and then proceeds to the west , where it sets , and represents human aging and death . This is the part of the human life cycle that correlates to the Summer Solstice . The north represents the darkness of the womb during the nine months of gestation prior to the physical birth of a human being .
Midsummer is considered to be the time on or around the Summer Solstice ( June 21 through June 24 ) that has a rich European history of customs and celebrations , both Christian and pre-Christian ( Pagan ). Midsummer is especially important in Scandinavia , Finland and the Baltics , where it is the most important holy day / holiday other than Christmas .
One of the best known of these Midsummer celebrations in the Christian era is the June 24 celebration of the Nativity of St . John the Baptist . It is actually a public holiday in Quebec and is a high ranking liturgical feast in the Roman Catholic , Anglican and Lutheran traditions . St . John ’ s day is also one of the two most important days celebrated in the Masonic traditions of Freemasonry . In some parts of the world , St . John ’ s Eve fires are burned on June 24 . These have obvious links with Pagan Midsummer celebrations .
Summer Solstice and Midsummer folklore and folk traditions abound . I share just one of them in this article . One of the names given to the moon of Midsummer ( which always falls in June ) is the Honey Moon . This is because at that time of year in Europe , beehives were bursting with honey , which was gathered and fermented to create an alcoholic beverage called mead . Mead was the beverage of choice for wedding parties and was rumored to be an aphrodisiac .
CYNTHIA KITELEY LEE
Certified Spiritual Therapist , Usui Reiki , Angel , Non- Traditional Energy Healer , Psychic and Oracle Card Reader .
Cynthia Kiteley Lee is the founder of the Mystical Order of the White Rose , an online multifaith community of mystics , monastics , artists , and contemplatives . http :// www . mysticalwhiterose . com She has an M . A . in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas , and recently retired from a career in history museum management . She can be contacted at : mysticalwhiterose @ gmail . com
www . cheekyangelsmagazine . webs . com MAY / JUNE 2013 31