Winter Solstice

Only in Dark the Light, or Happy Summer Solstice!

Image of Loki Killing Baldr, illustration from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript. Click image for original link and citation.

Happy Summer Solstice! I’m sure most of you know that the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky. For the purposes of this blog post, I’ll offer some interpretive insights as to how you might act on this yearly phenomenon. But briefly, I must talk a little bit about the mechanics and Norse mythology of the Summer Solstice. Simply put, the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere when there is the most light. However, the solstice is simultaneously the beginning in the decline in the amount of light and the lowering of the Sun’s height in the sky along with being the “high point” of the year in terms of light and height. If you look at the image above, it depicts the death of Baldr, Norse god of light, by Hodr, Norse god of darkness who’s literally guided by Loki, god of mischief, to wield a spear made of mistletoe, the symbol of the winter solstice (Hodr is blind and needs help to commit the murder). There’s much more to the myth, which is easily looked up, but the main point is the celebrated high point of the Summer Solstice must invariably begin turning to darkness and ultimately reach its metaphoric nadir on the Winter Solstice. This makes easy literal sense as the aforementioned mistletoe is the symbol of the Winter Solstice, so by killing Baldr’s “light” with winter’s mistletoe, Hodr’s “darkness” can begin to emerge. This myth was important in Norse mythology because in the higher latitudes where these stories were developed, the warmer months were more easily handled than the winter months .

I write this because there is all too often the temptation to hold onto a “high” and resist letting go towards an inevitable decline. In fact, the basic rise, culmination, and setting of the daily motion of the planetary bodies symbolize this. Whenever a planet reaches its highest point, the meridian, it must fall. So, back to the question that is most relevant to you—what should you do? Funny enough, I recommend looking back to May 2021 around the 8th and the 9th. This can give you a clue as to what might have cracked and caused a death of sorts. This can indicate something you might have been trying to hold onto that needed to go. For those who know astrology, this is because Mercury (the trickster god who is like Loki who can cause the trouble) is now at that same degree (7 Gemini) on this Summer Solstice. For me personally at that time, I was on a kind of working vacation where I was studying for an astrology course I was enrolled in. It was challenging, but worth it. However, I’m now more focused on applied astrology rather than theory. This leaves me more time to help you! So feel free to click the link below and book your astrology reading. Happy Summer Solstice, and as you’re celebrating, don’t be afraid to let go of the light. Remember, as the great writer Ursula K. Le Guin once wrote in the opening pages of A Wizard of Earthsea (available for purchase below), “only in dark the light”. Thanks for reading, and for your support. Your tips and wishes (make a wish for yourself below) help keep all this going.

Star Love Podcast Season 2 Episode 1 Featuring Astrologer Janet Booth

J Booth portrait low res.jpg

Janet Booth

The Astrologer Who Helps You “Plan-It”!

For the opening episode of the second season of the Star Love Podcast, we welcome astrologer Janet Booth! I met Janet through my involvement with the Astrological Society of Connecticut, and we’ve kept up the connection ever since. We discuss her soon to be famous “Libra” shirt, our mutual love of Connecticut pizza, her business background, and the unique astrological techniques she employs in her work. The majority of the interview is spent exploring the transits of 2020 into 2021 and how you can apply these energies for your sun and/or rising sign.

This episode was recorded June 17, 2020. Please rate us on Apple Podcasts, and if you’re interested in sponsoring a future podcast, email Inner Makeup business manager James. To make a wish for yourself and support the continued production of the Star Love Podcast, click here.

Time Stamps for Time Keepers

0-6:07 Introduction

6:08-9:57 Janet’s career working in business administration and then astrology

9:58-11:56 The inspiration behind Janet’s website Astrology Booth

11:57-14:24 Janet’s and my mutual love of Connecticut style pizza

14:25-19:19 Janet’s unique approach to astrology

19:20-24:49 Astrology and the pandemic

24:50-28:42 Human nature and astrology

28:43-36:44 Shifting from major Capricorn transits to Aquarius transits

36:45-49:29 2020 Saturn Jupiter conjunction and recommendations for each sign

49:30-54:04 Mercury Retrograde

54:05-57:39 Janet’s famous “Plan-its” and how one can use the moon phases

57:40-end The planetary body Eris and closing remarks

Links and Other Resources

Visit Janet’s website, astrologybooth.com for a plethora of free content, including resources for 2021, free downloadable pdf’s with ratings for each day, a best and worst days list, and a retrograde bar chart called “On a Page”. You can also sign up on the footer of any page on astrologybooth.com to receive free occasional newsletters and free morning messages with the day's rating describing what the day might be like or how to utilize the planets' energies.

Here is a link to the article about Ceres, Pluto, and Eris mentioned on the podcast.

Tis the Season of Turning Points

Original https://tinyurl.com/wtzm6sf wishingmoon.com This article was originally published in Ambush Magazine.

As you’re reading this column your mind will be occupied by the goings on of the season. Religious rites coloring different times of the year find their footing in the seasons. For example the hopeful moment of the birth of Christ on the darkest day of the year finds expression in the cardinal turn of the winter solstice. Cardinal, turning points are the screws upon which the world and our lives spin. The Greek word tropos means turn and is the origin of the word tropical. Maybe you just need to get the hell out of town and go on a vacation! Western Astrology based on the tropical zodiac, the zodiac embodying the turning of the seasons, has something to say about this season and you might want to stick around. I believe the gift of this year is the gift of family. Regardless how far one wanders family ancestry is never far behind. Your deep emotional connection to past origins emerges and when you explore this terrain, you make gains. Family interactions bring up issues of identity because how you’re known to the world and how your aunt knows you are two very different things. You are likely to have more of a vested interest in the former. The trick is not to be stubborn about this. It is actually an opportune moment as tropos is also the root of the word opportune meaning this is where you can take bold action and triumph when the gift of family presents itself. This is not a material, conspicuous gift but a gift that gives personal gratification namely in the form of love and nurturance from irritating family members. Do not drink too much as you’ll find moderate sobriety provides the healing you’ve been seeking. When you’re given the chance to let go of your idealized self for the person your family knows you by, realize this is a gift in disguise even if it leads you straight into your grandmother pulling at your ear, gushing over just how much you’ve grown.   

Aries: March 21 - April 19 

More than any sign this season, you make gains with your family, especially your father or paternal-like energy. This is helpful for you but you have to let some past incidents go. You’ll find that by balancing some of the tension with family, the other sectors of your life light up.  

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Your family gets entangled with your romantic life and children. This is going to take a little bit of juggling as it’s ironically hard to find love amongst family drama and the needs of your kids. The “kids” can also be your creative projects or creative babies. Communication is key here and this is where you make gains. Protecting yourself regardless of the outcome and emphasizing your thoughts as opposed to deeply held beliefs.

Gemini: May 21- June 20

Don’t be afraid to look into the family finances this holiday season. Proceed with caution and diplomacy, but there are massive changes occurring in the structures of the wills being written. You’ll find that dealing with the demons of inheritances and family trusts provides you will some long term psychic relief while ultimately padding your own checkbook. 

Cancer: June 21 - July 22

Siblings come to the fore for you this holiday season. You also make gains in relationships and friends, but you lose some partners along the way. This is surprising but choosing the company you keep allows you to progress personally.  

Leo: July 23 - August 22

You’re feeling a bit snooty about your money. This is related to your mother and her past sacrifices she made to get you where you are. However, the psychological challenge is to let this attitude go and receive the gift you’ve been given. Money is only as good as the current along which you spend it. Spend it wisely and don’t worry about its literal worth. 

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Out of all the signs, you yourself are most deeply connected with your family this season. This is very feminine, maternal, changeable energy that is related to your past. There are great gains to be made here amongst friends and family but only if you juggle these intense feelings and realize they are part of the larger picture as you move into the future. Let go of your criticisms and pretensions. 

Libra: September 23 - October 22

The male head of the family is strong this holiday season, and you do best to go with him. A rich, dark son will seek to overthrow him, and might succeed in doing so, but stick with the elder. He will need your help even though he might not realize it. Help this modern King Lear pick the right child this time around. 

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21  

You’re generally in a very powerful position through the end of the year into 2020 and then again in spring. Be careful though not to get in fights with coworkers or siblings during those respective times. You do best when you apply power judiciously. If you don’t, you end up scorching the path for all those around. 

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

You’re feeling very proud of your career, and so is your mother. However you believe in yourself so strongly that you don’t see the bigger picture of your finances. Glory is great, but cash is king. Make sure your thinking is clear about the realities of the money related to your work life or you might be headed for a wrong turn that grounds you out. 

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

For the next year, you’ll be juggling a lot of things as you bounce from one area of your life to the next, but this season, focus on the love that your family can give. This really provides something spiritually for you, and you might all even decide to take a trip together. If not, at least connect philosophy about what y’all believe and get to the core of who you really are as a family. 

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

It’s critical that you take your time during this holiday season. We can’t escape the time in which we inhabit in this dimension, and as Aquarius your head is usually in the future. Your father or paternal energy is reemphasized this season, and you do best to ground yourself out a bit, coming down to earth and putting your futuristic visions on hold. You’ll be surprised what happens when you get your head out of the clouds. 

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

This holiday season, you are able to make gains creatively, romantically, and with children. With friends, not so much. With things going so well, your partner feels a bit cocky. You do best not to get emotionally tied up with that feeling and let things going spiritually. When you let things go, magic happens.  

Astrology was originally understood as omens, prophecies, and oracles. Whenever you go to a psychic, tarot reader, or astrologer like me, you’re engaging with the possibilities of the future. But modern astrology is also the alignment of the heavens at your moment of birth that serves as the signature of your personality. This combination of your star chart and sun sign—Aries, Taurus, etc.—and the usage of that tool to divine the future is here for your taking. Astrology offers the LGBTQ community a chance to reclaim a space lost to modern science and religion. Ancient pagan cultures venerated divination and celebrated what we now recognize as modern gay elements. These horoscopes are for your entertainment, so let’s start the party that will take us to the stars!