The Solstice’s have always been a special time for me. You see, I was born just a few days after the June Solstice.
When I was about 11, my Big Pa explained to me the longest and shortest days of the year. I remember feeling a bit ripped off that my birthday falls on one of the shortest days of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
About 15 years after that, I began learning astrology. I started to understand why, other than it being close to my birthday, the Solstices were so special.
The term Solstice, is Latin for sun standing still. Twice a year, in June and in December, the Sun embarks on a new direction on the ecliptic. As it does, it appears to stand still for a few days.
By now, the majority of the flurry of this time of year is all but complete. The work year, the school year and all the parties, celebrations and events in respect to the holidays. The bulk of the gifts have been bought. The family logistics are organised. All that’s left is food prep, wrapping presents, resting and reflecting and nursing food baby’s.
There’s a shift in the air now that the Solstice has arrived. The stillness invites you to reflect upon the year that has been and the year that is to come. While many may see January 1st as the beginning of the New Year, the Solstice has historically been regarded as the turning point in time.
For me, I celebrate the December Solstice as the New Year and the June Solstice as my own personal New Year (because it’s a few days before my birthday). You might like to start seeing the days and possibly weeks, leading up to your own birthday as your own personal New Year too!
Over the past several days, I’ve been deep into the astrology of 2023, in preparation for my annual year ahead event next week. One signature of 2023 that is different from recent years, is that rather than significant planetary aspects – 2020’s Saturn / Pluto conjunction and the Saturn / Uranus squares of 2021 and 2022 – we have major planetary ingresses. March is a standout month as Mars finally leaves Gemini for Cancer, Saturn enters Pisces and Pluto provides the first installment of what will become a 20 – year tour of Aquarius.
So, while you may be hearing much about this on the interwebs, you might be asking what this will mean for you? While 2023 will have its distinct motif, for some, it will play out in major ways and while for others, they may show up as barely a blip on the radar.
My favourite way to determine which planet is going to be the most influential for you in any given year, I turn to a traditional timing technique called Profections.
This means, there will be one (sometimes two) planets that will be your personal planet of each year that will change on your birthday.
For example, if you had a birthday in the past few months, the current profected planet – known as a time lord – will permeate the majority of 2023. If your next birthday doesn’t roll around until sometime in the first quarter of 2023, then the major themes of the year will become activated then.
If you’re like me, and have a birthday smack bang in the middle of the year – then you get two-time lords. Lucky us! So, in 2023, I need to keep a close eye on Jupiter and then from June, Mars becomes my guide.
I’ve written about profections and time lords before. You can learn more about the technique and figure out yours by reading this article. There’s a webinar for instant download too!
If you’d like to explore 2023 with me and work with the annual trends and how they apply to you, then you can catch the early bird rate until December 25.
I wish you Solstice Blessings now and for the year ahead x