INTROSPECTION AND PERSPECTIVE AT THE SOLSTICE
Jupiter’s Introspection
Summer solstice 2021 very appropriately sees Jupiter stationing retrograde, meaning he appears to be moving backward from our geocentric point of view. When travellers turn retrograde, their energies turn inward. As a traveller of philosophy and spiritual tradition, this makes Jupiter’s retrograde a time of philosophical and spiritual introspection. Furthermore, as a representation of the Sun’s Light (also known as the Oak King), Jupiter’s retrograde also aligns with the solstice’s peak of power and light now turning inward; the days grow shorter and the shadows longer.
While this may initially seem like a depressing or negative point, the particular alignment of both the sun and the moon to Jupiter when he makes this transition is very harmonious. Plus, Jupiter is in Pisces (sign of mysticism, spirituality, and transcendence) when this happens, which is a sign in which Jupiter is empowered. Couple all that with the sun’s natural pause and solstice 2021 is actually a very auspicious time for introspection and social consideration. Let your thoughts wander to ideals, hope, overcoming separateness, and – as John Lennon encouraged – just imagine.
*John Lennon, by the way, was born with Jupiter retrograde in his first chamber, within the orb of a Great Conjunction. Social consideration, introspection, and revolution (Uranus is also in his first chamber) were his calling.*
Sun & Earth Perspective
Since the winter solstice we’ve been following the relationship between the sun and the earth – the God and Goddess respectively – as they travel through the zodiac. In case it hasn’t been obvious, these travellers are always in opposition, meaning they occupy opposing signs (Capricorn/Cancer, Aquarius/Leo, etc…) to maintain a constant balance of energies as the Wheel of the Year turns.
Given we live on the earth, it may be hard to conceptualize the earth in the context of the zodiac. After all, the zodiac is the cosmic path the travellers follow around the earth. So, if the earth is at the centre, how can it also be in the zodiac?
The answer to that requires us to employ a highly underused human ability: considering another’s perspective. In this case, we are looking at the earth from the sun’s perspective, meaning a heliocentric chart (as opposed to the usual geocentric chart). When we put the sun at the centre of the chart, the earth’s position is made visible in the sign opposite the sun’s position in the geocentric chart.
From the God’s perspective, the summer solstice is when the Goddess is in Capricorn, home to Saturn (Jupiter’s counterpart), the Holly King and Shadow. The Sun God knows from this point forward his days will get shorter as the shadows get longer.
From the Goddess’s – and our – perspective here on earth, the God has reached his peak in Cancer. He is the seed in the womb from which all life grows. We experience his warmth and vitality with the summer in full bloom.
The sun illuminates the Goddess’s position and through the earth the God sees his role reflected back to him. Like human relationships, it is often through another that we come to know ourselves. When Copernicus finally dragged humanity out of its “ego–“ er, I mean “geo–“ centric way of life, he not only opened the way to a broader understanding of the universe, but also forced a shift in perspective as we reconsidered our place in it.