Summer Solstice 2017 came during the waning phase of the moon and was followed very quickly by Dark Moon. The surge of light, joy and excitement at the glorious hot sunny Solstice gave way to a strong, internal, emotional pull and purge (or perhaps simply as a need to rest) as the universe prepared us for a powerful SuperNew Moon in Cancer on the 24th June.
Dark Moons are about releasing what no longer serves us, about facing the shadow and turning within to heal before the outward moving energy returns at New Moon. The Dark Moon can be a peaceful time of rest and recharge, but if we have emotional issues/baggage/wounds relating to whichever part of the consciousness that the moon is currently triggering, this can be a tough time. It’s important to remember we all have issues, they just appear (for clearing) at different times for different people. We can help the process, ease our experience of it, by allowing it, accepting it, even welcoming it. As always, the deeper we go into our pain and darkness the more of it we can clear out of our energy fields. As Spring energy ends we get the chance for a final Spring clean, of mind, body and soul, ready for whatever the Summer will bring.
For Summer has just begun. The Solstices are turning points that bring us into Summer in June and Winter in December, just as the Equinoxes open the doors to Spring and Autumn. The popular name often going around at Solstice is ‘Midsummer’, which is a hangover from Norse cultures where there were really only two seasons in the year. Shakespeare has a lot to answer for. By associating Solstice with Midsummer we are telling our subconscious that the most outgoing, playful, hot and sexy season of the year is already half done. For most of us that is not a cheering thought, and i recommend replacing it with a strong affirmation that SUMMER STARTS HERE – for 3 months now, through the astrological months of Cancer, Leo and Virgo, we get to be Summer babies. This is the season to express, to explore, to play and discover, to commune with and attune to nature, to be out in the world, being all of who we are. The time to turn within, to repair and realign the self, will come again soon enough.
“The New Moon in Cancer is a good time to commit to personal goals that express the positive energies of the sign of the Crab. These include honoring our deepest, most irrational and intimate, feelings; recognizing the sense of security and safety we derive from whatever it is we call home; allowing ourselves to accept support and offering support to others; and starting a project aimed at improving our domestic lives or a major long-term venture. With this potent Cancer energy, we have the chance to make important changes in our lives that will benefit us well beyond this Moon cycle.” cafeastrology.com
A major influence on our journeys through Summer 2017 is going to be retrograde Neptune. The ruling planet of Pisces, who influences our spiritual well-being, began his retrograde motion just before the Solstice, on June 16th, and it will continue until November. This retrograde energy is said to bring a wake up call that can prompt big changes in our lives – it gets us in touch with what is really important to us, enables us to cut out the fantasies, stop ignoring life issues (such as bad relationships or debts), and make clear plans for our future.
This Summer follows the challenges of an intense Winter/Spring season, the turmoil has been manifesting in the bigger global picture as well as in individual lives. The year of the Fire Rooster is living up to its reputation. Solstice was heralded by many as the entrance into light and expansion, into better and easier times, but then came along the punch of Dark Moon which will have probably disillusioned many already. The thing to hang on to is that we have to go into our dark places, our wounds and issues, in order to go beyond them. The astrology of the start of Summer has been pushing us to do just that – and a season of growth, light and discovery has now truly begun.
Solstice Sunrise at Glastonbury Festival site
This summer will see the gathering together of emerging healers, lightworkers, spiritual warriors of all kinds, for many it will boost the growth of the idea that we are Spirit on a journey to revelation and liberation and it will deepen connections between people that will enable that journey to become more conscious, more visible – and more central to our lives. At festivals and other events people will experience community, connection and communion in new and exciting ways – the Spirit has prepared us for a leap into new awareness and a brighter vision of our existence. Are you ready to leap? We may have to leave our comfort zones for this to happen, relinquish some attachments and unhelpful beliefs. We will certainly have to open our minds to new ideas, our hearts to new people and possibilities, but the thing to remember is – that is the path. The shadow work will continue at times, but the focus for the coming months will be on the light of who we are, the light of spirit, the positive potential in humanity as we make the shift from the confusing and conflicted Age of Pisces into the possibilities of the age of Aquarius.
A Summer of Evolution starts here. In 2017 we commemorate 50 years since the first Summer of Love, 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in the UK (and also 100 years since the Russian Revolution). As we honour these big shifts in human history we can become more aware of the transformation we are currently going through. This is a time of change, and it helps to remind ourselves that we have all the resources we need inside ourselves to embrace it and evolve. In order to really enjoy this ride of transformation we need a sense of the bigger picture, a sense of belonging and a belief in our own soul and the positive growth we are undergoing. To get this we need good relationship with ourselves, with nature and with other people. As we enter Summer the Cancer SuperNew Moon is offering the opportunity to affirm these things and set our sights on the most positive and affirming vision of ourselves, and of life itself, that we can.
Solstice Sunrise at Stonehenge
I will be co-hosting a workshop on the transformations we are living through, plus a performance about the role of queer beings in this time at QUEER SPIRIT FESTIVAL, happening in Wiltshire, UK 26-30 July 2017. www.queerspirit.net
shokti 