On Monday June 21 at 1:32pm AEST the Sun moves into Cancer, bringing us to the Southern Hemisphere Winter Solstice. A magical sequential dance between the Sun and the Earth. Winter Solstice, is one of the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction. For three days around the solstice points we experience the power of the standstill point and the shift of direction. The day is shorter, and the night is longer, we experience the Sun’s rays shining through the darkness of night as we redirect our lives to plant seeds for the new.
As we follow the rhythms of nature, winter is a time we retreat, reflect and redirect our lives. During this Winter Solstice, we will have Mercury retrograde in its home sign of Gemini, and Jupiter retrograde in Pisces, its ancient home. These retrogrades reiterate the Winter Solstice, as we dive into our inner world as the outer energy feels dormant. Winter is a time when our Earth goes into rejuvenation, as the leaves fall, the day is shorter, the fresh moist earth gives us room to contemplate the last six months. We can use this energy to let go of the past, patterns, behaviours and situations, through sacred ritual to honour those experiences as wisdom keys.
Mercury retrograde in Gemini has been a powerful energy thus far. It gives us permission to not know everything, but to ask the right questions. The dual frequency of Gemini can help us understand, by sharing our needs can give rise to a more informed understanding of our world. Gemini is mutable energy, meaning it is always about change. We can change our minds, attitudes, beliefs and world if, they positively enforce our experience. Mercury represents our perception, how we see the world, how we make sense of it, how we interact and how we express ourselves. The retrograde, stations to move direct on 23 June, only 48 hours after the Solstice. As Mercury changes direction from the Earth’s perspective, we learn the freedom of choice at a macrocosm and microcosm level.
Mercury teaches us not everyone is following the same set of rules, especially as each of one of us pursues our individual pathway. This can bring up anxiety, doubt, fear and uncertainty, as our past connects us to those similar to us. This energy compliments the Solstice, as we understand our Souls yearning for this darkness, quietness which brings new inspiration and beginnings we also find courage to walk our individual path.
Jupiter retrograde in Pisces is something different. Pisces is the unconditional universal love, that is beyond the earthly plane, the omnipresence of experiences. Jupiter expands this beyond our own understanding. Jupiter is retrograde in Pisces until 28 July, moving back into Aquarius, and stations direct on 18 October. Jupiter is the great cosmic teacher, its had a tough journey over the last 18 months, travelling through Capricorn and then Aquarius along with Saturn. Jupiter felt restricted, controlled and had to hold back. His journey in Pisces was a rest bite, to gain the strength for its retrograde motion, meeting Saturn one more time.
Pisces is quite the magical, imaginative, spiritual, fantasy and disillusionment sign of the zodiac, with Jupiter it only enhances these energies. Jupiter retrograde, is pausing, making a trine to the Sun in Cancer redirecting our focus on what we need to nourish our lives, emotions and sense of home. Although Pisces can blur our sober understanding, we look at Sagittarius the depositor of Jupiter and where the South Node resides. The underlying energy reiterates blind optimism that can lead us to jump into something without thoroughly checking all the facts. We may feel the dishonesty from others but may override this feeling with high hopes and the attitude “everything is going to work out”.
Jupiter retrograde puts us on a quest to trust our inner strength and feelings when making any decisions. The subtlety of Jupiter retrograde is ‘spiritual bypassing’, using peace, love and vegetables when we feel an internal war. When we fear our own darkness, we cut ourselves off from an essential source of our own personal power, which now requires a voice.
Moon in Scorpio makes an opposition to Uranus and Ceres in Taurus, our emotional body is extremely, powerful where it feels everything in all kinds of situations. We can overreact to situations, making sudden changes when provoked. This can be good or bad. Our emotional body will feel like a rocket on fire, heightening our senses and quest for what is right and acquire these demands. As we bring the cosmic alignment into focus, we learn to understand, through our feelings, we can gain more insight to our truth. We will sense others and ourselves if we’re not being honest. Moon in Scorpio is no joke, situations can be taken to the extreme level, we can witness emotional eruptions like tsunamis, and lose ourselves in the drama. Uranus square Saturn transit is charging at us to, rise in our sacred values, which can mean going against what we thought worked.
Venus and Mars from the Suns perspective conjoin, which indicates the people who we relate with bring in the nourishment, courage and heartful lens to see us in our wholeness. If effort is required, or the balance is off, we don’t have the capacity for this superficial nonsense. It’s all in, or all out. Venus starts her opposition to Pluto, as the Moon in Scorpio squares it. This can bring some abusive, unhealthy codependent situations to the surface, through threatening or uncomfortable experiences. Jupiter retrograde, echos to our universal heart, we deserve better, brighter if you are willing to see your own strength and trust in a higher Source of consciousness.
This Winter Solstice clears our lens to what is real. The reality of our lives where Jupiter and Mercury play an important role to assist us to a higher level of maturity in our situations. Those silenced uncomfortable feelings require a platform of expression. The polite parts of ourselves may hinder our need to step deep inside. This is a time of releasing, through sacred ritual. We can make a list of gratitude of our past and then place it in the fire for releasing and inviting space for dreaming big.
The Winter Solstice is a powerful metaphor as the Sun stands still, and our Earth changes direction, we use this to shift the direction with our lives. Using powerful intentions and build on this energy, allowing ourselves to interact with maturity and discernment to create new beginners. It is important to remember after experiencing the longest night and darkest day, the nights grow shorter, the days brighter until the Summer Solstice.
Sandeep Virdi 
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