First point of Cancer and first point of Capricorn refer to the astrological signs that the sun "is entering" (a system rooted in Roman Classical period dates). [21] Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the constellations the sun appears in at solstices are currently Taurus in June and Sagittarius in December.

Hugh, Thurston (2001). "Early Greek Solstices and Equinoxes". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 32, Part 2 (107): 154–156. Bibcode: 2001JHA....32..154T. doi: 10.1177/002182860103200208. ISSN 0021-8286. S2CID 118464897. The Explore Deeply Movement was established in 2010, for those of us who feel a call to something greater than our current experiences, though we may not know why. In the days leading up to the summer solstice, the ancient Romans celebrated Vestalia, a religious festival in honor of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. During Vestalia, married women could enter the temple of Vesta and leave offerings to the goddess in exchange for blessings for their families.Ready to elevate your spiritual journey? Immerse yourself in the premium meditations and angelic activations inside of the Angel Solution Membership. The light of the Sun begins a new solar cycle at Winter Solstice. The rays shine into the dark, and nurture the newborn life there to be cultivated. This is mirrored in nature and the nature of life all around us, as the seeds are buried in the darkness of the Earth they emerge once again with the life-giving rays of the Sun.

Macphail, Cameron (20 December 2015). "Winter solstice 2015: Everything you need to know about the shortest day of the year". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015 . Retrieved 20 December 2015.If you are doing this ritual during the winter solstice, think about those things you would like to remove from your life, focusing more on what you want to release so you can then begin to move towards what you want in the spring. Enjoy simply being, breathing, and reflecting on the qualities of the light. Begin to tune into the vast supply of light around you, as well as the light that you carry within at all times. These occur twice a year and are referred to as the 'summer solstice' and 'winter solstice'. The summer solstice, which occurs around the 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere, is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight while the winter solstice, on or around the 21 December in the Northern Hemisphere,is the day with the shortest period of daylight. The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the longest day to the shortest one. Times that occur the next day (21 June) are marked with +. Midsummer's Day occurs annually on 24 June and is one of the four Quarter Days in the UK Legal Calendar. The other Quarter Days are Lady Day (25 March), Michaelmas (29 September) and Christmas Day (25 December). Why isn’t the Summer Solstice in the middle of summer?

The term heliacal circle is used for the ecliptic, which is in the center of the zodiacal circle, conceived as a band including the noted constellations named on mythical themes. Other authors use Zodiac to mean ecliptic, which first appears in a gloss of unknown author in a passage of Cleomedes where he is explaining that the Moon is in the zodiacal circle as well and periodically crosses the path of the Sun. As some of these crossings represent eclipses of the Moon, the path of the Sun is given a synonym, the ekleiptikos (kuklos) from ekleipsis, "eclipse". Don’t pressure yourself to make changes right now or be in action in world … let the energies of new life and inspiration build slowly within you and by spring you’ll be bursting with new energy and ideas. This is the nature of things… the cycles and rhythms of personal growth and change, as you consistently nurture yourself with compassion, allowing for rest and reflection, great joy will be your harvest in 2023. Each year on and around the Solstice a beautiful energetic spike and opening to the higher realms of spirit is created. This is due to the Earth's alignment with the Great Central Sun, the Galactic Center… They're powerful points in time to celebrate the light, honor your path, consciously expand, and harmonize with the highest possibilities for your life. Iranian people celebrate the night of the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice as, " Yalda night", which is known to be the "longest and darkest night of the year". Yalda night celebration, or as some call it "Shabe Chelleh" ("the 40th night"), is one of the oldest Iranian traditions that has been present in Persian culture from ancient times. In this night all the family gather together, usually at the house of the eldest, and celebrate it by eating, drinking and reciting poetry (esp. Hafez). Nuts, pomegranates and watermelons are particularly served during this festival.

Our stories

Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. The ecliptic: the plane in which the Earth and most of the other planets orbit around the Sun over a year The globe on an equirectangular projection to show the amount of reflected sunlight at southern and northern summer solstices, respectively (watts / m 2). Makar Sankranti ( India): Harvest Festival – Marks the end of the cold months and start of the new Month with longer days. Next face the North. We can tell the direction of North by the North star. It’s a direction of stability, wisdom, protection, and our ancestors. Tune into the light of Archangel Uriel here.