Solstice Greetings
Greetings of the December (Southern) Solstice, which is the time that the Earth’s north pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun, and the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the northern sky.
Today at 21:48 UTC, the Sun will be at 270° ecliptic longitude, and will enter the sign of Capricorn, the cardinal sign of Earth. In the Continental U.S., this will occur tomorrow at 1:48 PM PST for those of us on the West Coast and 4:48 PM EST for those on the East Coast.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is also the Winter Solstice, when the period of daylight has reached its shortest and the period of night has reached its longest extent of the year. The Winter Solstice thus represents the point at which the period of daylight in the diurnal cycle begins to increase. Since prehistoric times, the Winter Solstice has been celebrated, in one way or another, as the return or rebirth of the Light of the Sun.
“Each element — fire, earth, air, water, and Spirit — possesses its own Nature, Will, and Magical Formula. Each one may then have its appropriate ritual. Many such in crude form are described in The Golden Bough of Dr. J.G. Frazer, the Glory of Trinity!
“In particular the entry of the Sun into the cardinal signs of the elements at the Equinoxes and Solstices are suitable for festivals.
“The difference between ‘rituals’ and ‘feasts’ is this: by the one a particular form of energy is generated, while there is a general discharge of one’s superfluous force in the other. Yet a feast implies periodical nourishment.”
Crowley: New Commentary on AL II:36: “There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times.”
