The Summer Solstice

“Meditation is not a doing, but a happening”
The solstices and the equinoxes are the four most important festivals of the annual cycle. At these cardinal points energies are present, through which many layers of wisdom can unfold. By attuning to them we gain subtler perceptions.


Meditations and Rituals | Festivals
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The Masters of Wisdom are intensely working that these festivals are again integrated into the lives of people and celebrated by them. The Hierarchy wants us, the disciples of the Masters, to follow the festivals which are in tune with the nature. Thus our energy system can adapt to the bigger system in a way which is not possible otherwise. For this the Hierarchy gives us their presence, when we invoke them into our midst. By collectively aligning to the inner worlds as a group, we can effectively receive the energies available and stimulate them in us. We therefore should keep these days free and use them for group livings.

Master CVV asked his followers to gather in groups at the solstices and equinoxes as well as on 29 May (May Call) and on 29 December (December Call), and he conducted these six meetings annually. All those who follow this yoga path can thus receive an effective touch and stabilize the inner connection. The Master calls – we can respond to it if we are ready. It is up to us to take the necessary preparations so that we are available when the Master visits us.

To follow the rhythms and laws existing in Nature is an activity of the 7th Ray, by which the micro-cosmos aligns to the macro-cosmos. The four nodal points of the year bring a directional change each, and if we attune to it the magic of inner transformation happens.

Since ancient times, rituals have been performed on these days; at the present time they are mostly lost. Many people do not know the meaning of the solstices and equinoxes and do not pay attention to the change of energy. There are religious festivals around these cardinal points; however, they are only approximations but not exact. We have to understand the qualities of time, otherwise we only vaguely do some meditations, because there is just a solstice or an equinox. But if we know their significance, we can conduct the inner work with a deeper intention.

The festivals should take place according to the solar calendar and not to the lunar calendar: the Sun stands for the consciousness, the Moon represents our ability to think; the Sun is stable, the moon creates moods and vagaries. The three days – the day before, during and the day after - around the nodal points are regarded as days of initiation, if we understand what is happening on the Earth in relation to the Sun and in relation to ourselves. The transformations are not possible through a theoretical understanding or a routine ritual, but only if we attune ourselves to the greater Plan and reduce the everyday things on these days. Then the corresponding unfoldments happen.

These days are festivals of consecration; therefore simplicity is recommended and that we do not exhaust ourselves in objectivity. There is no need for special food or new clothes. The inner meaning is that on those days we receive spiritual food and the subtle garments of the body of light. Gradually we get a golden and a diamond body.

Seen from the Earth, there is a northern and a southern coursing of the Sun. The axis of the Earth performs a tilting motion and we experience it as the apparent movement of the Sun from south to north and back. For 6 months, from Capricorn to Cancer, the Sun moves northward. Spiritually, it means the ascent of the soul from matter. December 21st is therefore regarded as the day of birth of the Saviour.

At the vernal equinox in Aries, it crosses the equator. For the beings of the planet, the highest point of the spirit is reached at this instance. For those who are prepared there will be further initiations, which go beyond the planetary initiations. This is celebrated with the resurrection and the ascension of Christ.

The summer solstice at June 21st is the entrance of the Saviour into our system. After an apparent U-turn the sun begins its southern course. At the autumnal equinox, it crosses the equator again and reaches the Tropic of Capricorn by the winter solstice.

The solstices do not dependent on whether you live in the northern or the southern hemispheres. In the northern course of the sun, there is an upward movement out of matter on the planet, and in the southern course, the movement leads into matter. The equinoxes help us to experience the balanced state of mind and matter. It is the optimum state of consciousness - equilibrium - and good for the practice of Yoga.

The movement of the Sun God through the twelve signs of the zodiac is reflected in us by a movement of the soul, the solar angel, through the inner zodiac signs. It is not a circular motion: At Aries the solar angel descends from higher circles and brings a new impulse of life. At Cancer the impulse from the subtle spheres comes down into the objective world. Thus Cancer stands for the descent of the soul, for the birth into the physical body. At Aries, the energy can be experienced as an electrical impulse in the head. In Taurus its colour appears as blue, in Gemini as aquamarine, between green and blue. In Cancer it descends as a golden light into the heart centre. The golden colour stands for Buddhi. We should associate with this colour at summer solstice and at the same time pass on the light to others. By this we also get transformed.

The Master is considered as the personification of the Sun, the soul; its representative is the Teacher. The Master gives us his presence in the heart centre, and the heart is ruled by Cancer. Therefore, since ancient times, Cancer full moon is celebrated as the full moon of the Teacher. Hence, the summer solstice provides us a great opportunity to entrust our aspiring soul to the presence of the Teacher and thus to receive the Light.

For our body to assimilate the light, it needs food filled with light - fresh vegetables and fruits that have received a lot of sun rays, also fresh water and juices. With good materials the body tissue becomes fine and we can build delicate but powerful bodies. The Scriptures therefore propose that from solstice on we re-organize our diet, breathe consciously and deeply and absorb the Sun's rays through the body. This allows for a better flow of prana and we build a lightweight, light-filled house to live in it as a soul. It is as if we are entering anew into the forms of our body. Our homes should also be pure, filled with light and clean.

Cancer is a watery element, which is ruled by the Moon. However, the summer solstice and Cancer as the fourth sign are esoterically related with the fourth element, air and with the pulsation of breath. By working with the breath, we can purify our system and stabilize our emotions. Uranus also works in Cancer via the Moon, and rhythmic breathing brings the connection with the spiritual air. This allows to lift us up to the spirit. Astrologically speaking we thus turn around the wheel and get to Aries instead of falling into the matter on the way down to Libra.

At the lower planes, the watery sign of Cancer is a sign of reflection and of distortion. If at the time of the summer solstice the connection to the light is not consciously strengthened - by mentally visualizing the energies and by remembering - we easily forget the intentions of the soul in the coming months and let ourselves be carried away by the everyday activism. Caution is the key word for Cancer, and we should consciously work on the connection with the soul by thinking of it. The Master's touch on the Buddhic plane causes the necessary adjustments, and thus, we can continue to ascend even during the descending arc of the year.

The first 4 degrees in Cancer are of particular importance. They are called Punarvasu, which means “returning again” and “dwelling”. If we invoke the Lord into ourselves by right orientation, he comes to dwell again in our hearts. The Heavenly Man, acting through the Solar God, is the original and we are his copies. When he enters into us, he strengthens his archetype in our inner sanctum, the heart lotus. Its electromagnetic impulse shapes our form according to his shape. As he moves into us and we in him, the solar Plan is executed through us. This is the initiation that we receive in connection with the summer solstice. It is therefore recommended to contemplate at the summer solstice and in Cancer on the descent of the Solar God into us.