On the Summer Solstice, the Sun reaches the highest point in the Northern Hemisphere, and for a couple of weeks, the seemingly endless days dominate. But, hiding behind the scenes, the Holly King has taken over. Our sense of the light prevailing is already a fallacy that is being chipped away as the eternal cycle moves on toward the darkening nights.
In the Pagan tradition, the year is split between the ruler of light, the Oak, and, the ruler of dark the Holly, both meeting at the Solstice points in an unending power struggle. At the winter solstice, the Oak wins, this is where the tradition of lighting and burning the Yule Log to celebrate the return of the light originates. At the Summer Solstice, pyres were traditionally built on top of hills to mark the height of the light as King Holly takes over, beginning the descent into the darker half of the year. Equinox points mark the time when both bow their heads in acceptance that one requires the other in the eternal seasonal joust. As the Sun enters Cancer, the sign of the Moon, we witness the symbolic union of the Divine masculine and feminine.
Ilex aquifolium, the holly bush, with bright green spiky leaves and red berries, has been associated with Yuletide greeting cards, but it is the time from the height of the summer down to the depths of the winter solstice that the Holly King resides as victor. Are there any other plants that are so clearly Mars-ruled? Holly is an evergreen shrub that provides a dark green foil for bright flowers and fruit in the summer garden. But it is the winter garden where this plant shines. It has tiny white flowers that are pollinated during the summer months, leaving us with those bright red orbs that sustain our garden birds throughout the winter; the red colour a reminder of warmer days when the bees would be buzzing through their daily work. The spiky leaves are a warning though, be careful how you work with this plant, try pruning too quickly or falling or being pushed into it, and you could come out with a lot of bloody scratches
As we travel through the Astrological Pagan Wheel of the year, this Summer Solstice chart marks our fourth chart in a row with a Scorpio ascendant; at 0° no less. Mars dominates once again. The first 2 ½ ° of Scorpio is the biggest dose of Mars you can get throughout the whole of the 360° circle. Mars rules here by domicile, term, face, and dodectamoria; nowhere else in the wheel does a planet have this much dignity. If you have any 0-2.5° Scorpio folk in your life—Ascendant, Sun, or Moon—you will understand how feisty, protective, and loyal these people can be!
Mars in this chart also has the dominating position in the 10th house, in the sign of Leo the lion, strong, regal, and powerful upon the throne, maybe arrogant, self-aggrandizing, and possibly tyrannical. Mars at the apex of the chart, at the point of maximum light in a day, gives Mars a lot of time in a 24-hour period to get hot and bothered. And what happens when Mars wants to take action in the world, be it at work as a public figure or when its reputation is scrutinised by the public? In this case, with the strong Scorpio ascendant, they will strike back quickly and skillfully. Dangerous for those standing close by; Venus, who has been following behind adoringly over the last few months, is pulling back from this force of nature as she is preparing for her retrograde. Even her charms are failing to calm the frayed temper of this hot head.
The Moon as the divine feminine, host of the Sun by what I personally believe to be mutual reception between Leo and Cancer, is also here in the 10th. This completes the collection of the natural rulers of the nocturnal sect right at the top of the chart where they are least amused.
Our ascendant degree is applying to the South Node, but as these are points of reference and not planets, they are not able to ‘do’ anything, but they do symbolise the themes of the action and what we can expect to see around us as the season progresses.
As heralded in our previous Ostara chart; here in the UK, the very public fall from grace for people who held top positions in our government has dominated our headlines. The secrets at Ostara are no longer hidden, they are there for all to see, and it is not a pretty sight. Don’t be surprised to see calls for ‘off with their heads’ shouted from the tops of hills, the solstice pyre burning brightly as a call to arms against those who did us wrong. The Moon in the sign applying to Venus, who is backing away from Mars’ rage, will take the passion of the people with her into the summer season.
Most significantly, as we are celebrating the Sun at the solstice, He will be in His joy, in the domicile of his beloved Goddess exactly trine the Ascendant, assisting Mars through the Scorpio ascendant to bring forth the desired outcome for the people. For those who have not shown honour toward the populace, there could be some very heavy penalties to pay. With Jupiter creating the whole sign square from Taurus, many partnerships could suddenly have to adjust their loyalties as individuals are left outside the city gates for the ‘lions’.
Mercury is in domicile but in the term and face of Mars and will be taking pride in their responsibilities in dissecting all the gossip, hearsay, and information, spreading whatever rumours they can find, be they true or false. Tabloid journalism at its despicable finest will have its own agenda whilst also providing the fuel for other peoples tittle-tattle. Lazy journalism could also create problems for us mere mortals trying to go about our daily rounds whilst trying to keep up with who’s who and what’s what. A messy time indeed!
Saturn has little control over the situation, having just stationed retrograde, in aversion to the Leo trio, there is no going back in time to restrict the out-of-control nature of this collection.
Consider this…
This is a season to act as honourably as possible as the call for vengeance is in the air. Any small dishonest act could get you racked over the coals. Certainly, expect there to be figures who, at one point, were those ‘pillars of the community’ types to be pulled off their pedestals. There will be howls for metaphorical blood as truth and lies become public and more unbelievable and fanciful as the season moves into the hottest part of the year. Irritability due to heat can spark wildfires that are no longer controllable. We have already seen enough of those this year in the UK, so literally and metaphorically, keep your matches in your pocket and be mindful of the fires you start.
Be aware, too, of the need to react by looking for revenge. Though Mars may feel vindicated, the Moon and Venus in Leo, as a noble sign, do badly after taking the sort of action that would keep it awake at night with regret.
The 10th house action can help push you forward into completing tasks or starting new projects, especially those you would like the world to witness. Enjoy the light and bright evenings and get the last of your crops sown in time for a late harvest.