Four moments divide the solar year into almost equal parts: the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. They are the hinges on which natural time turns, and for thousands of years human beings have observed, measured and celebrated them. Many religious and folk festivals still preserve their memory today, often without our noticing.
Why solstices and equinoxes exist
The Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.4 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit. Over the year, therefore, the Sun as seen from Earth seems to rise and fall in the sky: at noon it stands higher in summer and lower in winter.
- Solstice comes from the Latin sol stat, "the Sun stands still": for a few days the point where it rises on the horizon seems not to move, before reversing its course. At the summer solstice we have the longest day, at the winter solstice the longest night.
- Equinox means "equal night": the Sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night last almost the same everywhere on the planet.
In the northern hemisphere the equinoxes fall around 20-21 March and 22-23 September, the solstices around 20-21 June and 21-22 December. The dates shift slightly from year to year.
The cardinal points of the zodiac
In tropical astrology these four moments coincide with the Sun's entry into the cardinal signs:
| Moment | Sun's ingress | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Spring equinox | 0° Aries | Birth, beginning |
| Summer solstice | 0° Cancer | Fullness of light |
| Autumn equinox | 0° Libra | Balance, harvest |
| Winter solstice | 0° Capricorn | Deepest darkness, rebirth of light |
In mundane astrology, which studies collective cycles, traditional astrologers cast a chart for the exact moment of the Sun's ingress into Aries, and often into the other three cardinal signs as well, to reflect on the character of the season or year that was opening.
The winter solstice: the light reborn
The winter solstice is perhaps the moment most charged with meaning. It is the longest night, but straight afterwards the days begin to lengthen again: from the depth of darkness light is born.
- In the Roman calendar 25 December was associated with the solstice, and in imperial times the Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun, was celebrated then. The Christian choice to celebrate Christmas on that date preserved the symbol of light born in darkness.
- In Ireland the great mound of Newgrange, older than the pyramids of Giza, is built so that the rising Sun on the days around the winter solstice lights the inner chamber through an opening above the entrance.
- In Northern Europe the Yule season gathered customs linked to fire and the return of the Sun.
The summer solstice: the fires of Saint John
The summer solstice marks the triumph of light, but also the start of its decline. In many European regions the feast of Saint John the Baptist on 24 June absorbed the old solstice customs: bonfires lit at night, herbs gathered at dawn and wet with dew, such as hypericum, known precisely as "Saint John's wort". At Stonehenge, too, the main axis of the monument is aligned with sunrise at the summer solstice and sunset at the winter solstice.
The equinoxes: balance and passage
The equinoxes are moments of balance between light and darkness.
- The spring equinox opens Nowruz, the Persian new year still celebrated today in Iran and in many countries of Central Asia. In Christian tradition it is the reference point for calculating Easter.
- The autumn equinox is linked to harvest and thanksgiving. Symbolically, it is the moment when light begins to give way to night and the time of inwardness begins.
Living the four hinges
At Studio Esoterico Cornelio the solstices and equinoxes are offered as four pauses in the year, occasions to stop and observe your path in harmony with nature. Some simple practices:
- At the spring equinox, choose a project to start and symbolically plant a seed.
- At the summer solstice, light a fire or a candle and acknowledge what has come into full light.
- At the autumn equinox, take stock and give thanks for what you have gathered.
- At the winter solstice, devote the longest night to silence and reflection, awaiting the returning light.
In short
- Solstices and equinoxes arise from the tilt of the Earth's axis and divide the year into four parts.
- In tropical astrology they coincide with the Sun's ingress into the cardinal signs.
- The winter solstice symbolises the rebirth of light, celebrated by many traditions.
- Saint John's Day, Nowruz and Easter preserve the memory of these passages.
- The four hinges can become moments of pause and reflection through the year.