Theos-Talk Archives (July 1999 Message tt00010)

In ancient traditions, the seasons of the year are
celebrated as sacred times. The four seasons are
marked by the solstices and the equinoxes. 

At the darkest point of the year, when the sun is
reborn, we celebrate the winter solstice, usually
around December 22. (Our friends in the southern
hemisphere may see things differently; their summer
starts then.)

There's another cycle, though, that requires a
higher knowledge of astronomy. It's independent
of the obvious seasons of the year, but does have
it's own special influence on the earth.

Once a year, the earth reaches the point in its
orbit which is the farthest from the sun. At that
time, it's the most independent, the most out on
its own, free of the sun's influence. There are
a number of symbolic means that can be arrived 
at by dwelling on what is happening and what it
means.

This year, the earth reaches aphelion, its
farthest point from the sun, at 4 PM PDT (11 PM GMT)
on Tuesday. This time of year, and the other in
early January when the earth reaches its closest
point to the sun, likely play a role in the major
initiations, although little, if anything, has
been written about this type of cycle.

Tomorrow, as the time approaches, stop a moment
and consider what is happening. In a sense, the
earth has been "outbreathed", and the "inbreathing"
of it is about to happen. There is the pregnant
pause as the direction of flow of life energies
takes place, and outer life changes. This is 
regardless of season, be it summer in the northern 
hemisphere or winter in the southern hemisphere.

-- Eldon

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