Take a deep breath as we enter this time of the winter solstice on December 21 in the northern hemisphere. Think of it as a sacred gateway: an ending and a new beginning. With all the noise of 2021, it is time for some much-needed quiet and inner nourishment. Mother Nature is asking us to reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen our ability to shine in the world.

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. At this time, many cultures believe that the archetypal Great Mother gave birth to a sun child (the Egyptian deity Isis gave birth to sun god Horus; the Greek Leto gave birth to a shining Apollo.) This is a moment to hold the light for yourself and others. Here are eight rituals to help you do so.

1. Turn off the lights.

On the night of the solstice, unplug your phone, TV, and tablets. Instead of turning on electric lights, eat dinner by candlelight and…

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Winter solstice 2021: Why it happens and how we celebrate the first day of winter

For the past six months, the days have grown shorter and the nights have grown longer in the Northern Hemisphere. But that’s about to reverse itself.

Winter solstice 2021, the shortest day of year and the official first day of winter, is on Tuesday, December 21. How it all works has fascinated people for thousands of years.

First we’ll look at the science and precise timing behind the solstice. Then we’ll explore some ancient traditions and celebrations around the world.

From msn.com

Printable Winter Solstice Coloring Pages

21 December Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.

From Moongiant.com

Today and tonight the Moon will be in a Waning Gibbous Phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with an illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9pm and Midnight depending on the age of the phase. The moon rises later and later each night setting after sunrise in the morning. During this phase the Moon can also be seen in the early morning daylight hours on the western horizon.

Visit the December 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Gibbous Phase

The Waning Gibbous on December 21 has an illumination of 95%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On December 21 the Moon is 16.84 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 95%
Moon Age: 16.84 days
Moon Angle: 0.50
Moon Distance: 400,784.30 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,156,969.76 km

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

If you need to calculate the planetary positions for a specific use and time, click on this link

Currentplanetarypositions.com

To figure out GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to your local time use this link

For Your Local Time and Date

Southeastern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

21 December 2021
06:00 am GMT 5:00 PM AEDT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:29 Sagittarius 35
Moon:22 Cancer 01
Mercury:11 Capricorn 48
Venus:26 Capricorn 25 Rx
Mars:05 Sagittarius 30
Jupiter:28 Aquarius 33
Saturn:10 Aquarius 47
Uranus:11 Taurus 10 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 31
Pluto:25 Capricorn 36
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 31 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:00 Gemini 06 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):17 Gemini 16
Chiron:08 Aries 26
Ceres:00 Gemini 02 Rx
Pallas:13 Pisces 59
Juno:13 Capricorn 15
Vesta:18 Sagittarius 44
Eris:23 Aries 44 Rx

Fire:5
Earth:5
Air:6
Water:3

Cardinal:7
Fixed:3
Mutable:9

Southwestern Hemisphere

The time for the Custom Planetary Positions is from the local time in Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America

21 December 2021
08:00 pm GMT 5:00 PM BRT
Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun:00 Capricorn 10
Moon:29 Cancer 03
Mercury:12 Capricorn 43
Venus:26 Capricorn 22 Rx
Mars:05 Sagittarius 54
Jupiter:28 Aquarius 39
Saturn:10 Aquarius 51
Uranus:11 Taurus 09 Rx
Neptune:20 Pisces 31
Pluto:25 Capricorn 37
True Lunar Node:01 Gemini 28 Rx
Mean Lunar Node:00 Gemini 04 Rx
Lilith (Black Moon):17 Gemini 20
Chiron:08 Aries 26
Ceres:29 Taurus 56 Rx
Pallas:14 Pisces 06
Juno:13 Capricorn 28
Vesta:19 Sagittarius 03
Eris:23 Aries 43 Rx

Fire:4
Earth:7
Air:5
Water:3

Cardinal:8
Fixed:4
Mutable:7

Litha History – Celebrating the Summer Solstice

An Ancient Solar Celebration

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date–usually around June 21 or 22 (or December 21/22 in the southern hemisphere)–the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.

Did You Know?

Early European traditions celebrated midsummer by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water.
The Romans honored this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth; her name gives us the month of June.
The word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.”

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December Solstice 2021 – First Day of Summer in Southern Hemisphere

December Solstice marks the arrival of the first day of summer in the southern hemisphere. That’s why in the earth’s southern areas, the December Solstice is known as the Summer Solstice. In 2021, the official first day of summer in Australia (southern hemisphere) will occur on Wednesday, December 22, at sharp 02:59 Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).

Not to mention, this astronomical event will also mark the brightest as well as the longest day of the year in the southern hemisphere. On the other hand, for people living in the northern hemisphere, this solstice marks the arrival of the first day of winter. That’s why in the earth’s northern areas, December Solstice is known as the Winter or Hibernal Solstice. Again, for the people living in the northern half of the earth, this astronomical event will also mark the darkest as well as the shortest day of the year.

Simply speaking, one can say that the meaning of solstice changes depending…

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20 December Daily Correspondence Digest for the Southern Hemisphere’s Moon Phase and Planetary Positions

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else, you know was on the date the person was born.