For our brothers and sisters in the southern hemisphere the summer solstice is today, the 21st December. Summer is under the influence of the archangel Uriel, whose name means ‘God is my light’, and who is the archangel of the sephiroth Malkuth, the sphere of the earth.

In summer the whole of nature is on fire, and on 24 June (northern hemisphere), the feast of St John the Baptist, after the summer solstice, it is customary to light fires and celebrate the triumph of heat and light by singing and dancing. Uriel is not mentioned in the Christian tradition, and the church has not encouraged the celebration of the feast of St John in this way, for when men and women get together around the fire to sing, dance and drink the whole night, things often get out of hand.

In the popular traditions of every country, legends in different forms describe the battle that has been waged between light and darkness since time immemorial. And depending on the circumstances, one or the other temporarily carries off the victory. From an astronomical point of view, the triumph of light over darkness occurs each year on the 21st of June, the day of the summer solstice. In the southern hemisphere this occurs today.

During this period, when the light reclaims its power and the darkness and shadows retreat, we receive the most beneficial influences from the cosmos. It is then that the heavenly powers, the creative forces, have the greatest potential to manifest and help us resolve our difficulties. This is therefore the most favourable moment for us to work for the triumph of light over our inner darkness.

Izvor Book 209, Christmas and Easter in the Initiatic Tradition
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