Introduction to SUMMER Feel. Create. Serve.
Summer is ruled by the urge to harvest. The sun is high and the colors are bright. Nature's full-blown ripeness is everywhere. Days are long now, and sunshine is plentiful. This is the time for picnics and barbecues, for swimming, for soaking up the rays of the sun, and for the uninhibited expression of sensual impulses. Body conscious, many of us seek to improve our physical appearance and to strut our stuff with characteristic pride and immodesty. Summer is wanton and abundant. Yet much of this bright extravagance is an illusion, since the amount of natural light available is actually shortening and the ripeness of all things carries with it the promise of imminent decay.
Summer technically begins on the solstice of June 21, but in fact many people begin celebrating summer during the hottest days of spring at the beginning of June. Likewise, a return to school or work in early September seems to herald the beginning of the fall season, when in fact the season of fall does not commence until the equinox of September 23. Some people and cultures shorten the season even further in their orientation and limit it to the hottest months of July and August.
Many people consider summer the most pleasant of seasons; nevertheless, it does have some highly unpleasant aspects about it too. The dangers of hot weather and of abundant direct sunlight are evident to all. The effects of the sun's full powers can have extremely detrimental effects on our health. Likewise, the absence of water in certain geographical areas and the exponential growth of insect and animal populations, regarded by many as pests to be eradicated, pose serious problems. In addition, the possibility of power outages due to increased electricity consumption, and the accompanying rise in energy costs, are ever-present threats. Thus, the combination of pleasant and unpleasant aspects of weather, driven to their extreme through temperature elevation and an overabundance of Mother Nature's gifts, provide a somewhat perplexing set of psychological problems.
We say that those born in the summer, so-called summertime people, are harvesters, in the sense that they need to pick the fruits of their endeavors. Seeds that have been sown in the spring now begin to bear fruit, both in nature and in business. In this way, summertime people need to witness the full flowering fruit of their efforts. Using the faculty of feeling, those born in the summer are best when expressing and monitoring their emotions. Capable of luminous expressions of energy, those born at this time light up those around them with their radiance. Positive in their orientation and intent on producing results, these determined individuals will strive to bring benefits to those in their family, social, or professional groups. Summertime people must bring one project to full fruition before moving on to the next.
In the same way, summertime endeavors mirror the personalities of those born during this season. Whether building additions to our property, working to repair or enlarge already existing spaces, bringing a vacation or travel project to a successful conclusion, or just plain enjoying ourselves in a way not possible during other seasons, we will find it easier to achieve fulfillment now than at any other time of the year. If the summer proves to be a bust due to an unfortunate accident or death of a loved one, huge disappointment and frustration can be felt in the coming fall and winter seasons. For some, summer poses the challenge to complete certain projects with the drive engendered by a now-or-never attitude. However, taking advantage of the seemingly endless hours of hot daylight is not always easy, due to the twin evils of procrastination and enervation caused by the sun itself. Too often, lolling around and wasting time is the result.
Personology shows the coincidence of the yearly cycle of nature with that of the human life and of the zodiac. Summertime thus also symbolizes the second twenty-one-year period of human life, from age twenty-one to forty-two, and of the fourth, fifth, and sixth signs of the zodiac: Cancer, Leo, and Virgo. Human development during these years sees a progression from early adulthood to midlife, in which a human being expects to see the results of their endeavors, whether in terms of career, finances, family, love, marriage, or certain leisure activities. Taking over the role of parent and being truly independent and productive can be the focus of this period. Like the season of summer, when we take joy in watching fruits and vegetables develop in our gardens, taking pride in the growth of our children and the progress of our work, and enjoying these with pride, is highly gratifying.
Likewise, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo events usually unfold slowly and can be watched or guided easily. However, occasional sudden outbursts of hot passion can cause their own sets of problems. People born under these signs benefit from contact with more thoughtful and intuitive individuals who are not as carried away by emotion. The signs of Cancer, Leo, and Virgo state as their mottos "I feel," "I create," and "I serve." The reflective and emotional sign of Cancer prepares us for the hot fecundity and creativity of Leo, which is finally evaluated and structured by the sign of Virgo. Again, the evolution from one sign to the next mirrors that in nature and in human development.
The Summer Personology Periods: June 21 to September 23
The Weeks
The season of summer lasts from the summer solstice of June 21 until the fall equinox of September 23. It is composed of the three astrological signs of Cancer (June 22-July 22), Leo (July 23-August 23), and Virgo (August 24-September 22). This second quarter of the year is further subdivided by personology into the following "weeks," or personology periods:
Gemini-Cancer Cusp: The Cusp of Magic (June 19-24)
Cancer I: The Week of Empathy (June 25-July 2)
Cancer II: The Week of Unconventionality (July 3-10)
Cancer III: The Week of Persuasion (July 11-18)
Cancer-Leo Cusp: The Cusp of Oscillation (July 19-25)
Leo I: The Week of Passion (July 26-August 2)
Leo II: The Week of Challenge (August 3-10)
Leo III: The Week of Leadership (August 11-18)
Leo-Virgo Cusp: The Cusp of Exposure (August 19-25)
Virgo I: The Week of Structure (August 26-September 2)
Virgo II: The Week of the Puzzle (September 3-10)
Virgo III: The Week of the Literal (September 11-18)
Virgo-Libra Cusp: The Cusp of Beauty (September 19-24)
The Cusps
The summer quadrant is given structure by the cusps between the astrological signs, as throughout the rest of the personological year. Demarcating the summer, at its beginning we find the summer solstice, known in personology as the Cusp of Magic, and at its end the fall equinox, the Cusp of Beauty. At monthly intervals between these two power points we find the Cusp of Oscillation (between Cancer and Leo) and the Cusp of Exposure (between the signs of Leo and Virgo). These four cusps -- Magic, Oscillation, Exposure, and Beauty -- characterize the season of summer as fully as the signs of Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, but in a more human sense.
Copyright © 2002 by Gary Goldschneider