Occult happenings

Today, December 21, is not only the solstice but also a planetary occultation. Both these events would have had significance for ancient peoples, but do these occult happenings have any meaning for modern-day folk? Braving the likely shock and horror of many of my readers, I’ll state that I think they do.

Let’s start with the basics. The word occult is an adjective, a verb, and a noun, each with slightly different connotations. The adjective means secretive or concealed, the verb means to shut off from view and the noun refers to matters relating to the supernatural. Thinking about the definition, I’m not sure from where the negative interpretation of the occult has come. Is it a fear of the unknown? Or fear of other people concealing things, perhaps sources of power? Or is was it the machinations of some supernatural worshippers trying to relegate competing faiths to obscurity?

For astronomers, occultations are opportunities. An astronomical occultation occurs when the light of one celestial object is blocked by another, most typically the moon eclipsing a star. Tonight, Jupiter will occult Saturn - to the average naked eye anyway. If you have binoculars or a telescope you’ll be able to see the two planets distinctly and 4 of the moons of Jupiter, perhaps even the rings of Saturn in one frame of view. This is the first time both planets will be this close since 1623, just 14 years after Galileo built his first telescope. So perhaps a few people, ever, have seen all these objects in one view. But not many.

Astrologers, and to be clear astrologers, not astronomers, attribute great things to the alignment of planets, particularly Saturn and Jupiter. As the 2 biggest planets in the solar system, Saturn and Jupiter’s alignment in our night sky is used to delineate astrological ages. A brief internet dive tells me that astrologers are hailing today’s conjunction as world-changing because this year marks the first time in centuries that the 2 planets appear superimposed on an air constellation, ending 210 years of alignment in front of an earth sign. This, the astrologers argue, portends a shift from an age of material and resource consolidation, accompanied by resistance to change, to a new age involving disruption of the established order and new ways of collective thinking and communication. Let’s leave in a pin in that for the moment and just remember that astrologers are predicting, among other things, a new age tending away from material obsession. You know I’m going to not let that pass!

In addition to the planetary occultation, today is the winter solstice, in the northern hemisphere. There are many ancient, occult if you will, traditions around the solstices. Saturnalia, which traditionally took place December 18-23, was a festive period in ancient Rome when work was suspended, slaves were given temporary freedoms and many moral restrictions were eased. Saturnalian traditions of decorating with greenery, gift-giving and partying, are still practiced today at Christmas time. Our use of Christmas candles and lights was also practiced during Saturnalia, and derived from even older celebrations of the return of the light. For in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has the longest night such that day length now increases as days tick over towards the summer solstice. Peoples have been marking the winter solstice for at least 10,000 years. Both Stonehenge and New Grange were built to mark the sunset and sunrise on this, the shortest day of the year.

Occult traditions also teach us to honor the dark. The darkness is a place in the year when we can rest. It is a time for looking inward and a time for healing. A pause in the chaos to reflect on what has been and on what we’d like to work towards. For me, the image of the Crystal Cave in Mary Stewart’s Arthurian series is how I picture a winter solstice retreat. A friend of mine pictures a deep pool in a quiet cavern as her winter solstice retreat. There is great beauty in the winter darkness as the stars and planets sparkle and creatures rest. Louis Armstrong crooning “The dark sacred night” comes to mind.

In addition to the permission to rest given by dark winter months, I’m also comforted to know that our holiday traditions are ancient. Decorating my house with greenery and lights connects me to people across the ages. This antiquity of our traditions serves to remind me that people have overcome many past troubles and that we too shall overcome. The lighting of candles and Christmas lights echos the return of daylight and comforts me that I am part of the great cycles of nature. So I derive a great deal of nurturing from these solstice / occult practices.

Back to the question of whether or not astrological interpretations are of any use, the idea that "we might be moving from an era of natural resource consumption to an era of imaginative and ordered opportunities" is alluring. And I believe there is value in consulting the oracle and contemplating possible paths and roles we might not have considered on our own. It gives us the freedom to imagine better futures, better versions of ourselves. Whether or not astrology has any predictive powers, personally, I think probably not. But I still find its musings can instill hope. And who knows? The poet in us may reference the Bard’s lines in Hamlet “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” And for the scientist in us, must acknowledge that we only see 10% of the matter in the universe. So who knows what learning about most of the matter will teach us about our own little solar system. While it is hard to imagine why an occultation of Jupiter and Saturn would have any meaning for us, I for one am very glad I get the chance to see it tonight. And of course, I welcome the idea that we are shifting away from consumerism.

Perhaps all the darkness of our COVID experiences, heaped onto the climate catastrophe, the depletion of wilderness, the accumulation of toxins, and the frightening losses of wild animals is finally sinking into humanity’s consciousness. Maybe, just maybe, the light is returning to our way of thinking and we’ll throw off the bonds of materialism and embrace love and respect for other living beings as paramount. Who knows? Maybe this is a turning point. Maybe forces are aligning to form societies that feed and care for their people and other living beings. Shocking idea.

There is no doubt we are living in a wonderful age. Tonight, we will participate in a whole suite of occult happenings from a planetary occultation to occult traditions of welcoming back the sun and decorating our houses, and partying. Perhaps we will even remember to be thankful for the dark which makes this beauty possible. For one thing, without the dark, we’d think the earth, moon, and sun composed the entire universe. My cup runneth over.