A Light in the Dark

Recently, I spent a couple hours at home in the dark. Aside from a few shafts of light sneaking in through slanting shades and stray lights on appliances, there was no illumination. No lamps, no candles. As the Sun slid behind the western horizon, my home became filled with the voluminous dark. It crept over slowly, my home becoming cavernous.

As we are now at the tail end of Autumn, the sun had set by 5 PM. These are the longest nights of the year. Outside the snow falls in many places, accompanied by a deep chill. Why then should the sign of this season, Sagittarius, be a Fire sign? The outside world lacks Fire’s characteristic brightness and warmth that we can see and feel during the Sun’s time in Aries and Leo. And why should the ruler of Sagittarius be Jupiter, a planet associated with optimism, joy, and generosity, when the natural world appears so melancholic?

As I sat at home on that dark day, I thought of my ancestors, those who lived before the advent of electric light and furnaces lit by gas. In their analog world, the seasonal interplay between light and dark, between heat and cold, would have held much greater stress and significance. Blinded by our digital devices, we struggle to conceive of such an existence, but without electric light, the onset of darkness would be much more significant.

Western astrology is rooted in the seasonal interplay of Light and Dark. Rather than tying the signs of the zodiac to the constellations that bear their names, the zodiac signs we use today are actually 12 equal divisions of an ideal circle of 360 total degrees. This fixed and mathematically ideal circle is synchronized with the equinoxes and solstices and is called the tropical zodiac. It begins each year with the Spring Equinox on March 21st, starting at 0 degrees of Aries. On this day, the Light and Dark are equal, but the Light is steadily increasing. Days become longer and the weather becomes warmer in the Northern Hemisphere. This gradual increase in light hits its peak with the Summer Solstice on June 21st, the longest day of the year. From the Summer Solstice to the Fall equinox, the days grow gradually shorter, but the Light still predominates. This entire span of time, from Spring Equinox to Fall Equinox, or from Aries to Virgo, is the Light half of the year.

The Dark half of the year begins with the Autumnal Equinox, another day in which Light and Dark are served in equal measure. However, with the start of Libra season, we pitch into Fall, and experience an increase in Darkness. Not only is it dark outside, but the darkness is growing stronger. After the Winter solstice on December 21st, the Light will steadily increase, but Darkness still holds sway. We can consider this entire time, from Fall Equinox to Spring Equinox, or from Libra to Pisces, to be the Dark half of the year. As the final, feral sign of Autumn, Sagittarius is therefore the sign falling during the days of deepest Darkness, when the chaotic energy of the Dark reaches its peak.

Interestingly, this time of year is also marked by many holidays, nearly all festivals of light. Take Christianity for example. Christ’s birth is celebrated this season, for it was when the world was in its darkest hour that their Savior came. Similarly, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s Enlightenment during this season, for his message of wisdom and compassion is meant for a world in the deep darkness of suffering. With the lighting of the menorah, Hanukkah commemorates the miraculous burning of the ner tamid in the Temple. One also thinks of the burning of the kinara candles during Kwanzaa, the candle crown worn by girls on St. Lucia’s Day, the candles lit for Diwali, or the bright fireworks of Chinese New Year. Granted, not all these festivals fall during Sagittarius season, but they do fall in the darkest parts of the year. When the Light is in short supply, we must make it ourselves.

Jupiter’s rulership of Sagittarius affirms this strong spiritual character of this season. Priesthoods and religious rites are a key Jupiterian signification going back millennia. The Greater Benefic coheres, unites, and brings together, a key purpose of holidays. He gives gifts, infusing this season with generosity and gratitude. He increases, expands, and maximizes, providing bountiful feasts of fine foods. He stabilizes, ruling Sagittarius and Pisces, the seasons at whose end Light is transformed and gains in strength.

Think back to our ancestors again now, collecting wood for the coming cold of winter, stockpiling the winter harvest, and preparing for the long rest of winter. The Fire of Sagittarius season is therefore the hearth fire, the burning of the Yule log which lives on today in glowing Christmas trees. The Fire of Sagittarius is the faith that the Light will return. It is the warm hearth that centers a household, the bonfire that brings together a village, and the sacred flame that unites a religious community. It is the miraculous burning of the ner tamid in the Tabernacle, the luminous realization that came to Siddhartha Gautama beneath the Bodhi tree, and the Christ-child born in a dingy stable. As the Gospel of John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Sagittarius carries the flame while outside howls the wolves and the winter winds. It is the Light in the Dark.