The Circumpunct and the Saints’ John

Once again, the Craft is preparing to celebrate Saint John’s Day. It marks the moment when the sun, having reached its lowest point in the heavens, begins its slow return. In ancient cosmology, this was understood as the rebirth of light itself- victory over darkness.

The feast days of the Holy Saints John, June 24 and December 27 respectively, fall near the summer and winter solstices, the two great turning points of the solar year. The point within the circle is the alchemical symbol for the Sun, making the point within the circle a representation of each of the solstices on either side of the solar year. St. John the Baptist is celebrated near the summer solstice, when the sun stands at its highest point and the daylight reaches its fullest strength. After this moment, the days begin to shorten. Fittingly, the Baptist says in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John the Baptist, preparing the way and calling men to purification represents the active principle of the pillar of Jachin. John the Evangelist, however, could represent the passive principle of Boaz.

St. John the Evangelist is honored near the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its lowest

point and darkness is greatest, yet the Light is about to return. From this moment forward, the days slowly lengthen. In the ancient mysteries, the period following the solstice was regarded as a sacred pause, a time when the initiate turns inward to receive wisdom rather than to act outwardly.

Astrologically, the winter solstice occurs as the sun enters Capricorn, a sign associated with discipline, structure, wisdom earned through trial, and the slow ascent toward spiritual mastery. St. John the Evangelist embodies these qualities through contemplation rather than action. Unlike the Baptist’s fiery proclamation, John’s voice is quiet, inward, cosmic and meditative. His Gospel does not begin on earth but in eternity, speaking of the Logos, the divine Word, through which all things are made.

This article was published in the December 2025 edition of the Voice of the Orient.