“the grand show is eternal.
it is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising.
eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and eternal glowing…
as the round earth rolls.”
-john muir
Midsummer or Estival Solstice is the 1st day of summer when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky.
The term solstice is derived from the Latin words Sol (sun) and Sistere (to stand still) because the sun’s position at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice and the surrounding days, unlike at other times where the Earth’s tilt causes the sun’s path to rise and fall from one day to the next.
—
“this is the solstice,
the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight,
the year’s threshold and unlocking,
where the past lets go of and becomes the future;
the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar…”
― margaret atwood
picture from a past solstice celebration
—
every year
one of my favorite things to teach and share with my class
is the story and traditions of the winter solstice
i get to play the sun
the children play the tilting earth and the seasons
who spin and dance and throw snow
as the season changes
the sun stays in the middle
offering extra light
to the other side of the earth now tilting toward it
knowing it will always return to them
even as our days grow shorter
they quietly rest on the ground
waiting, waiting
only to emerge
when the time is right
happy to dance once more
in the light of the warm spring sun.
—
*notes: here is my recipe for the winter solstice, and many thanks to all for your low-tech special effects support of this performance: torn paper snowflakes made by the children, many smiles, a bit of dizziness, a sun doing an interpretive dance, a person to turn off and on the classroom lights at just the right moment, a flashlight, a yellow paper sun, a dj to play the music (‘carol of the bells’ by george winston, and ‘here comes the sun’ by the beatles) at just the right time, and a class full of kinder/whirling twirling planets throwing snow, lying down, and awakening as emerging new life in the spring when the sun returns. somehow it all falls into place, each year a bit differently, as is the way of the world.
—
“spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. joy is the essence of life.”
-agnivesh
the northern hemisphere summer solstice will occur at 5:14 a.m. et on june 21, 2022
the hour is upon us
—
“an inch of time on the sundial is worth more than a foot of jade.”
-confucius
“this is the solstice,
the still point of the sun,
it’s cusp and midnight,
the year’s threshold and unlocking,
where the past lets go of and becomes the future;
the place of caught breath,
the door of a vanished house left ajar.”
-margaret atwood
—
art credit: Alica Block
happy solstice
—
“do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it?
i always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!”
-f. scott fitzgerald, the great gatsby
—
image credit: google images
“they who sing through the summer must dance in the winter.”
-italian proverb
here’s to the winter solstice
—
image credit: Jana Vashti
change is afoot
and
winter solstice has arrived.
—
“change in all things is sweet.”
-aristotle
—
image credit:
‘Origin of the Spark’ – new painting by Stephanie Law,
as featured in her ‘Conjure’ exhibition
today is the summer solstice which marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere. cultures around the world have marked the solstice throughout history as a moment of importance both for the changing of the seasons and for our relationship with the sacred.
this solar moment marks what is known as liminal space, or space between. the concept of liminality is more than just a space between two distinct times; it’s also a space in which rules are temporarily lifted, and roles are reversed.
if the concept of liminality seems new to you, think about all of the liminal spaces in your own life, birthdays are a great example as they’re a space between ages and you’re granted temporary permission to do exactly as you please. part of liminity is that it shows up to transform you, and then it ends. in the example of your birthday, you’re now a new age.
—
“the question is not what you look at, but what you see.
it is only necessary to behold the least fact or phenomenon,
however familiar,
from a point a hair’s breadth aside from our habitual path or routine,
to be overcome, enchanted by its beauty and significance.”
― henry david thoreau
—
art credit: cy twombly, le jour ni l’heure: quatre sagioini: estate (the four seasons – summer)
credits: emily ridout, elephant journal, merriam-webster dictionary
now that the day of winter solstice has passed
we are already adding seconds/minutes of daylight to each new day
working our way back toward the summer solstice
i hope to use the extra light wisely.
—
6,400,099,980 moments constitute a single day. every single one of those moments provides an opportunity to reestablish our will. even the snap of a finger provides us with sixty-five opportunities to wake up and to choose actions that will produce beneficial karma and turn our lives around.”
-dogen zenji-13th century zen master
(as quoted by ruth ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being.)
I didn't have my glasses on.... 