Today represents the arduous descent to the day with the shortest amount of light, the winter solstice. The peak of Saturnalia as represented by my light ‘candle’. As much as I love winter I do enjoy the sunlight being a bit longer as 8:45 is ridiculous for sunrise…
I hope that you are enjoying the Saturnalia festivities that you may have going on, or any other pagan rituals that you are into!
In what can be described as feeling like the longest year ever, I am happy that Winter solstice is finally here, marking the day with the least amount of light before the earth’s axis starts tilting back to summer again.
It seems ironic that at the start of the year most people were sick of hearing about Brexit on the news and were wanting something new in the headlines. I guess you should be careful for what you wish for. Interestingly both Brexit and COVID are about to cause a major clusterfuck at the end of the year with no imports or exports into the UK due to COVID and the (oven ready) No Deal with Europe.
It would be hard to believe that 2021 can be any worse.
Unfortunately for most in Scotland we will not be able to see the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn tonight, it’s very cloudy, I actually wonder if it was cloudy on the night 400 years ago when they last met like this. I look forward to the videos and photographs tomorrow!
After the year that has been we should take a moment to acknowledge the solstice, knowing that the darkest day eventually leads to the lightest.
It’s hard to believe that we are at the Summer Solstice. So little and so much has happened since the winter solstice. The summer solstice is one of my favourite days of the year, the sun does go down at this latittude but the light never disappears. I can see the sun go down over the western horizon and rise again on the eastern horizon, living on the top floor of a block of apartments has it’s advantages.
As I sit writing this at 3 am I can see that the sky to the west is already a deep orange colour that changes into a light blue above me. When I lived south of the border this was one of the things I missed most about Scotland in the summer, the first light of morning and the long summer days.
Possibly my favourite day of the year, the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. For me it marks the start of ‘proper’ winter, January and February always feel the coldest in Scotland. It also means that the days start lengthening again up until the June summer solstice.
For many winter is the hardest part of the year due to the lack of light and coldness. When I hear people complain about winter I often think of the poem There’s a certain slant of light, by Emily Dickinson.
There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –
Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference –
Where the Meanings, are –
None may teach it – Any –
Tis the seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –
When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, 'tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –
Whatever your feeling about winter, Happy Solstice.
Happy Solstice! The longest night is with us again, almost 16 hours for me this year. Of course that depends where you are (assuming northern hemisphere). Tomorrow this spinning beach ball that we are travelling on starts back again to its trajectory to the our summer equinox!
Hope you enjoy your shortest day!
