Our garden is doing better than we could have hoped. We have had a few setbacks but not bad for city folks. We will enjoy a feast tonight of a great big green salad with tomatoes out of the garden. I can't wait. I wanted to take a walk or go sit at the park but the smoke in the air here is much to bad for me to enjoy the outdoors.
I could not go out so I did some research. Let's look at the science of the event itself.
Why does the summer solstice happen?
The seasons of the year are caused by the 23.5° tilt of the earth's axis. Because the earth is rotating like a top or gyroscope, the North Pole points in a fixed direction continuously -- towards a point in space near the North Star. But the earth is also revolving around the sun. During half of the year, the southern hemisphere is more exposed to the sun than is the northern hemisphere. During the rest of the year, the reverse is true. At noontime in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears high in the sky during summertime, and low during winter. The time of the year when the sun reaches its maximum elevation occurs on the summer solstice -- the day with the greatest number of daylight hours. It typically occurs on, or within a day or two of, JUN-21 -- the first day of summer. The lowest elevation occurs about DEC-21 and is the winter solstice -- the first day of winter, when the night time hours reach their maximum.
So now we know the how, but why is this an important day?
Pagans are in awe of the incredible strength of the sun and the divine powers that create life. For Pagans this spoke in the Wheel of the Year is a significant point. The Goddess took over the earth from the horned God at the beginning of spring and she is now at the height of her power and fertility. For some Pagans the Summer Solstice marks the marriage of the God and Goddess and see their union as the force that creates the harvest's fruits.
This is a time to celebrate growth and life but for Pagans, who see balance in the world and are deeply aware of the ongoing shifting of the seasons it is also time to acknowledge that the sun will now begin to decline once more towards winter.
Did you feel it? Today at 1:16PM EDT the seasons changed. For me following this path means being sensitive to the seasons and nature around me. Helping my husband in the garden, taking a walk, or just taking the time to stop and smell the roses, have all been part of this journey. Feeling the energy in nature and having a healthy respect for it. It is amazing what you "see" when you take the time to clean your mind of all the clutter we encounter daily.
I hope you have had the time today to meditate on the beauty and power in the change of seasons.
References
http://www.religioustolerance.org/summer_solstice.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/summersolstice.shtmlhttp://www.chiff.com/a/summer-solstice.htm
