Cheer up! While today will be the shortest day in terms of daylight, tomorrow we will begin adding moments of light to our individual worlds. Why and how that happens has to do with the tilt of the Earth and where the Sun is in relation to the Earth. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun is at its farthest point South of the Equator hovering somewhere over the Tropic of Capricorn 23 degrees S latitude.
Pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice with all kinds of rituals so if you can’t make to Stonehenge today you might want observe:
- Light a special candle
- Ring some bells
- Write down a wish, throw the wish in the fire and release it to the fates.
My interest in the seasons and stars came from my 7th and 8th grade history teacher who had been a Commander on a PT Boat in WWII. Instead of teaching History, he taught us how to navigate using the stars, maps/charts and even shooting the sun with a sextant. It was really interesting and I loved it. Amazingly, it is knowledge that I continue to use, albeit occasionally, today. By just looking to the sky, you can learn to orient yourself and find your place on Earth.
Ah, If it were only that easy…
Whatever you do today, please get excited about the Solstice. Ancient Man lived in a state of nature for a long time and recognized the need to respect this great World and Universe we live in. Let’s show the same respect today and celebrate Winter’s big astronomical event. Embrace Winter. There will even be a Lunar eclipse.
Get outside, look up at the night sky, breath in that crisp air and give Old Man Winter a great big Hug!
My Second Act, Scene One 
I will be doing all of this and more! How wonderful that your teacher had given you the love of stars. Happy Solstice 🙂
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Christine, I hope you have enjoyed your Winter Solstice. I was lucky to have a wonderful teacher. He was strict but I liked that. When they talk about. STEM today he gave us much of that in the math and engineering aspects of navigation. The Science came in recognizing the stars and using the charts to understand their positions so you could determine your own location. So interactive. Forger about robots and drones, buy the kids a compass! Happy winter!
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Fantastic! Sounds like a great education plan to me! A lot of my family are sailors (not me) but I know they use that navigation system. Happy winter to you as well 🙂
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What did you do to celebrate the solstice?
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I have a ceremony with candles and state my intentions for the new year. I also do crystal meditations 🙂 I like to get out in nature, but it is a bit cold for that here. Did you do anything special?
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Christine, normally I don’t but tonight I placed a candle in the direction of my intentions. Hoping next year will bring direction. I will pray that your intentions are heard.
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Next year on the solstice I am going to write down a wish and then throw it into the fire for the fates. What a wonderful idea. I am in favor of celebrating the solstice. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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