The Momentous Summer Solstice
The summer solstice occurs on the longest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is in June. The summer solstice occurs in December in the Southern Hemisphere.
Solstice means 'sun standing still'. It is derived from the Latin words 'sol' (sun) and 'sistere' (to stand still).
The summer solstice is the moment when the sun reaches its farthest northern point in our sky. That momentous moment will occur on Thursday June 20, 2024, at 4:51 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Early people had great reverence for celestial events. Great artistic endeavors were undertaken to celebrate the yearly summer solstice. Stonehenge, for example, was erected some 5,000 years ago so that the circle of stones aligned with the summer solstice sunrise. In Egypt, the Sphinx and two pyramids were carefully crafted and calculatedly placed. By standing at the Sphinx and looking toward the pyramids just so on the summer solstice, sunset appeared exactly between the two pyramids.
For many Native American cultures the medicine wheel symbolizes health and life cycles, and most are designed to align to the sunrise on the summer solstice. The Sun Dance, an important ceremony to Plains tribes, was, and still is, performed around the time of the summer solstice. Modern day Native American Joy Harjo, former U.S.Poet Laureate, wrote: " When explorers first encountered my people, they called us heathens, sun worshippers. They did not understand that the sun is a relative and illuminates our path on this earth. Humans are vulnerable and rely on the kindness of the earth and the sun; we exist together in a sacred field of meaning."
May we all embrace the reality of our human dependance on the sun and Earth. May you enjoy a peaceful Summer Solstice!
Data resources:
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-june-solstice/
https://buckrail.com/summer-solstice-tied-to-indigenous-culture-history/