Solstice Greetings
May this turning of the year bring positive change
Hello, Friends,
Happy Solstice! Whether you are celebrating Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere or Summer Solstice in the Northern, take time to pause and reflect, as the sun appears to stand still in its movement along the horizon at this time of year.
This week marks Earth’s great pivot, either toward the time of maximum daylight and frenetic activity, or, at Summer Solstice, toward the long nights and short days of what I call “the reflective season.”
The solstices are essentially the hinges of Earth’s calendar, when the flip of a metaphorical page begins a gradual journey toward profound change.
Science explains the “why” of the Solstices:
The sun only appears to stand still at the solstices, after appearing to move along the horizon from day to day, northward for half the year and back south for the other half. In reality, it is our planet that does the moving; a tilt of 23.5 degrees away from vertical in Earth’s axis of rotation aims the hemispheres either toward or away from the sun. That tilt makes the sun appear to move as Earth orbits the fiery planet.
(Excerpted from my post from last year’s Summer Solstice.)
At first, the progress of that journey is so leisurely that it seems as if we are stuck at pause. (Ever felt that in your own life? I know that frustration well.)
After a few weeks, it’s obvious the days are shortening (Summer Solstice) or lengthening (Winter Solstice). Within a few months, the journey has speeded up so much that it feels like time has hastened too, before the pace of change slows and becomes more leisurely again into the next Solstice.
A solstice sunrise walk
I honored this great turn in the year at sunrise this morning by taking a walk on the ditch road above town. I could see the whole North Fork Valley, and my steps flowed with the chill dawn breeze pouring off the high peaks of the West Elks and Ragged Range.
As I greeted big sagebrush, serviceberry, wild crabapple, fragrant evening primrose and other wildlings along the way, I expressed my gratitude for the huge change this move brings in my life.
What is ahead, I have no idea. But I feel the promise of its unfolding.
After a mile and a half, I turned back toward home, a turn not so different from the one Earth is making, from the warmth and light of sunrise on my back, into the gelid air-stream of the mountains exhaling, a foretaste of winter at mid-summer.
I crossed my arms over my chest for warmth and walked faster, goosebumps forming on my bare arms and legs. By hot mid-afternoon, I will be remembering that cold breeze with some longing. But at sunrise, as my fingers turned pale and stiff, I wished I had worn my windbreaker and jeans!
Terraphilia Book Club
I planned to open the second part of the discussion of Terry Tempest Williams’ Finding Beauty in a Broken World this week. And then I completely upended my life by moving, and even though I have emptied a lot of boxes in the last two very long days, I still haven’t found the one with Terry’s book. So forgive me if I take another week to get settled and oriented.
Also, I have no internet access yet, so I am using my cell service to connect. With only one bar of cell connection, that makes internet access s-l-o-w and not so dependable. (Remember dial-up access? It’s like that, only a bit better.)
In lieu of that discussion, here are a few photos of this refuge that came to me like a gift, to show you the home I dreamed into being.
So take time to celebrate the Solstice, and envision the change you are moving toward in your own life.
I wish for us all more peace, more tolerance, more compassion and more joy and love. Let’s shine our lights brightly, and practice terraphilia with kindness.
Blessings, Susan
I marvel at how quickly you can make a house a home. I am glad you are where you need to be.
I agree with Christina. Your agility with homemaking is heartening. Because my 81 year-old husband is not keen on moving his books (who wants tomato an 81 year-old husband unhappy), Placitas is our last home. It is such a beautiful place that I cannot complain. But I do admire how adept you are with such a huge challenge. It's not surprising considering how well you've managed your career!