Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Midsummer Night 2012

Summer solstice at Stonehenge                Photo: NASA

The great arc of the sun reaches its highest point in the sky today. It is the longest day of the year and the beginning of Summer. In the northern hemisphere, this solstice (sol=sun, stice=still) occurs at 7:08 EDST when the solar arc begins its slow retreat south. Although daylight will decrease, the accumulation of heat will continue to raise atmospheric temperatures until late July.

As this day marks the end of the season of renewal and the beginning of the season of growth and flower, I am reminded of this quote by D. H. Lawrence:

The greatest need of man is the renewal forever of the complete rhythm of life and death, the rhythm of the sun's year, the body's year.

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