We cannot connect with nature if we dont try to understand it a little bit so let’s delve into Winter and in particular the Winter Solstice! In some parts of the world, such as Australia, seasons begin on the first day of a particular calendar month: in March for Autumn, June for Winter, September for Spring and December for Summer. In other countries such as France ;-) it’s accepted that the seasons begin on the dates that the Earth passes four special points in its orbit about the Sun: the Equinoxes of Spring and Autumn; the Solstices of Winter and Summer. On the day of Winter Solstice, Earth’s south pole is tilted away from the Sun. The Sun rises north of east, sets north of west and reaches 28 1/2° above the horizon at noon. This is, usually, the shortest day of the year. Just because today Friday 21 June is the shortest day of the year does not mean that it is the day of the latest sunrise or the day of the earliest sunset. The latest sunrise will occur at the end of the month while the earliest sunset occurred earlier on about 12 June. This rather complex behaviour is due to the equation of time, which indicates the position of the Sun at 12 noon each day.
Winter Solstice traditionally celebrates the birth of the new solar year and the beginning of Winter, reflecting an ancient wisdom and faith in the great divine forces of nature. It symbolises the innate creative powers of nature that lie just below the surface and it reaffirms that from this day, as the days lengthen, the growth of new life will be assured and the seeds sown will break through the darkened earth, drawing energy from the life-sustaining rays of the Sun. Without science to explain the mysteries of the world around them, many primal indigenous tribes across the world arrived at similar beliefs. The Celts, American Indians, Persians, African tribes and Bon tribes of Tibet all knew survival was based on understanding the cycles of life. The cycle of the Sun and its synergistic effects on the Earth provided the basis for these ancient and traditional beliefs. The land, rain, animals, plant life, warm Sun and cold winter were all revered because ‘each’ were essential and contributed to the continuity of the ‘whole’.
The Winter Solstice is a time to come together with friends or spend time alone to reflect and refocus; to contemplate ‘the seeds’ we have planted and to be grateful for all that has come to pass during the last year, in readiness for the New Year ahead. Happy Contemplation & Happy Winter Solstice Yogi(ni)s! :-)
Sources: Tryfoss Therapies website; Sydney Observatory website.