Winter Solstice for 2023 will be arriving here in EST within a short time of this posting. I have often wondered about a world that could be united around the solstices instead of any particular religious holiday. It does celebrate something that all life on Earth has in common – Sol, our sun. It is a planetary event not reliant on commercialism, a belief system, or individual self-interest. The insects recognize it, the birds, the mammals, the plants, the fish. The very energy we receive from the sun begins to shift in a very palpable way, felt by all living things that have far surpassed any human construct.
I think often about the alternate histories where human-centric religions didn’t take over the narrative, coopting the celebrations of so-called “pagans.” Yes indeed, John Lennon (edit: and Yoko Ono1), you are not the only ones. Maybe we would be better prepared to address such things as human-caused climate change and learn to live in coexistence with nature that much more. A way of living that is common knowledge to many indigenous people who have had their ways of life diminished or annihilated. Kudos to those countries that have not let their celebrations of the solstice be extinguished.
My apologies if this is turning into a downer of a post – my mind wanders to these places often. No matter what my musings are, what anyone’s beliefs are – we all get to start enjoying more light here in the Global North. And for the Global South – well, we know it is the opposite for you now, but you can at least enjoy the warmth. This week we will probably take in some Solstice Lights. 🙂
- credit where credit is due; https://www.npr.org/2017/06/17/533368546/yoko-ono-joins-john-lennon-with-credit-line-for-writing-imagine ↩︎
We all seek the light this time of year, you found it in your beautiful photograph. Best wishes for 2024!
Amazing image and archive find. I do not read this as a downer post but spot on and needs to be said more often. The history of these celebrations need to be revisited and their source made known. Seems like I always find some line in your posts that pop for me. Ypou have given me another powerful thought when you write about how the sun’s energy begins to shift in a very palatable way and is felt by all living beings. Yes! I totally agree with your post.
It seems like the history of so much needs to be revisited. So much that is going on today that won’t be fully revealed until maybe decades into the future. But at least we do understand the cycles of light fairly well.
We’re thinking along the same lines…I like your title very much, nicely straightforward but alliterative at the same time – cool!
Beautiful photograph, too, from reliable Sol to that little bit of glinting ice – and everything in between. You’re a pro!
Thank you for a thoughtful, well-written post. May we find a way, somehow, to stop the madness and get on with living with the earth.
Stay warm, be well, and best in 2024 to you!
I certainly never know the solutions, just wonder what-if a lot. I guess Lennon / Ono did say it best in the song about being a dreamer. Best to you also Lynn.
Hopefully comment reply notifications are working for you Lynn – they may not have before I discovered some glitches.
Thanks, for the consideration – all good. 🙂
Facing into the sun, I can imagine what the original overexposed photo looked like, but your efforts have certainly made something lovely out of it. The post isn’t a downer but simply honest questioning and viewpoints. We can hardly afford to stick our heads in the sand these days. Have a wonderful Christmas, Mark, and thanks for all the photos and posts you’ve shared this year. Take care.
You too Earl, thank you for being part of the journey!
and yeah, the photo was quite high key shall we say :). I didn’t bracket exposures for this particular composition, I don’t know why. So I guess I just passed over it in the initial edit thinking I blew that one.
Couldn’t agree with you more about the whole thing. And for one that has some element of seasonal affective stuff more light is most welcome.
I just wish the light would grow quicker eh? Winter still can be fairly drab.
I would argue that most religious/cultural holidays that so very coincidentally happen at this time of the year are ultimately based on some ancient, pagan solstice festivities. It’s all just abstractions… of abstractions… we humans are very good at that. 😛
The photo is fantastic. The sun and flare in that little brick of ice! Everything in that frame is just perfect. Mad respect, Mark.
Oh, no argument from me, I believe that is true – and I do like abstractions! 🙂 I suppose the intent of those coincidental placements, whether dubious or an “evolution” is a subject some
might want to debate over some beers.
I found this image in my archive and it was quite overexposed – I didn’t think much recovery in the sky was going to be possible. Thanks to LR tools and some further tweaking in PS, I was able to work with it a bit. Thanks Alex.
Quite an archive find, great! I think the brilliance of the sunlight comes across very nicely.
…and perhaps those beers need to be brewed with observation of the German purity law. ?
I am glad that comes through as I remember it was quite the bright morning with all the white, clear sky, and albedo aspects of the ice – nearly blinding to be honest.