Why I love the the Winter SolsticeI had plans for this morning, I really did - but instead, I slept

Why I love the the Winter SolsticeI had plans for this morning, I really did - but instead, I slept in, and so I missed sunrise on the winter solstice, as I have so many times before.It’s okay, though. The sun is shining through my windows now, and I’m very grateful.The sun is reliable, which may be part of the reason many ancient cultures (and some modern religions) believed it to be a divinity. It moves with celestial majesty in accordance with the laws of physics, whether anyone believes it to be a deity or not. It bestows upon all humanity light, warmth, good health, and potential energy to power civilization, without punishing anyone for disbelief. I love that the solstices are acknowledged by so many people around the world, for many reasons. I love that there’s a subtle and pervasive happiness on the solstices, especially when the sky is clear. It may be due to serotonin production triggered by sunlight, or the universal appeal of pleasant weather, but it’s a reminder that something still exists that can put so many human beings in a good mood at the same time.I love that the solstices are astronomical events, and that acceptance of science exists in absolute harmony with my religion, especially when the dominant religion in my country spends so much energy being angry with nature and the physical world.I love that greeting cards and decorations with images of the sun are readily available for purchase, but the solstices remain (as yet) uncommercialized. Yesterday, a friend showed me the solar-themed decorations they’d made, and their simple elegance brought tears of happiness to my eyes.I love that observation of the solstices doesn’t depend on me being at a certain place at a certain time, reciting special prayers, or being in a particular spiritual state. The sun moves on its stately course, in harmony with the physical laws of the universe, independent of human belief - yet rewarding our belief with its predictability. And so hail to you, O Sun, Helios, Sol, Sunna, or whatever name pleases you best! Thank you for life and for illumination, in all senses of the word. Thank you for reminding us daily of the beauty and wonder of the universe!Happy WInter Solstice to those in the Northen hemisphere!Happy Summer Solstice to those in the Southern hemisphere!Happy Heliogenna!God Jul!Featured image originally posted by boy-so-pale -- source link

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