Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Winter Solstice

December has been a time of celebration for many peoples and cultures around the world from ancient to modern times. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today December brings the Winter Solstice. First day of winter. Shortest day of the year. Longest night of the year. A time for rebirth. A time for reversal. A time for new beginnings. A time for celebrations. Then soon a new year.

Were you one of the lucky ones able to see the total lunar eclipse last night? We missed it out here in Salt Lake because it was too cloudy. I am disappointed about that because apparently having a lunar eclipse fall on the date of the winter solstice is extraordinary. Lunar eclipses are not rare, but the timing of this one is. While there have been three total lunar eclipse in northern hemisphere winters in the past ten years, there has been only ONE other total lunar eclipse that has happened on the same day as the winter solstice since YEAR ONE! And that was on December 21, 1638. The next one will take place in 2094.

Looks like I missed my chance in a lifetime, but I am still grateful to have been here on this earth to experience it, even if I could not see it. It is nice to know that many around the world have captured it with photographs and we can share in their experience by seeing their photos on the internet. Like the two below that I found here.

Happy Winter Solstice!

The Washington Monument (my old home turf) - last night during the eclipse. Photo from site noted above.
A double exposure photo with the moon and the monument of The Savior of the World, San Salvador, El Salvador. Pretty cool photo. Again, I found this on the site noted above.





2 comments:

  1. The Washington monument picture looked pretty ominous -- esp because as a student of vedic astrology, eclipses are generally omens of bad things that happen.. In this particular case, I read Komilla Sutton talk about how the vedic chart for the US has Sagitarius lagna..and the lunar eclipse happened in the Sagitarius - Gemini axis...
    Then I get to read your post and your perspective and just as I was getting cheered up - I saw the picture.... spooked me! In vedic astrology Rahu/Ketu are the reason for eclipses...in myth these are two snakes that cast their shadow on the sun / moon.. Rahu/Ketu also stand for terrorist activity...
    I am going to read your post again so that I can focus on your more positive outlook :)

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  2. Now you have me freaked out Priya! You know I am interested in this stuff! You know what is supposed to happen this time in 2012, right? I don't think it will be the end of the world, but I do believe things are going to happen - heck they are already happening - the world is changing. Talking with someone recently about 2012 we were talking about how if the whole world is thinking about this idea that something might happen in 2012, that energy itself WILL make things happen - especially in this tightly interconnected world we live in these days. People feed off of each other and others energy - it builds and spirals. Its so weird to think about...

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