Solsticial Musing - 2005

As the sun completes another revolution around the sun, beginning a new year, I wish for you longer, sunnier and warmer days; a renewed positive outlook on our world; and great hope for the coming new year.

As I was musing on solsticial celebrations recently, I began to reflect on why this day has always been so significant to humans – much more so than the summer solstice or the equinoxes. For thousands of years, people have celebrated this astronomical event, an event that combines the most important influences in our world: the workings of natural forces and the amazing accomplishments of the human mind.

My interest in the holiday was stimulated by my yearning for winter light. As the days shortened and my spirits dimmed, I learned to look forward to this special day. I even copied an almanac of sunrise and sunset times so that my spirits might be buoyed by the promise of earlier sunrises and later sunsets – and more life-giving light!

For agricultural societies, however, the winter solstice was significant for an even more important reason. By carefully tracking the sun’s movement, plantings could be timed to avoid the killing frosts of late winter and spring. By carefully observing a problem, compiling a body of evidence and data, and using human creativity to analyze the data, early scientists were able to better understand their universe and provide for a better life for themselves and others.

Did you ever wonder how those clever scientists thousands of years ago – those early Hopi elders or Druid priests – determined the exact day of the solstices and equinoxes to build their astronomical markers such as Chacoan great houses or the Stonehenge complex? I remember when an archaeoastronomer posed that question to a large group of students at the University of Arizona in the 1970s. Not one person had the answer. Yet, so-called “primitive” people from around the world discovered a means to determine that day even if they did not understand the astronomical mechanics of the solar year. (Email me if you want to know how they did it.)

As I strove to understand the mechanics of the rotation of the planets around the sun and the complexities of our solar year, I became aware of what an incredible human accomplishment a calendar is. It is a system based on a body of evidence that can not be compiled by only one person. Data regarding celestial phenomenon must be passed down through generations to produce a body of information large enough to provide insight into the timing of celestial events.

So, for me, the winter solstice is much more than an astronomical event. It calls attention to the wonderful world we live in and the mysterious workings of nature that have brought about that spark of life and the incredible diversity of species that we observe and enjoy. Yet, perhaps more importantly, it reminds me of the amazing human mind and sense of curiosity that pervades every human group and human endeavor.

So, as we look forward to the coming days of light, warmth and hope, we can not only remain confident that the forces of nature will continue, but also that the human spirit will thrive!

Wishing you a happy solstice and a bright new year.