Tag: solstice

News sites seem to have an abnormal fascination with solstices and equinoxes

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn seasons, writing2 Comments

Every year it’s the same. Everyone and his and/or her brother writes a feature story about these times of the year as though we’ve never heard of them. That seems as unnecessary as writing an essay about why the sun rises and sets. Didn’t we learn about day and night and the seasons in grade school?

EarthySky headlines its 2024 vernal equinox page with: “March equinox 2024: All you need to know”

When it comes down to it, most of us don’t need to know anything unless we synchronize our planting with moon phases and the seasons. Otherwise, the day will come and go without notice, alien landings, frogs falling from the sky, or a higher than usual number of wild boar attacks in shopping malls.

USA TODAY headlines:

What to know about the 2024 vernal equinox that brings on a new season

The Associated Press says:

The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?

Does it embarrass you as a human being to be spoon-fed this kind of information every year? It should. If you didn’t learn it al in elementary school, weren’t you barraged with the whole story last year and the year before?

It’s hard to escape the news coverage.

–Malcolm

Yeah, it’s been great being a Leo, but really, I’m a winter person

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn seasons, writing

If you’re celebrating the summer solstice (June 21) or Midsummer (June 24), you probably love hot weather or, at least fake loving hot weather just so you are part of the “we love summer” fad.

I was supposed to be born in Midwinter (December 21), but my parents wanted a dog-days-of-August baby, so Mother kept jumping out of airplanes to shake things up or to scare me into being born early. She was also a wing walker, but that’s another story.

Suffice it to say, I ended up a Leo, and while it’s been nice being the best of the sun signs, I’d trade away all that glory to have a winter birthday. A little-known fact about my reign as a Leo is that I’m the one who posed for the MGM logo. (My stage name was “Tanner” to help the family duck all the taxes on royalties.)

Frankly, I don’t understand the unwashed’s preoccupation with summer, the days when people sweat like pigs and/or lie around nearly naked and get sunburnt–or worse. Otherwise, they stay inside with the A/C running full blast and then complain about the power bill. The smart summer lovers invest in companies that make sunblock creams and lotions (aka sunscreen) and laugh all the way to the bank while ignoring stories like this: About 75 percent of sunscreens have inferior sun protection or worrisome ingredients.

I was so ticked off about being born in August that ultimately my parents couldn’t do anything with me and pushed me out the car door in the Everglades on their way to Key West. Ultimately, I was raised by gators (the real thing, not those University of Florida wusses). Papa Gator always used to tell me, “Bite first and ask questions later.”

I’m not making this up.

–

In other news, I unpublished my Facebook author’s page today since the powers that be who run the place have refused to fix the software fault that’s rendered the page nearly useless. There’s a two-week countdown before the page is gone for good.

—Malcolm

Another winter solstice in the yearly cycle of transformations

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn seasons
“Wherever the creative power of desire is, there springs the soil’s own seed. But do not forget to wait.”

– C.G. Jung, The Red Book

If you are not a winter person, Winter requires patience in addition to bracing oneself against the cold and the extended time of darkness.

yulelogSome folks welcome the solstice because once the shortest day and longest night have come and gone, they feel like they can begin the happy countdown to Spring. Others–and I am one of them–believe Winter and darkness are part of the natural progression of everything throughout nature. Seeds require Winter, a time of waiting and preparing before flowering and fruiting are even possible.

Humans are like that, too, I think, though I’ll admit that being a Winter person becomes more difficult with age. One discards short sleeved shirts sooner, starts wearing heavier jackets, and copes less well with the cold.

Mentally, more than physically, I still welcome a time of patience, of waiting for ideas to germinate, and noting the temporal and spiritual components of ancient Yule celebrations.

As more and more of us become further separated from farms and their harvest cycles, it’s not easy to maintain ones place in the annual cycle of things. This is a pity, I think, for our mental and spiritual development has so much in common with the natural world’s “great wheel of the year” throughout the seasons.

However you see Winter and the solstice, best wishes and seasons greetings.

–Malcolm

This post was originally posted last year.

Another solstice in the cycle of things

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn Life, myths2 Comments

“Wherever the creative power of desire is, there springs the soil’s own seed. But do not forget to wait.”

– C.G. Jung, The Red Book

If you are not a winter person, Winter requires patience in addition to bracing oneself against the cold and the extended time of darkness.

yulelogSome folks welcome the solstice because once the shortest day and longest night have come and gone, they feel like they can begin the happy countdown to Spring. Others–and I am one of them–believe Winter and darkness are part of the natural progression of everything throughout nature. Seeds require Winter, a time of waiting and preparing before flowering and fruiting are even possible.

Humans are like that, too, I think, though I’ll admit that being a Winter person becomes more difficult with age. One discards short sleeved shirts sooner, starts wearing heavier jackets, and copes less well with the cold.

Mentally, more than physically, I still welcome a time of patience, of waiting for ideas to germinate, and noting the temporal and spiritual components of ancient Yule celebrations.

As more and more of us become further separated from farms and their harvest cycles, it’s not easy to maintain ones place in the annual cycle of things. This is a pity, I think, for our mental and spiritual development has so much in common with the natural world’s “great wheel of the year” throughout the seasons.

However you see Winter and the solstice, best wishes and seasons greetings.

–Malcolm