Summer Solstice
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 21st, 2011
Good morning!
Happy Summer Solstice! What can I say…it is one of my fave times of the year. If the Summer Solstice interests you, perhaps this write will too.**
- in the Northern Hemisphere, summer solsticebegins on Jun 21 2011 at 1:16 P.M. EDT
- in the UK June 21, 2011 at 17:16 UTC
Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning “sun” + “to stand still.” As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.
As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.
Early Celebrations
Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John’s Day, or the Wiccan Litha.
The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun’s energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.
Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids’ celebration of the day as the “wedding of Heaven and Earth”, resulting in the present day belief of a “lucky” wedding in June.
Today, the day is still celebrated around the world – most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.
Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.
Summer Solstice Fun Facts
Pagans called the Midsummer moon the “Honey Moon” for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.
Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.
Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called ‘chase-devil’, which is known today as St. John’s Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.
More about summer solstice around the Web:
On the Web, discover more about the topic, where & how Summer Solstice is celebrated around the world along with related history, folklore and rituals that mark the much-awaited long, bright days of summer ….
Summer Solstice – Good overview of its history, customs & holidays, illustrations, date & time charts and related links, from Wikipedia.
Summer Solstice Celebrations – Ancient & Modern – Skip past the intrusive ads for a detailed discussion about how the day has been celebrated over the centuries, and in many cultures, with suggested reading and related links.
BBC Religion – Summer Solstice – A brief overview of Pagan rituals and ceremonies with related links to more facts & information.
Weird Wilstshire – Summer Solstice – Archived pictures with a report on one particularly successful UK sunrise celebration, including related links & online forum.
The Pagan Festival of Litha – The origins of Druidic Summer Solstice celebrations and their meaning in the natural cycle of seasons.
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**I you have anything interesting to say about today – Blog me. And for those of you who want more from a astrological perspective, click here.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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June 21st, 2011 at 9:08 am
ZANDER ON PERSONAL POWER
Drape a cape on a small child and he/she is instantly transformed into a superhero — but what would it take for the grown-up you to feel powerful?
The answer I’m looking for doesn’t involve something that you put on yourself, like a custom suit or a pair of Jimmy Choo heels, but rather something you pull from deep within — personal power.
Wielded over others, power often is mishandled and frequently abused, but personal power is something else entirely. It is totally life-enhancing — people with it make more money, have more good friends, get wonderful jobs and, in general, practice welcome control over their lives.
And it isn’t always all about them, either — people with personal power do much for the greater good of the world, including making others’ lives better.
Clearly this is something worth developing, but many people aren’t certain as to what personal power is or how to find it within themselves. In fact, many good people see themselves as having virtually no power at all.
According to Lauren Zander, our regular life coach contributor, they are absolutely wrong about that. “I have never met anyone who does not have personal power in some area or another,” she says flatly.
In case you’re not sure where your personal power may lie, it’s actually quite straightforward, Zander said. It’s in anything and everything that you do well.
Whether managing money, being a parent or friend or manager, even giving parties, if you’ve figured out how to do something really well, you’ve created power for yourself in the sense that you feel certainty in yourself and enjoy being the master of something — your way.
Far more of a challenge is to learn how to cultivate power in other, more difficult areas of your life, the places where you wish you performed better but don’t.
Zander believes this is integral to our journey through life, she told me. “The whole experience of life is having problems and figuring out what to do about them — it is how we learn and grow.”
WHAT’S YOUR KRYPTONITE?
Just like kryptonite is the mythical radioactive ore that disabled Superman’s powers (supposedly created when Superman’s native planet Krypton exploded), we all have vulnerabilities that weaken us and block us in certain ways.
We mortals are especially affected by anything that makes us feel awkward or inept, and we allow this insecurity to have power over us by using it to make excuses.
Many of us react to our own “kryptonite” by blaming it for our lack of action… we’ll make up explanations such as “I really can’t help it” or “This is just how I am.” Then, it seems natural to simply say, “Why bother trying?”
Boiled down to its essence, this “lack of power” really is just a series of repetitious negative thoughts… but these thoughts create very real deficits in our lives — friends who aren’t that caring… a job that’s not so great… a flabby body… and, eventually, dissatisfaction with life, Zander says.
But wait — there’s a secret weapon hidden inside: Zander points out that you can use the very same pattern of repetitious thoughts and actions, but turn them into positive statements to build successes that add to your power.
ZAP! POW! BAM! POWERFUL MOVES
The first step toward unmasking your new, more powerful self is to make a firm decision to change in a given area, giving yourself what Zander calls “a threshold kick” — summoning enough energy to get yourself into motion by declaring the way you want to be powerful.
You don’t have to declare it out loud, but by stating it to yourself (or others) you are clear about what you want to do or be.
But beware — you may encounter an impediment when you try this, as it may well bring on a confrontation with what lurks at the core of your kryptonite, and that is fear.
We all hold fears about ourselves — such as not being appealing or deserving — that block our progress, but we tend to keep them hidden, even from ourselves.
When challenged by some happenstance, this previously unacknowledged fear won’t necessarily smack you in the face — it’s craftier than that.
It may take the form of a subtle discomfort, such as telling yourself, I can’t because I’m not going to be good enough… or I’m too tired… or I’m not the type to push myself.
Whatever happens, do not ignore this! If you can isolate and then identify this fear that keeps you from being a more powerful person, you are on your way to real change. Here are some questions that Zander suggests asking yourself…
Does your fear lie in a belief about yourself… such as being too old to become an artist, too plain-looking to succeed in a relationship, not smart enough to have your own business?
Are you afraid that your life will not, and in fact cannot, change? Are past failures keeping you from working to change your life in the here and now?
Is there something you believe about people, the world or life (e.g., men are untrustworthy, women are selfish or the economy will never improve) that keeps you stuck?
Are there old hurts and rejections that you hang onto, either out of fear that you will be hurt again (and so must live behind a wall!) or because you find a certain acidic satisfaction out of nurturing the anger?
Once you get through the process of unearthing what it is that you are afraid of, you can evaluate it more objectively. (Note: You may need the help of a friend, therapist or coach.) You may find that your fears are completely unfounded and/or that there are ways to move past them and find solutions that will work for you.
Once you do this, all it takes to create success — to find more power — is practice and discipline. (Hey, I never said it didn’t take effort!)
BE A SUPERHERO
You can start today on the path to more personal power by selecting one area of life in which you want to improve. Clearly define your goals for it, and make them measurable so that you can better evaluate your progress.
Tell people in your life what you are up to so they can cheer you on and, very important, so they can hold you accountable to your commitment.
Don’t be shy about asking someone who is good at what you’re trying to do for suggestions and guidance — people are almost always happy to help.
By all means, enjoy the journey and keep your attitude positive and cheerful. In doing this, you will no doubt intrigue and inspire others and will discover that your personal power is indeed helping make your corner of the world a better and happier place.
Source(s):
Lauren Zander, cofounder and chairman, The Handel Group, New York City. http://www.TheHandelGroup.com.
June 21st, 2011 at 9:34 am
AH, thanks for a different look at the cowboy personalities we grew up as kids worshiping, or admiring.
“The Fighting Pimps,” that was so interesting. It goes to show how much we are manipulated by bad press. I never came across any negative press of that nature about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
Keep’em coming.
Dave
June 21st, 2011 at 9:39 am
I was about to say, Michelle didn’t even wish us males “happy father’s day.” Then I read your opening monologue.
You have a luck father. He must be proud of your ability to compartmentalize the good from the bad and see the love males have also.
Craig
June 21st, 2011 at 9:43 am
AH, that was a truly different account of the gunfight in the “Ok Corral.”
It would appear we grew up idolizing thieves and murders. I guess you can say not much has changed. We are still doing that.
They have control over history since they can tell us what they want us to believe. Lies that is the state of this Union.
Wayne
June 21st, 2011 at 9:50 am
Your father’s day lapse is completely understood Michelle. I have a father that has been mostly an absentee parent all his life(not saying yours was). He has been basically self-absorbed.
My two older brothers basically ignore him, including Father’s Day. My two youngest basically compete for his affections. I guess all those years of male deprivation has warped the little darlings’(27 & 29)minds.
But even they can’t give him the out that he was too busy earning a living to support the family that many fathers have. He was an account and home every night by five PM. But he often had to leave to be with his buddies or do one of his many hobbies.
I celebrate Father’s Day with him when he’s around, but it gives me no great pleasure.
Nora
June 21st, 2011 at 9:52 am
AH;
Okay so you are giving us a more accurate picture of what the real West was about. How about some tidbits about what was happening in the rest of the world at that time?
Jackie
June 21st, 2011 at 9:54 am
HAPPY UNFATHER’S DAY
I don’t mean this in a bad way, but if you are a parent, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day isn’t really “yours” — your day to spend as you wish — unless your parents are deceased or live far away.
Otherwise, your day is spent making things special for your own parents.
June 21st, 2011 at 10:27 am
Hafa adai – First I want to make a shout out to thank Michelle for her great article featuring Guam. Now for today’s news on the Marines coming to Guam.__
_____________________________________________
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(Updates with quotes, details)
(Reuters) – The United States and Japan on Tuesday agreed to drop a 2014 deadline for building a new airstrip on Okinawa and transferring about 8,000 U.S. Marines from that Japanese island to Guam, top officials said in a statement.
“Completion of the FRF (Futenma Replacement Facility) and the Marine relocation will not meet the previously targeted date of 2014,” the two allies said in a statement following cabinet-level talks in Washington.
They vowed to complete the projects “at the earliest possible date after 2014.”
The widely anticipated delay in the troop realignment was announced after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates hosted Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa for annual Security Consultative Committee talks.
Tokyo and Washington agreed in 2006 to shift the U.S. Marines’ Futenma airbase in Okinawa to a less crowded area on the island, which is host to about half the U.S. troops in Japan.
But successive Tokyo governments have yet to win support for that plan from local residents of Okinawa, who associate U.S. bases with noise, pollution and crime.
Japan’s March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster has caused further delays in decision-making in Tokyo.
“The decision announced today on the Futenma replacement facility configuration along with other elements of the 2006 realignment roadmap shows we are making steady progress toward modernizing U.S. forward presence in the region,” Gates said.
“It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma and the construction of facilities in Guam for the U.S. Marines. …
Doing so will reduce the impact of our presence on local residents in Okinawa while allowing us to maintain capabilities critical to the alliance in Japan,” he said.
Kitazawa said the Japanese government would continue to work to build consensus on Futenma with the Okinawa government and residents.
“In the aftermath of the earthquake, the understanding of the significance of the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan including the Marine Corps in Okinawa I believe has been understood,” he said, referring to massive aid efforts by the American military after the disasters. (Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Writing By Paul Eckert; Editing by Will Dunham)
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It looks like between the republicans’ attempt to get a bigger piece of the pie and Japan’s financial predicament the massive marine move to Guam will be delayed a year or two.
Perhaps until the republicans can get a President in that will spread the graft more generously. It is obvious that that party looks at any military endeavor as an opportunity to fill their pockets rather than a military benefit for this nation.
Peter
June 21st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
We are in 1881:
TSAR ALEXANDER ASSASSINATED IN ST PETERSBURG:
Alexander II, Tsar of All The Russias, died on March 13 when a bomb was hurled at him in the streets of St Petersburg.
The Tsar had just left his carriage to offer sympathy to the victims of a bomb flung a few minutes previously.
There had been three attempts to kill the Tsar e the last three years, but the authorities felt secure because they had just arrested the author of two of them.
The assassins appear to be “Nihilists,” whose strange antiphilosophy denies that their actions of consciences are governed by familiar religious or moral codes.
Their perferred political theory is the equally extravagant “anarchism,” which suggests that no government at all is necessary!”
June 21st, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Happy summer solstice, Mischa. It has not arrived in LA, it’s overcast and hazy, not sunny, ah well — ZL
June 21st, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Today we kick off a new occasional series about urban legends across the US, visiting each state alphabetically.
This week we’re in the “A” states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona and Arkansas.
Most urban legends, true or not, gruesome or not, develop and change over time, as the tellers embroider and exaggerate the tale.
Mostly, they’re historical stories with an unexpected, weird or spooky angle. Sometimes, they can cause distress, especially to those of a nervous disposition!
We think it’s important to be skeptical about the outrageous stories you sometimes encounter online and in conversation.
Certainly, we encourage you to think twice about passing on emails that purport to be genuine and supposedly circulate to offer advice or serve as a warning to others, when, frankly, they’re just too weird to be true.
After all, life has enough dramas, and inboxes have enough email, without adding a stack of worrisome fictions on to the pile.
Of course, in the space available we can only sample a couple of urban legends from each state and we don’t say our subjects are the best-known, but we’ve added the source of most of our urban legend stories in case you want to dig deeper.
Also, where possible, we’ve tried to say whether these urban legends are true or not, though some of them remain undecided.
So if you disagree with our view, we’ll just warn you that we don’t have the resources here at Scambusters to respond to individual comments!
That said, on with the show…
Alabama Urban Legends
Crooner Nat King Cole, or more precisely his widow, is the subject of a famous Alabama urban legend.
According to the story, Mrs. Cole flagged down a passing motorist after her car broke down on the way to a hospital where her husband lay dying.
The motorist didn’t know who she was but gladly provided his address to her as he dropped her off at the hospital. Later, he received a surprise delivery of giant color TV with a thank you note, signed by Mrs. C.
The tale, related at truthorfiction.com is untrue. The singerdied in California.
More gruesome is the story of a construction worker who supposedly was accidentally concreted into the wall of a tunnel in Jacksonville, AL, and was left there.
Who knows if it’s true? But locals say anyone passing by feels mighty cold when they pass the supposed tunnel tomb. (From oxfordparanormalsociety.com)
Alaska Urban Legends
If you regularly receive unusual stories in your email, we’d be surprised if you haven’t received a photo of a supposed Alaskan forest worker alongside the body of a giant grizzly bear he allegedly shot.
The beast was said to weigh over 1,600 pounds and stood more than 15 feet high — a world record. The US Forestry Service apparently receives inquiries about
this story almost every day.
So much so, they investigated and issued a statement
explaining that a US airman did kill a large bear in Alaska’s Prince William Sound but it was only 10 feet and probably weighed about 1,000 pounds, which is well short of a record.
The Anchorage Daily News carried a story in 2001 about the steadily increasing size of the bear under the headline “Legend Brewin’” but it no longer seems to be online.
Another popular Alaska urban legend claims Eskimos have scores of words meaning “snow.” In fact, the truth is that there are numerous Eskimo-Aleut languages with some dialectical variations but no more than one finds in the English language.
However according to the online knowledge-base Wikipedia, where we verified this story, the European Sami people, nomads who wander the Arctic circle, do have many words, possibly hundreds, referring to snow!
Arizona Urban Legends
Did a couple of southern Arizona cowboys sight and shoot down a Thunderbird, the American Indian mythical bird? Or was it a US Cavalry troop?
You can take your choice from this and other encounters with the legendary creature, almost as numerous as sightings of the Sasquatch or even the Loch Ness monster.
The bird, said to resemble a prehistoric pterodactyl, is also supposed to have been seen in Texas and Alaska.
The cowboy incident allegedly was reported, along with a photo, in the Tombstone Epitaph, but (conveniently) no copies exist today.
But that apparently hasn’t stopped numerous other claimants showing pictures of the dead beast, which later proved to be phony. (From multiple sources; corroborated via Wikipedia.)
Bogus photos often accompany urban legends and often turn up in emails.
Like the story of newly widowed Arizona resident Jeff Green who couldn’t bear to be parted from his wife, so he had her body preserved in a glass case that he used as a coffee table the living room!
You can see the photo a http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1gGSnn3_aGtWfo&b=VA0KfhhYDDFz_XwyXQzQHw
The story, which still circulates on the Internet, originally appeared in the December 1992 issue of Weekly World News. Enough said.
Arkansas Urban Legends
For some reason, Arkansas seems to be the haunting capital of the US.
Our researches for this urban legends series turned up more stories about ghostly encounters from this southern state than anywhere else in the nation.
The ghost of the King Opera House in Van Buren is the most enduring, going back to the early 1900s, when a young actor planned to elope with the daughter of a disapproving doctor.
The doc got wind of the escapade and allegedly killed the young “Romeo” with his horsewhip. The story was actually turned into a play produced at the theater.
Needless to say, the ghost, in Victorian garb, supposedly turned up for the premier. Or at least, in the words of the producer, that’s what it felt like. (From squidoo.com)
Arkansas, it turns out, also has its own monster to rival
giant bears, Thunderbirds and the Sasquatches — a 7-foot tall creature supposedly seen in the Fouke district in the 1960s and subsequently the subject of the movie The Legend of Boggy Creek.
A local gift shop apparently sells monster memorabilia and is said to be worth a visit — unlike the movie!
(From LittleRock.about.com)
In most cases, it’s easy to check if a story you hear, by
mouth or by email, is true or just an urban legend story.
Just put a few key words from it — like “movie theater ghost in Anytown” (where “Anytown” is the name of the area) — into an Internet search box, and you’ll learn all about it.
That’s about it for this week. But if you’ve been bitten by
the urban legends bug, you can always check out our Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1gGSnn3_aGtWfo&b=9IK5VzQkz9hR9wcsskaqOA
Meantime, look out for the next in our around-the-states series of urban legends.
That’s a wrap for this issue. Wishing you a great week!
June 21st, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I don’t know how to express what you mean to me. When you came into my life you made my jagged edges smooth. All I can think about when you are not with me, is what it is like when your are with me.
Damn, I’m a lucky guy.