The Sun & the Solstice

I like to sit on my front stoop (means “small porch,” originally from the Dutch stoep) and watch the sun arc its way through the seasons. Above is a morning view I captured the day before yesterday. Our recent snow had melted but you can see some frost on the grass.

Because my house faces east—we built it that way; it’s a feng shui thing—I get to contemplate the movement of the sun as it appears over the trees one notch to my right (north to south) each day, working its way to the Winter Solstice, which happens to be today. After December 21, the whole process reverses until the Summer Solstice is reached in June, and the whole cycle repeats. It’s my personal light show.

I like thinking about the sun. In a way, I’m kind of a sun worshipper, although probably not in the way you think. I don’t try to get a tan, but I do like to turn my face to the sun each day to feel its life-giving energy. I often meditate with the sun shining on me. If the weather is agreeable, I strip down as far as I can and let the sun wash over me, coincidentally providing the UVB rays that cause Vitamin D to be synthesized in the skin. (I’m lucky in having very robust skin; my dermatologist is always amazed at what little he can find to worry about with all my outdoor activities.)

Sun worship is, of course, nothing new. From Stonehenge to Ancient Egypt’s Amon-Ra and Aton to many other religions and practices, the sun is central to all life, both in the physical and spiritual realms.

I often contemplate our archaic hominid ancestors and cousins who paid close attention to the movement of the sun. I can imagine a group of Neanderthals 150,000 years ago in what is today’s France waking up and acknowledging—and maybe worshipping—the sun. They probably turned their faces to the sun just as I do. They probably noted the sun’s high point in the sky. And then probably bid it farewell at sunset. Another day had passed. A successful day of staying alive in a challenging environment when the average lifespan was 35 years.

I’m a modern man, but I like to contemplate how my antecessors approached each day. Especially such an important day as today, the Winter Solstice.

— Harald

P.S. My new book is coming along, and there are some hints about its content above. And if you still haven’t read my current historical novel (New York 1609), I’m temporarily dropping the ebook edition’s price to $0.99 for the Solstice. Here.