{"id":1116,"date":"2013-06-21T04:00:59","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T10:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=1116"},"modified":"2013-06-20T18:13:55","modified_gmt":"2013-06-21T00:13:55","slug":"happy-solstice-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2013\/06\/happy-solstice-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Happy Solstice!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>Hail, O Sun and Gods of the Sun!<\/em>
\n We welcome your presence<\/em>
\n as we celebrate the Solstice,<\/em>
\n the longest day,<\/em>
\n the pinnacle of your power;<\/em>
\n when you stand still in the Northern sky<\/em>
\n before you begin your journey Southward<\/em>
\n and the days grow shorter.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Solstice moment was this morning at 12:04 AM Central time. Today is the longest day of the year, and although the heat of Summer has yet to arrive (we haven\u2019t had a 100 degree day in Dallas yet), the Sun will start rising a little later and a little closer to the South each day. Following the Sun \u2013 and the Moon<\/a> \u2013 is one of the simplest and most effective ways to develop a closeness to Nature and the Gods and Spirits of Nature. This is a day that calls for special observations.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people who feel that call \u2013 and some who just wanted a good party \u2013 gathered at Stonehenge overnight. Some of them think they\u2019re following an ancient Druid tradition, while others know this tradition was started by the Revival Druids<\/a> in the 1890s. I\u2019ve been to Stonehenge and it\u2019s an amazing place, but not even an appearance by Lugh himself could get me to deal with these crowds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Besides, I think they\u2019re all there six months out of phase. Yes, Stonehenge is aligned with Sunrise at the Summer Solstice, but it\u2019s also aligned with Sunset at the Winter Solstice. The picture at the right is the view approaching the stone circle from the Avenue. Here\u2019s the problem: if you were processing up the Avenue for a dawn ritual, the rising Sun would be at your back. But if you were making that same trek late in the afternoon at the Winter Solstice, the Sun would be visible for the entire procession.<\/p>\n

Ultimately we don\u2019t know, so we\u2019re free to choose the meaning that seems right to us<\/a>. This is what seems most likely and is most meaningful to me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Thoth \u2013 image via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In any case, tomorrow I\u2019ll set aside my Druid robes, put on an Egyptian tunic and serve as a priest of the Neteru. This year I\u2019ll be a priest of Thoth, more properly known as Tehuty (we know most of the Neteru by the names given to them by the Greeks). This will be the 10th consecutive year that Denton CUUPS has held an Egyptian Summer Solstice ritual. Our liturgy has evolved over the years, but it is based on what is known of daily temple rituals from the Coffin Texts<\/em>, the Pyramid Texts<\/em> and the Book of Going Forth by Day<\/em> (usually known as The Book of the Dead<\/em>). We do our best to honor the gods and goddesses of Egypt and present them to the people of this new time and place.<\/p>\n

Over the years this has been one of our best attended circles. In 2009 we presented it for the opening ritual of the Earth Rhythms Summer Solstice festival<\/a> at White Rock Lake in Dallas. We counted 140 people at that event, by far the largest attendance we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the North Texas area, come out on Saturday night and join us<\/a>. If you\u2019re not, I imagine I\u2019ll have something to say about it early next week.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we celebrate the Summer Solstice. Tomorrow I\u2019ll set aside my Druid robes, put on an Egyptian tunic and help lead a ritual to honor the gods and goddesses of Egypt and present them to the people of this new time and place. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":1128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[946,947,89,4,5,109],"class_list":["post-1116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ritual","tag-cuups","tag-druidry","tag-egypt","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-summer-solstice"],"yoast_head":"\nHappy Solstice!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Today we celebrate the Summer Solstice. 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