Happy Summer Solstice 2011

Picked up this video from a WONDERFUL thread on Uppity Woman where all the people just like you wrote about their favorite poetry. Reading those poems is a great way to celibate THIS summer solstice! So go there and end up smiling all day.  Also see this post on how our organizations have been corrupted by Big Money.

Uppity Woman, on June 19, 2011 at 8:05 PM said:
"GREEN: RE: OLIVER.
Get the CD TUKI MUSIC. That song came from that CD and there are others on it just as good."

Got the garden planted - Just in Time! Here are my writings on the Summer Solstice.
http://www.greenconsciousness.org/summer_solstice.html

But better writing is at Hecate.

In my tradition and my part of the world the harvest is planted by the Summer Solstice which is a celebration of that work completed.  Basil and other herbs are up already.    August 2 is know as the First Harvest here in Wisconsin because if you actually got things planted in May, the early harvest is Aug. 2  which is also known as First Fruits. Or you can always go to the farmer's market and enjoy the fruits of their labor starting at the Summer Solstice (early sweet corn on the cob) but our farmer's market only had plants for sale last week.

The Second Harvest is at the Autumn Equinox, a cornucopia of bounty - also known as Thanksgiving.

The Last Harvest is at Hallows Eve.  Crazy, wild celebration of this cycle's end.  Remembrance of everything that bloomed and died in our life - releasing of all that still haunts us.

OMG KITTEN ALERT HERE!





Uploaded by KurdstanPlanetarium on May 31, 2011

Summer Solstice 21 Jun 2011

The Summer Solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's axial tilt is closest to the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'. Though the Summer Solstice is an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midsummer to refer to the day on which it occurs. Except in the polar regions (where daylight is continuous for half of the year), the day on which the Summer Solstice occurs is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight. Thus the seasonal significance of the Summer Solstice is in the reversal of the gradual shortening of nights and lengthening of days. The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere, in December in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the Tropic of Cancer (23°26'N) and all points to the north, and at the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S) and all points to the south, the sun reaches its highest position in the sky on the day of the Summer Solstice. However, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, the highest sun position does not occur at the Summer Solstice, since the sun reaches the zenith here and it does so at different times of the year depending on the latitude of the observer. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the Summer Solstice occurs some time between December 21 and December 22 each year in the Southern Hemisphere, and between June 20 and June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of sign of the fertility, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

The word solstice derives from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

Music: Always with me, Always with you by Joe Satriani