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| 06.08.24 Stonehenge |
The ancient Druids did not build Stonehenge. As a matter of fact, as a consequence of a timeline mismatch they had nothing to do with it. This monument was constructed during the Neolithic and Bronze Age and predates them by more than 1000 years. This was long before the Celtic Druids appeared in Britain. Any association is a 17th-century myth, although ancient Druids may have used the site for rituals just as modern-day Druids do.
As
the sun grows warmer we notice small signs of life beneath our feet.
First are the crocuses and daffodils, followed by the bluebells and wood
anemones. Many of us view these emergent plants as mere greenery.
Druids see life in all living things including springs, creeks, rivers,
rocks and stones. In Druidry all life is sacred.
One
of the great mysteries is the Druid's egg. Life-giving, it is the egg
protected by the hare, which is the symbol of Alban Eilir, - the
Festival of the Spring Equinox which means The Light Of The Earth. As Christianity supplanted pagan festivals Christians today celebrate Easter with eggs courtesy of the Easter bunny.
Happy vernal equinox.
The astronomical arrival of spring is a consequence of the earth’s tilt
on its axis as it orbits around the sun. Equinox from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox
(night) means the the earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays
equally. On this date the sun rises exactly due east and set
exactly due west with sunlight striking both hemispheres of the earth
equally. Night and day are approximately
equal in length.
As you observe the movement of the sun across the sky each day
you will note that it is shifting toward the north. Birds and butterflies begin their northward migration
as a response to this change in daylight following the path of the sun.
It
would be premature to pack-away your winter outerwear, return the snow
shovels to the shed or plant a garden. Nevertheless, this is a
harbinger of the arrival of astronomical spring for those of us in the
northern hemisphere.
The official start time will be tomorrow, March 20, at about 9:46 AM CST (give or take).
Astronomers
base season cycles upon the position of the earth in relation to the
sun. The beginning of Astronomical Spring or the Vernal Equinox marks
the time when the sun passes directly above the equator. Meteorological
spring is based-upon annual temperature cycles. Your weatherman will
tell your that meteorological spring begins March 1 and goes thru the
end of May.
No matter how you slice it the days will grow longer, the temperatures warmer and mud season is in full swing.
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