Solstice timing

[Ian]

Brief respite from ranting at everyone...

 

As those of us on Michael Winn's mailing list will know, tomorrow is Summer Solstice, and the yuan chi flows thickest in the middle of the day.

 

But how noon is noon? In the UK, at least, we have this thing called British Summer Time, which means that the clocks go forward one hour in spring and back in autumn. I've never fully understood why - they say it's for the farmers, go figure.

 

But anyway it kinda means that "planetary" noon will happen at 1pm.

 

I've asked several teachers about this issue in the past, in relation to the timing of various practices. The only one to give a vaguely satisfactory answer was Dirk, when I asked him in respect to doing his Meridian chi kung in time with the "chi clock." He said that the mental body quickly adjusts when the clocks are changed in such an arbitray way, but the physical body is much less inclined to.

 

So maybe we should celebrate solstice at 1pm?

 

Anyone else have any input?

[cloud recluse]

Uuurrgh.You luck buggers,Im coming up to the Winter solstice,& my room has no insulation.

[VCraigP]

You have no choice.

 

You must therefore practice...whatever it is....from 11-1, or maybe 10-2 just to be safe.

 

OK, now removing my tongue from cheek I would say that if you have the intention to connect with this HUGE planetary energy field, do you really think your tiny body energy field will react that differently whether you are practicing at the precise moment of shift, if such actually exists?

 

Michael Winn also says that the energy of solstices and ecquinoxes is available from several days before til several days after, so go do that practice RIGHT NOW.

 

Craig

[voice]

My sense is that since the solstice is part of an annual cycle, not part of a daily cycle, the solstice vibe is there all day, not any more at any one time than another.

 

The body should already feel the solstice approaching because as we approach solstice, the days get longer by a lesser and lesser amount every day. For examples for where I live: when we leave winter solstice, the days are getting longer at a rate of less than a minute per day; around Spring Equinox the days are getting longer at the maximal rate of around 3 minutes per day; at Summer Solstice, the days get longer at a slower and slower rate until, for a few days, there is really no difference in day length. The close you are to the poles, the more rapid the changes in day length.

 

The solstice is, literally, a stopping of the Sun or, as described above, a slowing of day length.

 

You can look up timings of sunrise and sunset (and use them to interpolate solar noon) at: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

 

Chris

[TwoTrees]

Summer Solstice is lots of fun. I always get TONS of energy this time of year. (And almost ALWAYS NEED it, too, lol)

 

When it comes to the Sabbats, esp. Solstices, I make sure to switch out my seasonal eating habits with all the things on the raw intake. (mostly blends and chopped salads of all kinds)

 

Anything specific that your bodies have been calling for during this season ??

 

-M

[hagar]

Up here, this means about 3 hours of darkness.

 

The solstice is present at any moment in time, if you align yourself to it.

 

But who am I to talk. I practice only 20 min every day. The rest is fatherhood and Karma yoga.

 

h