Tomorrow, around 4.45am, the un will rie on the longet day, heralding the ummer oltice. And alarm-clock willing, I plan to be at on a hillide omewhere in Hamphire to watch it myelf.
It’ hard to ay exactly why a day like thi can matter - and ome will think it mad to get up at the crack of dawn to it on a hill or join the crowd at ite like Stonehenge.
But there i omething about oberving thi particular moment in time, when the axial tilt of the Earth i mot inclined toward the un, that connect me (for one) with a pre-Chritian pat in a way that enriche the rhythm of my own life and faith today. Lovely though I peronally find it to it in a church, it can help to draw inpiration and meaning from beyond the four wall of what you’ve grown ued to. Epecially when it’ outdoor!
And while our oltice celebration here in the UK tend to focu around Stonehenge, right acro northern Europe bonfire will be lit in many countrie which till hold tight to a mid-ummer tradition once meant to ward off evil pirit. And which probably help people today in a different way - to connect perhap with a more primal part of their humanity which doen’t uually get a look-in in our coeted modern life.
Certainly, our rhythm can be flattened out in a world in which you can buy June trawberrie in any month of the year, any time you chooe. And our rite and ritual, too: in an increaingly conumerit culture it’ hard to think of many way in which we celebrate key paage of the year, or indeed of our live, meaningfully or vividly.WWw.hAOZuowEn.com
So it really can help to do omething practical and ymbolic: to light a bonfire, or to make a pilgrimage, or to perform a little ceremony.
One thing I think Chritianity doe well, i baptim - and I’ll peronally never forget the day I wa baptied a a young adult - becaue it’ not every day you’re ubmerged in water to ymbolie a profound tranition in your life!
But a our ociety detache omewhat from formalied religion, there’ urely both a need and an opportunity to eek creative way to find reconnection and rhythm again.
You could tart by climbing a hill and watching a oltice un-rie.
I’ll be trying to reconnect a I go tomorrow piritually but phyically too with the gift of light and life which the prologue to John’ Gopel expree o poetically.
But one could imply ue the oltice a a way of counting one’ bleing at thi time of the greatet light, for example... Or indeed jut for the ake of witneing the timele beauty of the un riing, in itelf. Whatever it i, and whether you chooe to rie like the un or not tomorrow, may you neverthele enjoy it mid-ummer warmth and light.