Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Solstice 2017

Oh, these dreary days, these long, long nights! We try to push back the darkness by covering our homes with lights and bringing trees inside. And apparently it works, because by this time next week, the daylight will be returning, slowly at first and then in great gobs.



I'm sure all of us would love to go to a henge and see this sight. It's not always possible, though. Well, as luck would have it, there is a way to orient yourself so that you absolutely face the rising sun over Solstice Stonehenge.

Some extremely intelligent individual (not unlike the readers of this blog) has come up with a worldwide map of every single street that aligns with the Stonehenge solstices! Imagine that! You can find the site here.

I used the site to locate my city in North America, and what did my wondering eyes behold? A series of aligned streets are clustered around my school! It's quite a coincidence, too. It's not like Camden's city founders said, "Hey, let's lay our streets out so that, if you face east on winter solstice, you'll line up with Stonehenge! There aren't very many streets in my metro area that fit the bill. What an absolute joy that the little residential streets around the Vo-Tech are among the chosen few!

Snobville has one aligned street, too. If a girl were to get up at 3:00 a.m. to go face east and commune with Stonehenge energy, that Snobville street is closest.

But day to day, while I'm working, what a joy to know that a street I can see from my classroom window aligns with Stonehenge! This boosts my spirits.

A blessed Solstice to you, whatever your path. I hope your street is on the Stonehenge alignment grid.

8 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

That's a fascinating website! My former city, Winnipeg, appears to have a lot more aligned streets than my current city, Edmonton. And I think I know why! Winnipeg is an older city and many of its original streets were established before "city planning" came along so they go higgledy-piggledy every which way. Whereas Edmonton, being much more recent, is strictly laid out on a precise north-south grid pattern, with fewer streets "deviating" from that pattern. And it's deviating streets that tend to line up with Stonehenge.

anne marie in philly said...

I have one nearby me (about a mile away)!

I cannot wait for the days to start getting brighter! and warmer!

e said...

Hmm... the nearest one to me is on the freeway. I'll just celebrate in my backyard, as usual.

Really cool website!

Jono said...

The afternoons are already lengthening, but the mornings are still going the wrong direction. To me it starts getting noticeable about mid January and by mid February the chickens' ovaries kick in. I keep a Navy chart of sunrise sunset times on my desk. Yes, day length effects me.

Davoh said...

would love to go to a henge and see this sight.

Depends on which side of this planet one experiences.

Davoh said...

Seriously, there are Australian Aboriginal artifacts and 'artwork's ; long before the Vatican 'Dogma' (360AD?) that there is no other place - or belief - "Trust Us" .... ????????????

Davoh said...

O, Debra, Anne, e ....

Old Sol will return to your hemishere soonish ...

yellowdoggranny said...

happy yule my friend