Silly astrologers (was Re: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Winter Solstsice)

[Lee Kaiwen]

sistermagpie blessed us with this gem On 27/02/2008 23:26:

CJ:
> How many of us notice, in a way that impacts our
> lives, that December 15 had less daylight than 
 > December 1?

Magpie:
> Actually, I notice the daylight issue far more 
 > than the coldness ....

Hello! Thanks for the comments.

Sure, we all notice the extra daylight -- or lack thereof (I was being a 
bit self-deprecatory with my "I'm still sleeping" remark). I still 
remember the summer I studied at the University of North Dakota, which 
is further west than, but still in the same timezone as, my hometown. I 
was constantly struck by the fact that it was still light at 8:30 at night.

But I was really getting at the *practical* effect it has on us. Aside 
from a couple of times a year, when our clocks need to be adjusted (for 
those living in such places), it really makes very little pragmatic 
difference in most peoples' lives. How often do we site around making 
small talk about daylight savings time? Or listen to our grandfathers 
regale us with stories of how early the sun used to rise when they were 
boys? Some of my own precious childhood memories include snowfalls in 
October (and once in May!), sledding parties on my birthday, and, yes, 
white Christmases. But nothing about sunrises or sunsets (at least, 
wherein the time was significant).

There was a period in my life where sunrise was of great daily 
significance. As a Cistercian monk living in a monastery, I used to rise 
daily at three for vigils, followed by two- to two-and-a-half hours of 
private meditation, ending with sunrise; hence, my meditation periods 
were longer in winter. But monastic life is hardly part of most folks' 
experience.

Having said all that, however, I'd say that at least in those parts of 
the world (viz., northern Europe) that are the source of so many of our 
cultural traditions about winter and Christmas, culture is much more in 
step with the idea of December 22nd being mid-winter than the first day 
of the season. Where I grew up, while January and February were the 
coldest months, December wasn't far behind, and we usually thought of 
winter as beginning in mid-November. So in that sense, I'd agree with 
the astronomer's rant. Seeing "first day of winter" and "first day of 
summer" on the calendar was never more than a source of occasional 
bemusement for me, however; something to smile at, but nothing to make a 
fuss about.

Magpie:
 > -it' s one of the things that
 > makes me feel aware and connected to the natural seasons.

Just out of curiosity, are you saying it makes you feel more connected 
to the natural seasons than the weather?

CJ