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A
feature of the slow drift through the dates on a 400 year
cycle is that whilst the summer solstice usually falls
on 21st June it occasionally shifts. The last time the
solstice was not on this date was in 1975 when it occurred
on 22nd June at 00.27. In the year 2012 the solstice will
occur on 20th June at 23.09. For the dates in between
the summer solstice will continue to fall on 21 June.
The summer solstice, or Litha, is celebrated on this day
and is different to Midsummer which is celebrated on the
24th June and is one of the four quarter days of the legal
calendar. Of course if you want to celebrate both or even
right through all 4 days you go for it! Bear with me,
we're nearly there.
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The
full moon is at its lowest in the sky for the Northern
Hemisphere and is almost directly opposite the Sun,
which is at its highest. (The opposite occurs at the
winter solstice where the Sun is at its lowest and the
full moon nearest the solstice is at its highest.) |
A
second astronomical factor is that the lunar orbit around
the Earth is tilted at about 5 degrees relative to the plane
of the Sun and the Earth. Due
to a phenomena known as Regression, the date when the moon
reaches it maximum angles above and below the Sun/Earth plane
changes with time. For every year the angle shifts by about
19 degrees. It takes around 18½ years for one cycle to be
complete and in 2005 the moon again reaches the lowest point
in that cycle.
This year the Summer Solstice falls on June 21st and is followed
by a full moon in the dawn hours of the 22nd. What a wonderful
opportunity to enjoy the plentiful energies the Cosmos is
offering to us.
A
Blessing for Summer (Author Unknown)
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As
the sun spirals its longest dance, cleanse us
As nature shows bounty and fertility, bless us
Let all things live with loving intent
And fulfil their truest destiny
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Okay I lied about the poetry!
Tyto
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