The 2013 Winter Solstice is here, at 2013-12-21 17:11 UTC to be exact. Yippee!
December always sees many looking ahead to Winter Solstice, renewal of the celestial year, knowing the days will get no shorter. It's a good time to reflect & anticipate.
2013 had its bright spots, to be sure, such as major funding secured to acquire & refurbish Campbeltown Town Hall for community use, but the past year brought with it some unusually extreme weather & some saw too many friends & relatives pass on. As the Romans might have said: "Solstitium hibernis concludit annus horribilis."
2014 heralds new challenges. Leaving aside highly specific New Year resolutions, offered here are two guiding maxims, probably Native American in origin, which are easy to remember & worthy of honour:
1. "Walk lightly upon the Earth".
In modern parlance, this means things like minimizing carbon footprint, travelling less, using renewable energy sources, conserving heat, preserving nature, etc. The original proverb is longer: "Walk lightly upon the Earth in the Spring, for she is pregnant", but surely the shorter general form is preferable for covering vital environmental issues. The Earth's resources are limited.
2. "All things are connected".
Worldwide, many subscribe to this. "Things" covers both the physical & non-physical. Concepts like truth, integrity, justice, equality, community, simplicity, sustainability, peace, & all their opposites have countless interactions. Let us proceed carefully.
Folk Show and Teatime Show presenter on Argyll FM. Enjoying music and technology. Supporting environmental and sustainability campaigns.
