Tuesday, June 17, 2025

HAPPY MIDSUMMER'S DAY

By Bob Walsh

 

stonehenge



Since time immemorial civilized humans have celebrated the sunrise on Midsummer's Day.  It has been pretty well determined that Stonehenge and many lesser neolithic monuments were reasonably accurate structures for determining significant solar events, such as Midsummer's Day and Midwinter's Day.

All of you who consider yourself civilized should roust your butts out at dawn and make an appropriate sacrifice to the Sun God.  I can't honestly recommend that you cut the head off your neighbor's cat, even if you are really mad that the damn thing keeps crapping in your flower beds, but I can't say it has never been done either.

The Summer Solstice actually occurs this year at 2:42 UTC (GMT) on Saturday, June 21, or if you are on the Pacific Coast, 7:42 p.m. on Friday.  In my actual physical location I am running about 4 minutes and 58 seconds later than standard time.  

So, take your choice.  Sunrise is traditional but the actual time of the Solstice at your physical location is acceptable.  The Sun God is very understanding about such things.  While you are at it if you make a sacrifice to Raknar, the god of traffic control devices, he will make sure you don't get caught at red lights or railroad crossings an unreasonably long period of time.

Be well.  Blessed Be.

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