Newgrange Solar Alignment -photo OPW

Grianstad an Geimhridh, The Sun Stand-Still of Winter- or Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice brings the shortest day of the year. It is marked in ancient astronomical monuments around the world such as Newgrange in Ireland and Stonehenge in UK.

Winter Solstice marks the sun’s southernmost point in the sky for the Northern Hemisphere and marks the northernmost point in the sky for the Southern Hemisphere. After this solstice, the sun will move north again.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice will mark the longest nights and shortest days of the year. For the Southern Hemisphere, it will mark the shortest nights and longest days.

In the Northern Hemisphere are moving into winter. That’s because the Northern Hemisphere leans farthest away from the sun for the year around this time.

The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium — sol meaning "sun" and -stitium "stoppage." For a period of three days the sun appears to halt it's journey at this time and stand still before moving northwards again. In ancient cultures, the winter solstice was an auspicious moment. It meant the end of declining hours of sunlight and provided a sense of renewal as the Sun began its daily climb higher in the sky. The rebirth of the Sun.

The very moment of the triumph of darkness over the light is the moment of defeat for the darkness. This is true in the opposite way for Summer Solstice and so we see the importance of the cosmic balance and the never ending battle between the two.

7 Lessons - 21.17 mins

3 Videos - 49.06 mins

1 Audio - 30.55 mins

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