Winter Solstice – 2023 Countdown

Yesterday marked the day when ever-longer nights reversed course and became ever-longer days. I celebrated. And, I will continue to celebrate for one hour at sunset every evening until the eve of January 1st when the star of Sirius appears above the horizon in the center of the sky marking the beginning of the solar New Year. There are about sixty minutes between civil sunset when the color of the evening sky turns to darkness and the astro sunset when only the direct light of the stars and the indirect light of the moon and planets fill the night with light. This year the moon will be full on December 26th, the day after Christmas.

Unlike the lunar New Years of the Chinese and Islamic traditions that begin at different times of the year and appear arbitrary beyond the separate historical traditions that define them, the solar New Year is the same for everyone, for it is determined by the position of a star very distant from our own solar system. Although the solar New Year also has a historical tradition, in the physical scheme of our galaxy it is anything, but arbitrary.

If there is a moral to these remarks, then it must be that there are certain truths to our existence that go beyond our separate cultures and unique, but different views of the world. That each preserve the truth of his own culture and person, and that no person or group of persons dictate to all of humanity what only Nature or Nature’s God is worthy.

Be healthy, be safe, and above all, be free. It takes courage, wisdom, and perseverence.

I wish everyone a thoughtful Countdown.

Seattle, 22 December 2023
Roddy A. Stegemann

The Autumn Equinox

It is that time of year in the northern hemisphere,
when darkness begins to overtake light.

That we become especially vigilant,
For in the cool of the night
Those with energy plot their evil
That we would shiver in the shadows
Of their wealth and power.

Do not be disillusioned. Hold firm!
Remain strong. The law is on our side.
We have only to cherish our noble documents
And make them manifest in our daily lives.
In the end, we are the people, and they are few.

The slavery of our past is not gone;
It has been replaced with debt
Created by those who would pretend
To care and provide for us.
They are charlatans. Believe them not.

Each must care for himself in cooperation
With everyone else who believes the same.
Shun the freeloaders, the entitlement seekers,
And those who make promises
That they can nary keep.

Roddy

Summer Solstice

Today has been the longest day of the year 2023. Beginning tomorrow our days will become shorter and things will begin to feel more normal. Although I like summer very much, so much light in such a dark world aggravates an already extreme and disoriented social situation. Truly I am looking forward to the autumn equinox.

Roddy A. Stegemann

Happy Belated Spring!

Computer woes have delayed my greeting by two days, but I am still in time for the beginning of the celebration of the month of ramadan in the western hemisphere.

If you have ever been confused about where the true direction of the east and the west lie, and you are able to put your political biases aside, and if you do not have access to a compass (check your smart phone) to remove any and all doubt (please excuse my redundancy), then this is the time to look to the sky, for nature can provide you with an accurate confirmation or disconfirmation of your doubt — with, of course, slight adjustment for my belated quarterly appearance. For, during the spring and fall equinoxes the sun rises and sets exactly where the needle of a compass would point, if it were properly set, and there were enough light for you to see.

With this may I wish you a happy month of ramadan and express my hope that your journey to the summer solstice proceeds with the greatest of energy, for nature is on our side. From now until then, our days will become longer and our nights shorter. Yes, if there is a zero sum game, then this is it.

Happy spring!

Roddy

Happy New Year!

It is at this time every year that the Star of Sirius lies in the middle of the southern sky of the northern hemisphere.

You have simply to look in the direction of the equator, find the southern most point, and look for the brightest star. There you will have found Sirius.

The more distant that you are from the equator, the lower in the sky Sirius appears. Although I have never been to the equator on New Year’s Eve, I have been told that Sirius lies directly overhead on the first day of every solar year!

The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, the guardian of the gates. Janus is often depicted as looking in opposite directions at once — both behind and in front.

When we pass through a gate we leave one domain and enter into another at the same point. So, too, is it with time, but with one very important difference. Once you have passed through the gate of time, there is no turning back.

There is one very important exception, because you can remember where you have been. Looking back in time is a good thing to do by the way, when you have lost your way moving forward.

Roddy
December 31, 2022 and January 1, 2023

The Longest Evening

Open your heart to let the spirit
Of the times better guide you
Along the path of the divine —
Oneness with the universe,
And all things eternal.

Relent for a moment,
That the mystery of your being,
That unique force within you
Can find peace and the strength
To overcome what stands before you.

Cast aside the ballast that burdens you,
But, not the memory of how it came to be,
Find the star that suits you
And follow it relentlessly,
No matter that you will never reach it.

For, it is not the end that matters,
But the how of your path,
For, the righteous find no glory
In an end with foul means.
Rejoice! The spirit is upon you.

The spirit is within you,
The Winter Solstice of 2022 has arrived!

Roddy

Autumn Equinox

On this day, once a year, but never the same, the amount of light and darkness in the sky today are the same. From this day on until winter, if you are living in the northern hemisphere, each day will be filled with increasing amounts of darkness.

Be not afraid, for the light is always there, simply you will not see it, as much as before. You must now find it within.

On this day, once a year, but never the same, the amount of light and darkness in the sky today are the same. From this day on until summer, if you are living in the southern hemisphere, each day will be filled with increasing amounts of lightness.

Enjoy the light, but do not be fooled, for still the light that you must find is within, else the light outside turns into darkness even when the sky appears to be lit.

Roddy

Happy Summer Solstice!

Today is the longest day of the year, if you live in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest day of the year, if you live in the southern hemisphere. Of course, if you live along the equator, you will have experienced no change in the amount of light or darkness since the spring equinox.

In the end, it is what you have done or not done, and will continue to do or not do in the light and darkness that counts most. All the rest, is just accommodation to an ever changing world with distinguishable patterns.

The Mount Cambitas website at the Spirit of 2021 online domain for which development of the Grammar Captive website has been put on hold is moving forward, largely as planned. Simply, some things are more important than others, and money is more important than any lingua franca. For, a lingua franca without money would be just a bunch of inconsequential chatter, and money can be used with any language.

I hope you enjoy the celebration, or non-celebration depending on where you live. One might assume that the further away from the equator that you live, the greater will be your celebration.

Roddy

Spring Equinox!

This missive is a little late in coming as spring is already upon us, but for those near the equator they have surely noticed little, if not anything at all.

For those of us to the north the transition into spring is of enormous importance, however. And, for those in the south the transition is quite the opposite. For, in the north light will overcome darkness, and in the south light will cede unto same.

To what extent the universe cares about such a teeny change in its grand magnificence I do not know. For those of us on our teeny planet called earth, however, the experience can mean so very much.

For, as life comes into bloom in the north, death overcomes life in the south. And, at some point we must all experience both.

Roddy

2022 Countdown

Day 12 beginning with the winter solstice of 2021.

Today is the first day of the new solar year 2022. It is on this day that people living along the equator will see the star Sirius directly overhead. For everyone living in the northern hemisphere the star will be seen above the horizon in the middle of the sky, but not directly overhead. Unfortunately, those living in the southern hemisphere will not be able to see the star at all, and must trust the eyes of those who live in the north.

And yes, I apologize, the countdown was not really a count down; it was a count up, and if anyone was confused by the direction of the count, you are welcome to demand further apology on my part. Simply, before I could count down properly, I needed to be able to count up to the point from which I wished to count down. And, the word countup has yet to appear in any of my dictionaries.

Next year you will experience a true countdown. I promise. And, I have yet to become a politician, although this could change very soon.

So, without further à dieu, please allow me to wish everyone a sagacious and salutary Happy (Solar) New Year!

Roddy

ps. Now, if anyone would like to travel from the south to the north and back again and can pay his or her own way, I would be happy to put him or her up for a night to see the star of Sirius somewhere in the middle of the north sky. Just make sure that you come across the border legally, as I do not want ICE knocking on my door and accusing me of harboring an illegal alien.

This, by the way, is not a “JAB” against ICE, for they do exactly what our government is suppose to do when given a chance to do their job properly and are not hindered by the small minds in Congress who are cluttering our streets with addicted junkies fed by cross-border drug traffickers.

Then too, I live in a “BLUE” state — one of those whose government officials cater to the wealthy, and believe that our nation’s producers should feed, clothe, and shelter all of world’s criminals and other non-producers — including those at the top who tend to the little minds of those who fill the halls of our Congress and our respective State legislatures, county boards, and city councils.

In the end, the “woke” still have something to teach those of us who have yet to awaken. Unfortunately, it is not the lesson that the “woke” want us to learn; rather, it is the lesson that we all should have learned before the “woke” awakened us. Our government and our market place have been corrupted by counterfeit currency (soft money), and we need to put an end to it.

Check it out! Ave Verum at Substack!