Summer Solstice 2020

The Summer Solstice of 2020; falling on the weekend of Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st of June, would under normal circumstance permit travel. This year however, due to the Lockdown and the general anarchy present in the United Kingdom, that was not an option. Instead I was forced to stay a little more local than usual.

The precise astronomical moment of the Solstice fell late on the night of the 20th and this allowed for a degree of variation in observance. Some choosing to observe the  lead up to the moment on the Saturday and others a post event observance on the Sunday. I chose the former.

Rising at 3am on a Saturday morning, I was washed, dressed and leaving the house a little after 4am. The morning was cool but dry, the first light of dawn was already illuminating the village. I had approximately 40 minutes to get to my chosen position, a farm track on a low hill of the sister village. I live between Derby and Nottingham, although increasingly built upon and under threat from the HS2, there is still countryside here. Very attractive countryside, this is good walking country.

I crossed the dual carriageway, descended one steep hill and climbed another. I skirted the Settlement and the public school, I crossed a meadow and I joined the destined track way. My walk had been pleasant and uneventful, as few were up at this time. I had passed only one jogger, one dog walker and I had made good time. I had seen magpies on my walk and a solitary robin as I had entered the meadow, the latter being apt as we now approach the feast of Saint John.

In previous years I have observed a Summer or a Winter Solstice, from several ancient sites and stone circles. Often Stonehenge is marred by the wet weather, while I have been more fortunate at other sites. Here standing overlooking a few sheep and a rich grassland, I was able to observe a truly glorious sunrise that my photography does not fully capture. The sun rose over the opposite hill, illuminating the woodland on the crest and the mist coming from the stream below. I stood alone with only my own thoughts for company, bar (or baa) the late lambs and the morning chorus. I made my offering and watched the sun rise, to become a warm blazing disk in a cloudless sky.

Standing alone of course allows for a moment of introspection, due to the Lockdown there are no meetings of our Hearth, there are no gatherings, picnics or festivals that I can attend. My observance and my offering, was solitary and private. Here I could enjoy a moment of peace away from the troubles of the world and look forward with some hope. We all now hope for a brighter future, as we slowly recover from months of uncertainty and suffering. Yet some uncertainty remains and although we can all see the light, we have yet to be completely free of the darkness. The light of the sun is bright and the warmth of the solstice is comforting. Can we ask for more?