The Longest Day is Longer Now

[kniteracy]

This is my third summer solstice in the UK. Despite identifying as pagan for more than 25 years, I haven't yet done any serious searching for pagan groups here in the UK. Originally, I was told that without initiation credentials from a traditional wiccan coven, I wouldn't be taken very seriously by wiccan people here, so I didn't investigate that too closely when I moved here. As for searching out things that might appeal to me more, like druidry groups, I simply haven't taken the time. So when my atheist (but not fundamentalist) husband suggested that we get up seriously early in the morning to watch the sun rise, just because, I gave it a serious think.

I think we're probably going to do that, though I don't think we'll make the trek up to Primrose Hill or even Oxleas Wood (maybe we'll save that for the weekend). filceolaire asked, "What time do you want to get up?" so I went to timeanddate.com to find out what time the sun rose tomorrow. It's 4:42 am, by the way, although the sky will be light for an hour before that. Tomorrow will be sixteen hours, forty minutes, and seventeen seconds long, between astronomical sunrise and sunset. I knew that England is closer to the top of the darkness curve than Atlanta was, but only comparing the two day lengths really convinced me how far I've come.

We're less than a thousand miles south of the arctic circle here. Given that the distance between the (geographic) north and south poles is about 12,500 miles, it's safe to say I'm pretty close to the top of the world-- for very liberal values of "pretty close"! I live more than 750 miles north of where I used to live. That's less-impressive sounding than when I tell people I moved over 4,000 miles to start this rich and satisfying life. Of course, if you compare that to the 6,700 miles we travelled from here to Singapore, it seems paltry. Between September, 2005 and July, 2006, I moved a total of 17,400 miles. Hey, the circumference of the earth at the equator is only 24,900 miles....

In Atlanta, the sun will rise at 6:27 am local time, an hour and a half later in the Atlanta day than here. Sunset will occur at 8:51 pm. The sun won't set here until 9:22, half an hour later. Tomorrow will be fourteen hours, twenty-four minutes, and four seconds long in Atlanta.

In two hours, the air will already be thick with birdsong and the streetlamps will be superfluous. Tomorrow at work, we'll all complain because it's going to get up to 22°C in London, and it's going to rain. That's 72°F, on the summer solstice. Three words folks back in the US would have been shocked to hear me say? "I love summer." And I have two hours, sixteen minutes, and thirteen seconds more daylight than I used to get at midsummer? That's a nice, long day to live through well.

Bonus link: How to get to the Land of the Midnight Sun by train.

Comments

[ktnboo.livejournal.com]

I was just listening to Box of Fairies and thinking about how much I miss you. I know that we never got to spend much time together, but it seems more acute today.

I love you.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

:D Aw.

I'm sorry I haven't had time to answer replies before now. Work has been impossible.

[trinsf.livejournal.com]

I actually had a similar experience moving from Georgia to New York, in 1995. It was further north, but also further *east* in the same time zone. I basically went from the west edge of the Eastern time zone to the east edge. Because of that, the sunrise was almost an hour earlier even without the latitude difference. With that figured in, it started getting light at closer to 4:30 AM, instead of the much later time I had been used to. VERY strange for me, because I would wake up when it was light and have it be almost 2 hours before I had to get up for work.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I'm actually finding it easier to keep a "normal person" wake-up-in-the-morning and go-to-bed-at-night type schedule here, although I don't know if daylight has anything to do with it.

[relentlesstoil.livejournal.com]

Uff, so lucky to have so much light!

[telynor.livejournal.com]

Ah, but when we roll around to winter, the opposite is true. The sun doesn't come up until 8 in the morning, and it's getting dark by 3pm.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow at work, we'll all complain because it's going to get up to 22°C in London, and it's going to rain. That's 72°F, on the summer solstice. Three words folks back in the US would have been shocked to hear me say? "I love summer."

I love weather like that. I just don't think it can be called "summer", no matter what the calendar says. You should rejoice in your extended spring. (Spring usually lasts about 2 weeks here in yucky Illinois.)

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I myself have just decided to redefine "summer" for myself. Spring here is a completely different, and amazing season.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you have the right idea. Call the nice weather you have 'summer' and July in Illinois or Georgia 'hell' instead.

[metalsaurus.livejournal.com]

I envy you - the year I lived in Amsterdam, I remember late June and early July being amazing... the sky not being all that dark at 10 or 11 pm, and leaving a bar at 4:30 am and the sun was already on the way up.

Ah... memories :)

Enjoy!

[telynor.livejournal.com]

Living here has really made me understand why whether or not you like the weather is rated so highly on those "perfect place to live" sites.

[grey-lady.livejournal.com]

It was less dramatic for me, having moved from Minnesota, but still noticeable. I like this time of year as a general concept, but as someone who is extremely daylight-driven for sleep cycles, I'll also be grateful as the days shorten again and my body will let me have more than about 5 hours of sleep....

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I'm finding that I'm more daylight-driven here than I used to be, which means I'm actually able to get up in the morning most of the time.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Many years ago now, we were doing a camping tour of Scotland in late June. I remember one night on Skye, walking back from pub to tent at midnight. We didn't need a torch.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

Mm. Skye. I really want to go to the Scottish islands sometime.

and on Wicca....

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Want me to make enquiries through the Wiccans I know around here? Not exactly your area, but someone may know someone.

Re: and on Wicca....

[telynor.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'll muddle through. Wicca as a path in and of itself was never 100% my bag. I always went more for the people than for the theology. I'll be glad to discuss that sometime in a less public place. :)

Re: and on Wicca....

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Whereas I like the ethics, am in several minds about the theology, and prefer to work solo. Fine, next time we meet up.

Midnight Sun

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

My family spent the summer of 1970 camping in Alaska. I remember Fairbanks and points up to about 100 miles north in July, when the sun through the curtains was keeping me awake -- at 2 or 3 AM!

Re: Midnight Sun

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I think that must have been amazing. Right now I'm looking longingly at very expensive Scandinavian midnight sun holidays. ;-)

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

When we lived in Alaska, the solstices were "celebrated" by the entire community, especially in winter, though not so much in a religious sense. There was a feeling that if you made it to the Winter Solstice, you'd make through the winter without going postal. In the summer, we had to put foil on the kids' bedroom windows so they could get to sleep, and it was nothing to be outside until 11 or 12 without realizing how late it was. I kind of miss the dramatic changes in the light like that.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

It is amazing how much it seems to change just from week to week, even here. Although I've never lived anywhere where there was that little light, I do remember the Northern Exposure episodes about sun lamps and ensuing mania. ;-)

[silme.livejournal.com]

The whole thing about initiation here and not being taken seriously is nonsense, says she who was initiated years and years ago. Ironically, perhaps, luis_mw has served as the high priest in other people's initiations (guesting as a favour to the priestess), but he's never been initiated himself.

He's playing the Holly King tonight at the rit in the New Forest.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

I had heard from several people that Americans just aren't taken seriously in pagan circles. And the truth is, I've been so busy getting my life together, what with Singapore, here, visa, work, cash flow trouble, work, trip to US, work, (and did I mention work?) that I really haven't looked in to it.

--how did the New Forest rite go?

[silme.livejournal.com]

Well, we're in a very mellow circle, all egalitarian, no set high priest nor priestess. We take turns. We also tend to like to do some lighthearted rituals every now and then.

I missed the ritual last night due to sinus issues and exhaustion. I was long asleep by the time Ian returned home (they go to a pub after the ritual), and I haven't heard from him about how it went yet. :)---

[filkerbaby.livejournal.com]

Here in North Wales the sun rose at 4.51am and sets tonight at 9.44pm. That makes our day 16 hours and 53 minutes long by my maths.

I really notice it staying light later at night, compared to just 300 odd miles away in Ipswich.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

If you look at the daylight curve on a daylight/darkness map, you can see that the changes are a lot more dramatic as you get closer and closer to one pole or the other. So while there wouldn't be much change between, say, Florida and North Carolina, changes are much more noticeable.

[valydiarosada.livejournal.com]

David and I go up to Northumberland and watch the sun rise on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) at Midsummer. Because of work commitments, we do it on the weekend nearest the longest day, rather than on the day itself. David has done every year since he was at university in Durham. I've gone with him most years.

[telynor.livejournal.com]

That sounds absolutely wonderful. Will you report on the trip if you go this year? And maybe take photographs? (she asked nicely)