Today is the Winter Solstice. Take a deep breath. We’ve almost made it through 2020.
Though it’s often overshadowed by Christmas, which it has been tied to for eons, the Winter Solstice has also long been celebrated in its own right. The Roman calendar observed the solstice on the 25th, when they would celebrate the birthday of the sun god, Sol Invictus. According to The Pagan Book of Days, this time of year “signifies enlightenment, when the light is reborn within the womb of darkness.” It’s a beautiful way to view this time of year, as the day the sun is reborn, particularly in a year of struggle.
This year, the skies hold more delights for us, as today also marks the Great Conjunction, the union between Saturn and Jupiter. These behemoths meet every 20 years, but this year’s Great Conjunction is particularly noteworthy. This is their closest conjunction since 1623, and the closest observable conjunction since 1226. This Great Conjunction is also the first in 800 years to take place in an air sign, that of Aquarius, which represents elevation, progress, and change on a collective, humanity level. Though there’s debate about what actually determines an “Age of Aquarius,” as these two planets – Saturn, representing rules, government, restrictions, and Jupiter, representing growth and expansion – connect, it launches a new 20-year cultural reset, and a new 200-year era. The Great Conjunction also has significance for its connection to Tecumseh’s Curse, which I won’t go into here, but is a fascinating Google search.
Speaking of the skies, this week Hazel-Dawn Dumpert writes about the growth of the bald eagle population in the area, in “There Are Eagles Among Us.” Bringing us down to earth, Isaac Lorton chats with Bridget Cushman about her new outdoor gear consignment shop in “New Used Gear Shop.”
From all of us at Junction, happy solstice, happy holidays, and happy new year.
—Taylor K. Long
There Are Eagles Among Us
by Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
“It was the kind of late-autumn day when the sunlight looks like it’s coming from the insides of things rather than shining down upon them. The leaves, yes, battery-bright, but even the acorn-strewn tarmac beneath my feet gleamed. Cloudless, the sky was such a brilliant blue that when the eagle first came into view, as big as any living thing I’d seen in the sky, it stood out in bold contrast.’' (read more)
New Used Gear Shop
by Isaac Lorton
“On Gates Street in White River Junction, near the ice cream cone sign above Ava’s and just down from where the flower pedals grace the steps of the Valley Flower Company, next to Lampscapes, across from Northern Stage, a new sign hangs outside a small shop. It is a wooden shingle with ‘Gear Again’ grooved into it.” (read more)
Calendar
WEEKLY BLACK LIVES MATTER VIGILS:
Mondays in Grantham, NH, 4:30–5:30pm across from the Grantham Post Office
Mondays in Hanover, NH, 5–5:30pm on the green
Tuesdays in Lebanon, NH, 5–5:30pm on the sidewalk at Colburn Park
Wednesdays in Meriden, NH, 5–5:30pm on Rte. 120 and Main St. intersection
Wednesdays in Windsor, VT, 6-6:30pm Old South Church
Thursdays in Canaan, NH, 5–5:30pm sidewalks on Route 4 & 118
Fridays in Claremont, NH, 5–6pm Broad Street Park
Fridays in Springfield, VT, 5-6pm 6 Main St.
For more opportunities to engage, see the SURJ Upper Valley Facebook page.
Monday, December 21st - 7pm
Holiday Music, Poetry & Storytelling Open Mic - Windsor Library [virtual]
Tuesday, December 22nd - 7pm
Revels North Solstice Sing & Watch Party - The Christmas Revels [virtual, registration required]
December 22nd - January 3rd
It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play - Northern Stage [virtual]
Wednesday, December 23rd - 3:30pm
Santa Claus Drive Through - River Valley Club
Friday, December 25th - 8pm
Downtown Festival of Lights - Hanover
December 28th - 31st
Virtual Family Science Workshops - Montshire Museum of Science [virtual]
Wednesday, December 30th - 7:30pm
End of Year Poetry Celebration w/ Cynthia Brackett-Vincent - Burlington Writers Workshop [virtual]
Thursday, December 31st - 4pm
First Night North: An At-Home NYE Celebration of the Arts - Catamount Film and Arts [virtual]
Visit Junction for more events. If you have an event you’d like to see added, please email: calendar@junctionmagazine.com
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