Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post, from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
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Pull up a chair, get your cup of tea, coffee, or other favorite morning beverage and join us for a neighborly start to the day ahead.
The Vernal (or spring) Equinox always occurs between March 19 and 21. It marks the time the sun’s relative position in the sky crosses the plane of the Earth’s equator as it moves from south to north. On that day, the sun rises exactly in the east and sets in the west.
During the summer months, the sun moves further and further north, until the Summer Solstice. On that day, the sun begins its journey back toward the southern hemisphere. On the Autumnal Equinox, the sun once again crosses the plane of the equator and the winter months begin.
The cycle repeats on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Following the Winter Solstice, the days begin to get longer, although we will still have three or four more months of cold weather.
Unless, of course, you live in Milwaukee. According to a priest I once knew who lived in Milwaukee, summer usually comes to Milwaukee on a Wednesday during August.
A NEW BEGINNING:
The Vernal Equinox is a holy day in many religions and cultures. It marks a new beginning. Spring brings life back from the dreary months of winter. Colors appear in woods, fields, and gardens. Grey and black trees begin to form leaf buds and flowers as the forests turn green again.
Today, Wednesday March 20, 2019 is the Vernal Equinox. The sun crosses the ecliptic plane of the Equator. The earth is tilted 23.5º from the Celestial Equator, which is what gives us our seasons. That event will take place at exactly 5:58 p.m. EDT. Adjust for your own time zone.
For folks from other nations and distant time zones, the Vernal Equinox takes place on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 21:58 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time). For aviators, UTC is called Zulu time. UTC and Zulu times are the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Nevertheless, the spring equinox event is at 21:58 Zulu, no matter where you are on the planet.
Another amazing and unique astronomical event takes place this day. It is the Super Worm Moon. It is the last super moon of the year 2019. According to NASA, the moon will reach its perigee (closest approach to Earth) on Tuesday March 20 at 3:47 p.m. EDT. The moon averages being 240,000 miles from earth. At perigee, the moon will be only 223,300 miles from earth.
However, the moon won’t be completely full until Wednesday at 9:43 p.m. EDT. The moon is usually about 240,000 miles away from Earth, but at perigee this month, it will come within about 223,300 miles of our planet, according to NASA.
What does this have to do with us? Different meanings for different folks. For some it is just another day. For others, it is a time for celebration, feasting, prayer, and/or sacrifice.
For me, personally, this day means something far more special than any I can remember in my own recorded history. We will mark the occasion by taking our telescopes to the top of one of the highest mountains in the Appalachian Mountain chain. It is a time for quiet reflection on what we have lost, and what we have gained. It is a time to think about the future. But most of all, it is a time to reflect on the here and now.
This song says what I want to say. The first verse says it all. The rest of the lyrics flesh out my feelings.
I've spent my life
Looking for you
Finding my way
Wasn't easy to do
But I knew there was you
All the while
And it's been worth
Every mile.
So, lay down beside me
Love me and hide me
And kiss all the hurting
Of this world away
Hold me so close
That I feel your heart beat
And don't ever wander away.
Mornings and evenings
All were the same
There was no music
Till I heard your name
I knew when I saw you smile
And now I can rest for a while
And hold me so close
That I feel your heart beat
And don't ever wander away.
Love me and hide me
Till I feel your heart beat
-- composer: Don Williams
For forty-five years, I have been haunted by a young girl with enormous blue eyes and cascades of auburn hair. John Mayall got it exactly right with these haunting words:
Sometimes a dream will haunt me
And I see a young girl's face
Was she once for real
And did she really share my space
Within the swirling mists of time
It's hard to keep a track of year and place
Scottish songwriter Ewan McColl wrote one of the most beautiful and timeless songs ever composed. It happens to be a love song. He sings of the face that has haunted me, coming to me in dreams for more than four decades. Last night, I looked at a photo of her, the girl as I met her so long ago. I held her in my arms and wept as we listened to this song together. The tears were for the lost decades we missed.
This photo is the best I can do at the moment.
Let’s join thousands of years of human history in celebrating this cosmic event. The path is carved deep in the human soul and experience; from Stonehenge, to the Great Pyramid, to Machu Picchu, and countless other holy places. We walk in their footsteps today.
This special song is for a special woman, Sockpuppet. It was on this beach that one day last October I asked her to spend the rest of her life with me. Then she accepted the ring I slid on her finger. Truly a new beginning.
We are living this piece, here in the southern Appalachians, the place called “Otteray” by the Cherokee.
Get your favorite cup of brew and pull up a chair.
What is your dream for this official beginning of spring and renewal?