Solstices brought Mayan communities together, using monuments shaped by science and religion

Structures aligned with solar events served various purposes: science, farming, religion and even politics.

An “E-Group” construction at the ancient Maya site of Caracol, in present-day Belize. Gerardo Aldana

June 25, 2024
By Gerardo Aldana

(The Conversation) — K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil knew his history.

For 11 generations, the Mayan ruler’s dynasty had ruled Copan, a city-state near today’s border between Honduras and Guatemala. From the fifth century C.E. into the seventh century, scribes painted his ancestors’ genealogies into manuscripts and carved them in stone monuments throughout the city.

Around 650, one particular piece of architectural history appears to have caught his eye.

Centuries before, village masons built special structures for public ceremonies to view the Sun – ceremonies that were temporally anchored to the solstices, like the one that will occur June 20, 2024. Building these types of architectural complexes, which archaeologists call “E-Groups,” had largely fallen out of fashion by K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil’s time.

But aiming to realize his ambitious plans for his city, he seems to have found inspiration in these astronomical public spaces, as I’ve written about in my research on ancient Mayan hieroglyphically recorded astronomy.

A section of the ancient Maya ‘Madrid Codex,’ including information on astronomy.
Andrew Dalby/Wikimedia Commons

K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil’s innovations are a reminder that science changes through discovery or invention – but also occasionally for personal or political purposes, particularly in the ancient world.
Viewing the horizon

E-Groups were first constructed in the Mayan region as early as 1000 B.C.E. The site of Ceibal, on the banks of the Pasión River in central Guatemala, is one such example. There, residents built a long, plastered platform bordering the eastern edge of a large plaza. Three structures were arranged along a north-south axis atop this platform, with roofs tall enough to rise above the rainforest floral canopy.

Within the center of the plaza, to the west of the platform, they built a radially symmetric pyramid. From there, observers could follow sunrise behind and between the structures on the platform over the course of the year.

At one level, the earliest E-Group complexes served very practical purposes. In Preclassic villages where these complexes have been found, like Ceibal, populations of several hundred to a few thousand lived on “milpa” or “slash-and-burn” farming techniques practices still maintained in pueblos throughout Mesoamerica today. Farmers chop down brush vegetation, then burn it to fertilize the soil. This requires careful attention to the rainy season, which was tracked in ancient times by following the position of the rising Sun at the horizon.

Most of the sites in the Classic Mayan heartland, however, are located in flat, forested landscapes with few notable features along the horizon. Only a green sea of the floral canopy meets the eye of an observer standing on a tall pyramid.



A small pyramid in the ancient Mayan city of Copan.
Wirestock/iStock via Getty Images Plus

By punctuating the horizon, the eastern structures of E-Group complexes could be used to mark the solar extremes. Sunrise behind the northernmost structure of the eastern platform would be observed on the summer solstice. Sunrise behind the southernmost structure marked the winter solstice. The equinoxes could be marked halfway between, when the Sun rose due east.

Scholars are still debating key factors of these complexes, but their religious significance is well attested. Caches of finely worked jade and ritual pottery reflect a cosmology oriented around the four cardinal directions, which may have coordinated with the E-Group’s division of the year.
Fading knowledge

K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil’s citizenry, however, would have been less attuned to direct celestial observations than their ancestors.

By the seventh century, Mayan political organization had changed significantly. Copan had grown to as many as 25,000 residents, and agricultural technologies also changed to keep up. Cities of the Classic period practiced multiple forms of intensive agriculture that relied on sophisticated water management strategies, buffering the need to meticulously follow the horizon movement of the Sun.

E-Group complexes continued to be built into the Classic period, but they were no longer oriented to sunrise, and they served political or stylistic purposes rather than celestial views.

Such a development, I think, resonates today. People pay attention to the changing of the seasons, and they know when the summer solstice occurs thanks to a calendar app on their phones. But they probably don’t remember the science: how the tilt of the Earth and its path around the Sun make it appear as though the Sun itself travels north or south along the eastern horizon.
United through ritual

During the mid-seventh century, K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil had developed ambitious plans for his city – and astronomy provided one opportunity to help achieve them.

He is known today for his extravagant burial chamber, exemplifying the success he eventually achieved. This tomb is located in the heart of a magnificent structure, fronted by the “Hieroglyphic Stairway”: a record of his dynasty’s history that is one of the largest single inscriptions in ancient history.


Stela M and the Hieroglyphic Stairway at the archeological site of Copan.
Peter Andersen/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Eying opportunities to transform Copan into a regional power, K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil looked for alliances beyond his local nobility, and he reached out to nearby villages.

Over the past century, several scholars, including me, have investigated the astronomical component to his plan. It appears that K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil commissioned a set of stone monuments or “stelae,” positioned within the city and in the foothills of the Copan Valley, which tracked the Sun along the horizon.

Like E-Group complexes, these monuments engaged the public in solar observations. Taken together, the stelae created a countdown to an important calendric event, orchestrated by the Sun.

Back in the 1920s, archaeologist Sylvanus Morley noted that from Stela 12, to the east of the city, one could witness the Sun set behind Stela 10, on a foothill to the west, twice each year. Half a century later, archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni recognized that these two sunsets defined 20-day intervals relative to the equinoxes and the zenith passage of the Sun, when shadows of vertical objects disappear. Twenty days is an important interval in the Mayan calendar and corresponds to the length of a “month” in the solar year.

My own research showed that the dates on several stelae also commemorate some of these 20-day interval events. In addition, they all lead up to a once-every-20-year event called a “katun end.”


The altar from Quirigua, displayed in the San Diego Museum of Man.
Daderot/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil celebrated this katun end, setting his plans for regional hegemony in motion at Quirigua, a growing, influential city some 30 miles away. A round altar there carries an image of him, commemorating his arrival. The hieroglyphic text tells us that K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil “danced” at Quirigua, cementing an alliance between the two cities.

In other words, K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil’s “solar stelae” did more than track the Sun. The monuments brought communities together to witness astronomical events for shared cultural and religious experiences, reaching across generations.

Coming together to appreciate the natural cycles that make life on Earth possible is something that – I hope – will never fade with fashion.

(Gerardo Aldana, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

UNESCO wants to add Stonehenge to list of endangered heritage sites

Paris (AFP) – The UN's cultural organisation said Monday it recommended adding Stonehenge, the renowned prehistoric site in England, to its world heritage in danger list, in what would be seen as an embarrassment for London.

Issued on: 25/06/2024

Stonehenge in southwest England -- carved and constructed at a time when there were no metal tools -- symbolises Britain's semi-mythical pre-historic period, and has spawned countless legends 

© William EDWARDS / AFP

The site has been in the UN organisation's sights because of British government plans to construct a controversial road tunnel near the world heritage site in southwestern England.

In a written decision seen by AFP, the World Heritage Committee recommended that Stonehenge be added to the UN body's heritage in danger list "with a view to mobilising international support".

The decision will have to be voted upon by the member states of the World Heritage Committee at a meeting in New Delhi in July.

One diplomat told AFP that the decision will likely be approved.

Stonehenge has had UNESCO world heritage status since 1986.

Placement on the UN body's heritage in danger list is seen as a dishonour by some countries.

Last July the British government approved the construction of a controversial road tunnel near Stonehenge despite efforts by campaigners to halt the £1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) project.

The diplomat pointed out that London had decided to approve the project "despite repeated warnings from the World Heritage Committee since 2017."

The planned tunnel is intended to ease congestion on an existing main road to southwest England that gets especially busy during the peak holiday periods.

Experts have warned of "permanent, irreversible harm" to the area.

Druids have held protests against the tunnel at a site they consider sacred and where they celebrate the summer and winter solstice -- the longest and shortest days of the year.

Built in stages between around 3,000 and 2,300 BCE, Stonehenge is one of the world's most important prehistoric megalithic monuments in terms of its size, sophisticated layout and architectural precision.

UNESCO runs a list of sites with World Heritage status around the world, a prestigious title that countries compete to bestow on their most famous natural and man-made locations.

A listing can help boost tourism -- but it comes with obligations to protect the site.

The port city of Liverpool in northwest England lost its World Heritage status for its docks in 2021 after UNESCO experts concluded that new real estate developments in the city had taken too much of a toll on its historical fabric.

© 2024 AFP

Astrologers issue urgent warning for people to 'brace for conflict'

Astrologers claim this full moon will have people at odds

Story by Belinda Cleary For Daily Mail Australia •

HARDLY POLITICAL ASTROLOGY


People will be pushed to breaking point on Friday and over the weekend thanks to the conflict-causing celestial combination of Capricorn's full moon and the summersolstice 

© Provided by Daily Mail

People will be pushed to breaking point on Friday and over the weekend thanks to the conflict-causing celestial combination of Capricorn's full moon and the winter solstice.

The two celestial events are just a day apart this year, but according to intuitive astrologer Rose Smith they are at odds with each other.

The astrologer warns many will be torn and 'chaos will come calling'.

'People will feel out of sorts and frustrated as hard-working, diligent and responsible Capricorn wants us to be responsible and get work done – but the winter solstice is calling us to rest and reflect,' Ms Smith said.

She's warned everyone to 'be careful' during the particularly tricky weekend.

'Accidents can happen when a person or situation is pushing us to go harder, when we are also being beckoned to relax. If our energy is not in alignment and our minds are elsewhere, chaos can come calling,' she said.

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, having the least daylight hours.

This year it falls on Friday, June 21st at 6.50am AEST, around 24 hours before the Capricorn full moon at 11.07am AEST the next day (June 22nd).

'We need to slow down around the winter solstice, for at least a week, get more sleep and remove stress from our lives,' Ms Smith said.

'But on the flipside full moons can be associated with turbulence, and appearing in Capricorn, some people could feel a pull to flog themselves on many fronts and not slacken off.

'As a result – expect headaches! When you should be resting at home, you'll feel the need to clean up and clear out. But it's not the best time to be starting new projects, jobs or even new relationships.

'I'd encourage people to be more self-reflective, meditative and examine their dreams at this time. Think about the future, prepare and plan – but act on these things at the end of winter, rather than actively go out and try to achieve these things now.'

Ms Smith, who also runs Absolute Soul Secrets, the largest psychic network based in the Southern Hemisphere, stressed while all star signs will be affected by Capricorn's influence during the full moon other earth signs Taurus and Virgo will feel its force more intensely.



'I'd encourage people to be more self-reflective, meditative and examine their dreams at this time. Think about the future, prepare and plan – but act on these things at the end of Winter, rather than actively go out and try to achieve these things now.'© Provided by Daily Mail

'Elements earth, fire, air and water are influential in astrology so to be more specific we can look for their connections,' Ms Smith said.

Ms Smith said star sign modes are even more important because astrology is based on the seasons.

'Cardinal signs mark the start of seasons, followed by fixed signs in the middle, and mutable signs at the end,' Ms Smith said.


'Capricorn is a cardinal sign – hence signifying the start of winter in the southern hemisphere. Other cardinal signs starting a season are Aries, Cancer and Libra.

'It's better to work with the seasons than against them, so why bring more conflict at this time?

'Capricorn is also ruled by Saturn, the planet of rules and discipline. But my advice at the moment is to just chill!

'Start a fire… a bonfire outside or have a fire going inside (if you have one!) – the yellow and red energy in wintertime is beneficial and healing.'

In the Northern Hemisphere, this month's full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon, occurring at the perfect time to gather ripened wild strawberries in North America. Spiritually the effects are positive signifying abundance and joy around harvest time.

'In the Southern Hemisphere being winter solstice time, just remember things will start to move forward again and you will start to feel more energetic once it's over,' she said.


'With shorter, darker days at the moment explore within yourself first and venture out into the world later… you could be integrating energies rather than putting energy into outside world.'

When can you see this month's full moon in Capricorn?

The moon will be reaching its peak on Saturday, June 22ndat 11.07am AEST.

Here's what the Strawberry Full Moon has in store for you


Aries (March 21 to April 19)

You may be feeling ambitious, full of drive in your career or public life and encouraged by this full moon. However, things can also go pie-eyed as turbulent emotions also rise to the surface.

A woman may be instrumental here. Communications on social media can go two ways, either over-sharing too much of your personal life or sharing just enough that it gets you noticed.

The trick here is to allow the gold nuggets of your ideas to surface while listening to all parts of yourself but not acting on everything that floats across your mental landscape. Sorting good ideas from those that don't work can be an art form.


So be patient and consider carefully what you say and do. Family and home matters in the background can present some challenges.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20)

The world is vast, and the possibilities are endless! Now is the time to think about how you fit into the bigger picture. What is your true role or position in the world? Embrace opportunities to expand your life through travel, education, and spirituality.

However, the choice is yours to make or not make; otherwise, circumstances may decide for you. You are likely on the brink of gaining new wisdom and insights.

Whether through actual journeys or symbolic quests, there are opportunities for you involving great learning experiences. Grab those with both hands if you can.

These will accelerate your personal growth with enthusiasm. Life today can be more than mere work and responsibilities. Embrace experiences that evoke awe, excitement, and wonder.


Gemini (May 21 to June 20)

Your communications and clever thinking can get you places. You could have a silver tongue right now and charm yourself into positions where secrets and hidden matters are revealed.

Investments, real estate and personal finances might also be on your agenda, although this could be through challenges rather than financial situations you would like.

Taxes, loans and superannuation could be similarly affected. On the other hand, the need for intimacy may call for some decision making. It's easy to think or perhaps even talk about your need for closeness and affection, but what are you actually doing about it? You could be in two minds about getting closer to someone, which is understandable.

Are you prepared to allow yourself to take a chance by being a little bit more vulnerable?

Cancer (June 21 to July 22)

You could be somewhat conflicted between your emotions and the pull of a significant other. You can probably feel this pull encouraging more independence on your part driving you forward into the world.


However, emotions especially around relationships and your own autonomy could come to loggerheads unless you can find the balance point between your own needs and the needs of partners.

Try to find a compromise position on things that are not very important whilst sticking to your core values simultaneously. Responsibility, steadfastness and reliability are keywords for you this month.

Remember not to throw out any babies with bathwater too! Legalities or issues with 'open enemies' – those you don't get along with may also surface.

Leo (July 23 to August 22)

Sometimes it's hard to keep a clear head! Emotions and uninvited subconscious contents may invade your brain space interfering with logic and reason.

It's ok... happens to the best of us. Just allow whatever comes up, to do so without trying to put the kybosh on your inner world. You don't have to be logical all the time.


In fact, that approach is what ails western societies in general. Find the balance between your waking life, dreams and your deeper world.

Pay attention to your inner life now as there are important messages coming up. Your everyday work, habits and routine could be punctuated with these messages from other realms.

These are great for giving you an edge on work, health and routine. Follow what your subconscious is trying to tell you now.

Virgo (August 23 to September 22)

You may feel in two minds now. Will you be responsible, committed and reliable or tear away, fun loving and free.

Your creative juices are likely stirring encouraging you towards socialising, having fun and giving your inner child an open pass. A bit of both may be a good idea? Can you balance your responsibilities with your carefree and light-hearted self?

This full moon could be causing a bit of conflict between what you think you should be doing versus how you feel. Liberation is at hand... find the balance by taking the middle path.


Leisure and pleasure is calling you. You never know... you could meet someone special while out gallivanting. Children could also feature strongly now – yours, someone else's and most importantly... your own inner child.

Libra (September 23 to October 22)

Home and family bring responsibilities and a plethora of considerations to mentally tie yourself in knots over.

As an air sign, you love to think and have brilliant ideas about all sorts of things. However, this full moon brings into sharp focus to your obligations closer to home.

This could be advantageous however, as you may feel driven to accomplish some difficult tasks around the home that you rarely do. You may look at the ugly, aesthetically displeasing and downright disorganised mess that is often too hard to deal with.

This time can be different as you can accomplish by cleaning up and cleaning out whatever has to be done... whether it be, that kitchen draw full of unnecessary clutter or that old relationship that is wearing you down. Career or public life matters are also calling you too.


Scorpio (October 23 to November 21)

You could feel a little conflicted between how you feel and what you're actually expected to do in a situation around study, your community or perhaps related to a distant relative.

Responsibilities are weighing heavy at the moment as you could also be quite active or busy in your local area.

There seems to be lots of little jobs and errands to be done. Studying, learning, marketing or promotion could also take your focus. Your intense personality could also be gripped by the need to be reliable and get things done which could further complicate your personal life.

The mystical side of life could also play its part so that you feel somewhat torn between daydreaming of a better future and what is actually happening right now.

Focus on the small things first and work your way up to larger issues in time.

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21)


You could be feeling more strongly about your personal finances. Perhaps you're trying to hold onto money or personal possessions in some way, when it might be better to let some things go.

Are you making full use of everything your own? Your subconscious is bringing up old emotions and behaviour patterns from the past regarding money and possessions – both personal or those you share with another.

You are now becoming more aware of your financial patterns and what you can do about them. Your values are also changing and other things such as intimacy or lack of it become more important.

Ultimately, the challenges that you have now will bring payoffs in the future, so grab all silver linings with both hands.

Capricorn (December 22nd to January 19)

The full moon in your sign is really showing you what's important in how you express yourself to the world. You may be feeling a sense of responsibility and weight upon your shoulders to always act diligently and carefully.


You know, sometimes it's okay to rely on another for help! You don't have to do everything on your own.

This full moon is casting a light onto matters of independence versus yourself in important relationships. Perhaps you can compromise a little bit on things that are not so important to you, but very important to the other person.

You may also change your appearance to better suit your new identity that is coming through... time for an update now.

I know you may not think so yet, but the time will come when you realise that expressing your authenticity is paramount to your own well-being.

Aquarius (January 20th to February 18)

A deep rumbling within is making its presence felt. All is not as it seems and it would do you good to sit down and write or express your true feelings about a certain issue.

You may be feeling overwhelmed or weighed down by responsibilities and obligations. Everyday routines, habits, work or health may also add weight to your already burdened shoulders.


However, a change in routine or everyday life can improve matters. So set about working out how you can transform your everyday life.

Some may consider a change in job because it's really important to feel fulfilled on an everyday basis. Whilst reliability and steadfastness are important, for you dear Aquarius you need freedom from mediocrity.

Let out your revolutionary and unpredictable side!

Pisces (February 19 to March 20)

You may find that responsible and reliable friends draw closer to you, while those who are more carefree and indifferent may lose their appeal.

Unexpected changes could occur within your circle of friends, groups, and associations, possibly leading you to either form or depart from a group—and that's perfectly alright; change can be refreshing.

Throughout this period, your appreciation for steadfast companions is likely to grow, influencing your aspirations and causing you to reconsider your life goals in favour of more achievable ambitions rather than distant fantasies.

This could be rather challenging especially to your creativity or inner childlike spirit, but rest assured, everything will work out fine in the end. You're coming down to Earth but all you'll get the best of both worlds.

Stonehenge not visibly damaged by protest paint. It’s clean and ready to rock the solstice.

 Revelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, June 21, 2023. Summer kicks off in the Northern Hemisphere once again with the summer solstice

By Brian Melley - Associated Press - Thursday, June 20, 2024

LONDON — Stonehenge monuments that have stood for thousands of years appear unscathed after climate protesters were arrested for spraying orange paint on them, an official said Thursday.

Workers cleaned the stones and the roughly 4,500-year-old monument was visibly undamaged, said Nick Merriman, the chief executive of English Heritage.

“It’s difficult to understand and we’re deeply saddened,” Merriman told BBC Radio 4. “It’s vandalism to one of the world’s most celebrated ancient monuments.”

The UNESCO World Heritage Site site reopened and was expected to host thousands of revelers celebrating the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, early Friday.

Stonehenge was built on a windswept plain in southern England in stages starting 5,000 years ago. Its origin and purpose remain somewhat of a mystery though the stone circle aligns with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset, drawing crowds of spiritualists, druids and sun worshippers.

A 73-year-old man and 21-year-old woman were released on bail Thursday after being arrested a day earlier on suspicion of criminal damage, damaging an ancient monument and deterring a person from engaging in a lawful activity.

The climate change activism group Just Stop Oil took responsibility for the act Wednesday and released video showing a man it identified as Rajan Naidu blast a fog of orange from a fire extinguisher at one of the vertical stones.

People gathered at the site could be heard yelling “stop” and one person intervened, running up to Naidu and grabbing his arm. As the person struggled to pull him away from the monument, another man joined the tussle and and wrestled the paint can free.

The second protester, identified as Niamh Lynch, 21, managed to spray three stones before she was stopped.

Just Stop Oil said the paint was made of cornstarch and would dissolve in the rain.

Merriman said experts cleaned the orange powder from the stones because they were concerned about how it might react to water.

The publicity stunt was among a long line of disruptive acts by Just Stop Oil to draw attention to the climate crisis. The protests have halted sporting events, sullied famous works of art and caused traffic jams. The acts have led to convictions, jail terms and widespread criticism.

The Stonehenge demonstration was swiftly condemned by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called it a “disgraceful act of vandalism.” His main opponent in the election next month, Labour leader Keir Starmer, called the group “pathetic” and said the damage was “outrageous.”

The group struck again Friday when it took credit for spray painting private jets at an airport outside London. Two women were arrested.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Ti

Just Stop Oil activists paint Stonehenge orange; two arrested 

WANKERS


“It’s time for us to think about what our civilization will leave behind -- what is our legacy?” Niamh Lynch, an Oxford University student, said. “Standing inert for generations works well for stones -- not climate policy.” Photo courtesy Just Stop Oil


June 19 (UPI) -- Two British climate change activists from the group Just Stop Oil on Wednesday were taken into custody after spray-painting the ancient site at Stonehenge, the prehistoric megalithic structure, the color orange to protest the country's ongoing use of fossil fuels.

The local Wiltshire Police confirmed two arrests of Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 21, at the ancient Stonehenge site in southern England roughly 88 miles, southwest of the country's capital London.

"At around noon, we responded to a report that orange paint had been sprayed on some of the stones by two suspects," the Wiltshire police said in a statement. "Officers attended the scene and arrested two people on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument. Our inquiries are ongoing."

The vandalism to the ancient site came as thousands are expected to descend on the area the next day Thursday for the summer solstice, the earliest in 228 years since 1796.

"It's time for us to think about what our civilization will leave behind -- what is our legacy?" Lynch, an Oxford University student, said. "Standing inert for generations works well for stones -- not climate policy."

Just Stop Oil said the orange paint was made of cornstarch, "which will wash away in the rain, but the urgent need for effective government action to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of the climate and ecological crisis will not," the group posted on X along with a video of Lynch and Naidu getting arrested.

Both Britain's major political party leaders condemned the group's actions as the country is barely two weeks out from a general election which the current conservative government is widely viewed as likely to lose.

"This is a disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the U.K.'s and the world's oldest and most important monuments," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on X.

It came nearly a week after the Labor Party's manifesto recommitted Britain to ending all future oil and gas licenses if Labor wins the July 4 parliamentary election, as many have surmised it will, but Just Stop Oil contends the Labor's plan does not go far enough.

"The U.K.'s government in waiting has committed to enacting Just Stop Oil's original demand of 'no new oil and gas,'" a Just Stop Oil spokesperson said. "However, we all know this is not enough."

"Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions. We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything," Just Stop Oil said. "That's why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030."

Photo courtesy Just Stop Oil

But Labor Party leader Keir Starmer called the "damage" done to Stonehenge "outrageous."

"Just Stop Oil are pathetic," Starmer put on social media Wednesday morning local time. "Those responsible must face the full force of the law."

In reply to Starmer about a half hour later, Just Stop Oil willingly took responsibility.

"We are accountable for our actions," the group posted on X Wednesday morning local time. "When will the oil and gas executives responsible for destroying the lives of millions of people face the full force of the law?"

The group, known for leveling a series or similar past actions in protest of climate change, threw soup in 2022 over Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting in London as part of a protest against climate change the same year a man in the Netherlands in western Europe attempted to glue his head to Johannes Vermeer's iconic painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" in a Dutch museum.


Just Stop Oil also gave warning of a "failure to commit to defending our communities" which, Just Stop Oil claims, citizens in other countries in Europe like Austria, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland "will join in resistance this summer, if their own Governments do not take meaningful action."

 The Origins and Traditions of May Day

I wrote the Origins and Traditions of Mayday in 1997. Yes way back then, it was one of my first web postings. It was used to launch MayDay on the Web and the Edmonton May Week celebrations that have continued since.

Here it is again and the original web page is here.

An Australian labour historian used it as the basis for his article on May Day which expands on my points.

THE ORIGINS AND TRADITIONS OF MAYDAY

By Eugene W. Plawiuk

The international working class holiday; Mayday,
originated in pagan Europe. It was a festive holy day
celebrating the first spring planting. The ancient
Celts and Saxons celebrated May 1st as Beltane or the
day of fire. Bel was the Celtic god of the sun.

The Saxons began their May day celebrations on the eve
of May, April 30. It was an evening of games and
feasting celebrating the end of winter and the return
of the sun and fertility of the soil. Torch bearing
peasants and villager would wind their way up paths to
the top of tall hills or mountain crags and then
ignite wooden wheels which they would roll down into
the fields

The May eve celebrations were eventually outlawed by
the Catholic church, but were still celebrated by
peasants until the late 1700's. While good church
going folk would shy away from joining in the
celebrations, those less afraid of papal authority
would don animal masks and various costumes, not
unlike our modern Halloween. The revelers, lead by the
Goddess of the Hunt; Diana (sometimes played by a
pagan-priest in women's clothing) and the Horned God;
Herne, would travel up the hill shouting, chanting and
singing, while blowing hunting horns. This night
became known in Europe as Walpurgisnacht, or night of
the witches

The Celtic tradition of Mayday in the British isles
continued to be celebrated through-out the middle ages
by rural and village folk. Here the traditions were
similar with a goddess and god of the hunt.

As European peasants moved away from hunting gathering
societies their gods and goddesses changed to reflect
a more agrarian society. Thus Diana and Herne came to
be seen by medieval villagers as fertility deities of
the crops and fields. Diana became the Queen of the
May and Herne became Robin Goodfellow (a predecessor
of Robin Hood) or the Green Man.

The Queen of the May reflected the life of the fields
and Robin reflected the hunting traditions of the
woods. The rites of mayday were part and parcel of
pagan celebrations of the seasons. Many of these pagan
rites were later absorbed by the Christian church in
order to win over converts from the 'Old Religion'.

Mayday celebrations in Europe varied according to
locality, however they were immensely popular with
artisans and villagers until the 19th Century. The
Christian church could not eliminate many of the
traditional feast and holy days of the Old Religion so
they were transformed into Saint days.

During the middle ages the various trade guilds
celebrated feast days for the patron saints of their
craft. The shoemakers guild honored St. Crispin, the
tailors guild celebrated Adam and Eve. As late as the
18th century various trade societies and early
craft-unions would enter floats in local parades still
depicting Adam and Eve being clothed by the Tailors
and St. Crispin blessing the shoemaker.

The two most popular feast days for Medieval craft
guilds were the Feast of St. John, or the Summer
Solstice and Mayday. Mayday was a raucous and fun
time, electing a queen of the May from the eligible
young women of the village, to rule the crops until
harbest. Our tradition of beauty pagents may have
evolved , albeit in a very bastardized form, from the
May Queen.

Besides the selection of the May Queen was the raising
of the phallic Maypole, around which the young single
men and women of the village would dance holding on to
the ribbons until they became entwined, with their (
hoped for) new love.

And of course there was Robin Goodfellow, or the Green
Man who was the Lord of Misrule for this day. Mayday
was a celebration of the common people, and Robin
would be the King/Priest/Fool for a day. Priests and
Lords were the butt of many jokes, and the Green Man
and his supporters; mummers would make jokes and poke
fun of the local authorities. This tradition of satire
is still conducted today in Newfoundland, with the
Christmas Mummery.

The church and state did not take kindly to these
celebrations, especially during times of popular
rebellion. Mayday and the Maypole were outlawed in the
1600's. Yet the tradition still carried on in many
rural areas of England. The trade societies still
celebrated Mayday until the 18th Century.

As trade societies evolved from guilds, to friendly
societies and eventually into unions, the craft
traditions remained strong into the early 19th
century. In North America Dominion Day celebrations in
Canada and July 4th celebrations in the United States
would be celebrated by tradesmen still decorating
floats depicting their ancient saints such as St.
Crispin.

Our modern celebration of Mayday as a working class
holiday evolved from the struggle for the eight hour
day in 1886. May 1, 1886 saw national strikes in the
United States and Canada for an eight hour day called
by the Knights of Labour. In Chicago police attacked
striking workers killing six.
The next day at a demonstration in Haymarket Square to
protest the police brutality a bomb exploded in the
middle of a crowd of police killing eight of them. The
police arrested eight anarchist trade unionists
claiming they threw the bombs. To this day the subject
is still one of controversy. The question remains
whether the bomb was thrown by the workers at the
police or whether one of the police's own agent
provocateurs dropped it in their haste to retreat from
charging workers.

In what was to become one of the most infamous show
trials in America in the 19th century, but certainly
not to be the last of such trials against radical
workers, the State of Illinois tried the anarchist
workingmen for fighting for their rights as much as
being the actual bomb throwers. Whether the anarchist
workers were guilty or innocent was irrelevant. They
were agitators, fomenting revolution and stirring up
the working class, and they had to be taught a lesson.

Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engle and Adolph
Fischer were found guilty and executed by the State of
Illinois.

In Paris in 1889 the International Working Men's
Association (the First International) declared May 1st
an international working class holiday in
commemoration of the Haymarket Martyrs. The red flag
became the symbol of the blood of working class
martyrs in their battle for workers rights.

Mayday, which had been banned for being a holiday of
the common people, had been reclaimed once again for
the common people.

 

Monday, May 01, 2006

PINK MOON

Bid to shed light on whether Moon could have influenced Stonehenge’s design

English Heritage will work with experts at four other leading institutions on the project 

(Andrew Matthews/PA)

TUE, 23 APR, 2024 - 
HARRY STEDMAN, PA

Researchers are looking into a possible link between the formation of Stonehenge and the positions of the Moon in the night sky.

English Heritage will work with experts at four other leading institutions on the project to investigate if the landmark’s stones align with the Moon during the upcoming “major lunar standstill”.


The phenomenon, which occurs every 18.6 years, sees the northernmost and southernmost positions of the Moon rising and setting at their furthest apart.

It is hoped the research will shed some light on whether these lunar movements could have influenced Stonehenge’s design and purpose


With the standstill happening so rarely, it is thought the event may have marked huge celebrations of religious, spiritual and social significance in ancient times.

Stonehenge’s links with another celestial body, the Sun, are well documented, with the monument built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset.

While the cycle of the Sun takes roughly one year, the Moon has both a shorter cycle that completes every month and the major lunar standstill.

During the standstill the Moon rises and sets at a place on the horizon that the Sun never reaches.

Jennifer Wexler, English Heritage historian for Stonehenge, said: “Rarer even than once in a blue moon, this opportunity allows us to delve deeper into the monument’s ancient mysteries and its relationship with celestial phenomena.

Many people visit Stonehenge annually for the winter solstice celebrations (Ben Birchall/PA)

“We’ll be inviting the public to join us through a series of events this year as we take one more small step towards unravelling of the secrets of Stonehenge.”

Experts from the universities of Oxford, Leicester and Bournemouth and the Royal Astronomical Society will help with the project, with research starting this spring and continuing up to the middle of 2025.

The southernmost moonrise at Stonehenge will be livestreamed by English Heritage for members of the public to watch.

Dr Amanda Chadburn, visiting fellow at Bournemouth University and a member of Kellogg College at the University of Oxford, said: “Observing this connection first-hand in 2024 and 2025 is crucial. Unlike the Sun, tracking the Moon’s extremes isn’t straightforward, requiring specific timing and weather conditions.

“We want to understand something of what it was like to experience these extreme moonrises and sets and to witness their visual effects on the stones (for example, patterns of light and shadow), and consider modern influences like traffic and trees, and to document all of this through photography for future study.”

Clive Ruggles, Emeritus Professor at Leicester University, said: “Stonehenge’s architectural connection to the Sun is well known, but its link with the Moon is less well understood.

Spring equinox 2024: When it is and why it's also called the vernal equinox

Tiffany Acosta
Arizona Republic


Spring is blooming and with it comes the spring equinox. This celestial event occurs annually, marking the moment when the Earth's axis is neither tilted away from nor toward the sun, resulting in nearly equal lengths of day and night across the globe.

This phenomenon symbolizes the transition from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere and from summer to autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Beyond its astronomical significance, the spring equinox holds cultural, spiritual and metaphorical importance for many people worldwide. Throughout history, cultures have marked this occasion with festivals and ceremonies.

Here is everything you need to know about the spring equinox.

When is the spring equinox 2024?

The spring equinox officially starts at 8:06 p.m. Arizona time on Tuesday, March 19.
What is the difference between spring equinox and vernal equinox?

According to NASA, the terms "spring equinox" and "vernal equinox" refer to the same astronomical event and are used interchangeably. Both terms describe the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator, moving from south to north.

Why is it called vernal equinox?

The term "vernal equinox" originates from Latin, where "vernal" means spring and "equinox" denotes the equal length of day and night. The term "vernal equinox" specifically emphasizes the seasonal aspect while "spring equinox" is more generic, referring to the equinox that occurs in springtime.
Is spring equinox always March 21?

No. The spring equinox does not always occur on March 21. While March 21 is often cited as the date of the spring equinox, it can occur on March 20 or 21st, depending on the year and time zone, according to Almanac.com. This variation is due to the complexities of Earth's orbit around the Sun and the adjustments made in the calendar system to account for these movements.

What happens at the spring equinox?

The spring equinox marks the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator, heading northward. On this occasion, day and night are approximately of equal duration all over the Earth, according to the National Weather Service.

The spring equinox is considered the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Cultures around the world have celebrated this event for centuries through various rituals, festivals and traditions, often focusing on themes of fertility, growth and the balance between light and dark.

Will spring come early 2024?

Sorry, Punxsutawney Phil, but predicting whether spring will come early in a specific year depends on numerous factors such as weather patterns, atmospheric conditions and regional climate dynamics.

While the spring equinox occurs at a fixed point in time each year, the arrival of warmer temperatures, the blooming of flowers and other signs of spring can vary.


Some years may experience earlier spring due to warmer weather patterns or climate variability, while others may see colder temperatures lingering longer.

The spring equinox typically falls on March 20 or 21, but in a leap year like 2024, when February has an extra day, the equinox may occur a bit earlier.
What are the 4 equinox dates?

Here are the 2024 equinox and solstice dates, according to the National Weather Service:
Spring (vernal) equinox: March 19, 2024, at 9:06 p.m.
Summer solstice: June 20, 2024, at 2:51 p.m.
Autumn equinox: Sept. 22, 2024, at 6:43 a.m.
Winter solstice: Dec. 20, 2024, at 2:20 a.m.

All times are Arizona time.
What does the spring equinox symbolize?

The spring equinox symbolizes renewal and rejuvenation, the transition from darkness to light as nature emerges from the dormancy of winter.

Many cultures observe the spring equinox with festivals and rituals centered around fertility, abundance and the renewal of life, according to the almanac.com.

Ancient monuments such as the Sphinx in Egypt and Angkor Wat in Cambodia align with the equinox, showcasing humanity's historical reverence for this celestial event.

The spring equinox is also regarded as a time for balance, harmony and personal growth.
Yes, 'SNL' took on Kyrsten Sinema. No, it wasn't funny. Scarlett Johansson was, thoughWhen is the solar eclipse 2024? Here's how much of it you'll be able to see in ArizonaWhat time is the State of the Union? How to watch it — and the predictable media coverageHow to watch and stream the Oscars — and why this year you really should

Why is it called equinox?

The term "equinox" comes from the Latin words "aequus," meaning equal, and "nox," meaning night. It is called so because during the equinox, day and night are approximately equal in length.

It's a moment of balance and symmetry in the Earth's orbit around the sun, symbolizing the cyclical nature of time and the changing of seasons.

 Opinion

Rabbi David Wolpe’s pagans aren’t the ones I know

The distinguished rabbi characterizes a broad collection of small faiths as idolators of nature or money.

(Image by Rihaij/Pixabay/Creative Commons)

January 2, 2024

By 

Nathan M. Hall

(RNS) — The rising sun is shining through my south-facing windows, just over a week after the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. As a scientifically minded person, I understand that this means that the amount of daylight minutes will be increasing until the summer solstice in June. As a modern Pagan (yes, with a capital “P”), I celebrate it as a return of the light after the dark half of the year, bringing clarity and illumination.

It’s clear that I’m not the kind of Pagan Rabbi David Wolpe wrote about last week in The Atlantic in his essay “The Return of the Pagans,” and I can’t say I know any who are. Wolpe, a distinguished rabbi in Los Angeles for most of his career and now a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School, working from a monotheistic worldview — one specifically rooted in the Bible — describes Pagans as the arch embodiments of evil or simply idolaters. 

“The worship of natural forces generally takes two forms: the deification of nature, and the deification of force,” Wolpe states at the outset of his essay, and concludes, “Hug a tree or a dollar bill, and the pagan in you shines through.”

Wealth is a particularly odd attraction to assign to Pagans (“Wealth is a cover for, or a means to, the ultimate object of worship in a pagan society,” he writes later, “which is power”), which shows his confusion about who modern Pagans are. His description of Pagans is so clearly a characterization he sets up in order to puncture some trends of our modern era. In itself, this is fine; I don’t agree with some of them either. But it was unfortunate that he chose to create a straw man of Paganism to knock around.

To do so, Wolpe abandons any nuance in describing cultures of antiquity. While there may be kernels of truth to biblical accounts, to land on them as one’s sole source for information about other religions, much less vast numbers of cultures in human civilization, is distressing. I would attribute it to a lack of intellectual curiosity, but Wolpe, a university lecturer, is known for questioning the historicity of the story of the Bible’s Book of Exodus. He can hardly plead ignorance.

Rabbi David Wolpe in a recent video about Hanukkah on social media. (Video screen grab)

Wolpe’s real point seems to be that people on the left have been promoting the primacy of nature, while those on the right award it to the individual. Both, to him, connote some form of what he calls Paganism.

But having used Paganism to call out the failings of the political left and right and to decry how our culture has ruptured along these lines, Wolpe wants us to believe that, if there is a way out, it’s through someone’s interpretation of the Bible. If only, in Wolpe’s view, we weren’t so focused on the beauty of creation, of the pleasures of the body or the acquisition of material wealth, we would be in a better alignment with what the deity of biblical monotheism intended.

What is Paganism, if not the brittle collection of stereotypes Wolpe has assembled? It’s a term that has historically included those moderns who follow pre-Christian religions from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa — think the beliefs of ancient Greece and Egypt, but also modern-day Druids and Heathens. Paganism in some places includes attempts at reconstructing these ancient religions or devising modern approaches and adaptations that stretch far beyond its history.

It includes practitioners of witchcraft; tree-hugging animists; close-knit, family based groups; and large magickal academies. It includes Indigenous peoples from parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. Most importantly, it includes people from any part of the world who simply decide that Paganism is the best description for what they practice.

In the United States and Europe the term Pagan has anecdotally been fading in recent years, as different individuals’ and groups’ practices have become more clearly defined — though Wolpe’s piece has given it new life. In the short time since it was published on Christmas Day, there has been an uproar from practitioners of this small collection of beliefs and religions who have overwhelmingly rejected his message.

What bothers me most, perhaps, is not that nearly everything Wolpe says about Paganism is simplistic or just plain wrong, or his laziness or even his political argument — it’s where his article appeared.

The Atlantic is read by people of a host of different religious and spiritual worldviews — Christians and Jews, of course, but also Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, followers of African traditional religions, Indigenous North American religions and yes, people who have claimed or inherited the descriptor of Pagan as part of their background. Its readers also include atheists, agnostics and so many more. 

There was certainly a way of calling out the behaviors of the people Wolpe wants to blame for our culture’s dysfunction without demonizing those who believe differently than he does. It speaks to a lack of empathy and ability at a time when we have seen a record number of hateful incidents directed at members of minority faiths, not least antisemitic hate.

That the magazine’s editors didn’t challenge Wolpe’s article for being too myopic is troubling. Pieces like his can commonly be found in publications that skew toward more religiously or politically tailored points of view, where Paganism is used as a stand-in for a collection of traits to be mourned or avoided. I can’t entirely fault a monotheist like Wolpe for seeing his path as the only true and correct way of interacting with the world or divinity, but The Atlantic should have considered the harm of allowing the term “Pagan” to be used as a dog whistle.

(Nathan M. Hall is a freelance journalist and author who lives in Florida. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

Calibrating Instruments For Exoplanets: What Neptune And Uranus Really Look Like

Press Release
University of Oxford
January 6, 2024

Voyager 2/ISS images of Uranus and Neptune released shortly after the Voyager 2 flybys in 1986 and 1989, respectively, compared with a reprocessing of the individual filter images in this study to determine the best estimate of the true colours of these planets. CREDIT Patrick Irwin.

Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green – but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in colour than typically thought.

The correct shades of the planets have been confirmed with the help of research led by Professor Patrick Irwin from the University of Oxford, which has been published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

He and his team found that both worlds are in fact a similar shade of greenish blue, despite the commonly-held belief that Neptune is a deep azure and Uranus has a pale cyan appearance.

Astronomers have long known that most modern images of the two planets do not accurately reflect their true colours.

The misconception arose because images captured of both planets during the 20th century – including by NASA’s Voyager 2 mission, the only spacecraft to fly past these worlds – recorded images in separate colours.

The single-colour images were later recombined to create composite colour images, which were not always accurately balanced to achieve a “true” colour image, and – particularly in the case of Neptune – were often made “too blue”.

In addition, the early Neptune images from Voyager 2 were strongly contrast enhanced to better reveal the clouds, bands, and winds that shape our modern perspective of Neptune.

Professor Irwin said: “Although the familiar Voyager 2 images of Uranus were published in a form closer to ‘true’ colour, those of Neptune were, in fact, stretched and enhanced, and therefore made artificially too blue.”

“Even though the artificially-saturated colour was known at the time amongst planetary scientists – and the images were released with captions explaining it – that distinction had become lost over time.”

“Applying our model to the original data, we have been able to reconstitute the most accurate representation yet of the colour of both Neptune and Uranus.”

In the new study, the researchers used data from Hubble Space Telescope’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. In both instruments, each pixel is a continuous spectrum of colours.

This means that STIS and MUSE observations can be unambiguously processed to determine the true apparent colour of Uranus and Neptune.

Uranus as seen by HST/WFC3 from 2015-2022. During this sequence the north pole, which has a paler green colour, swings down towards the Sun and Earth. In these images the equator and latitude lines at 35N and 35S are marked. CREDIT Patrick Irwin

The researchers used these data to re-balance the composite colour images recorded by the Voyager 2 camera, and also by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).

This revealed that Uranus and Neptune are actually a rather similar shade of greenish blue. The main difference is that Neptune has a slight hint of additional blue, which the model reveals to be due to a thinner haze layer on that planet.

The study also provides an answer to the long-standing mystery of why Uranus’s colour changes slightly during its 84-year orbit of the Sun.

The authors came to their conclusion after first comparing images of the ice giant to measurements of its brightness, which were recorded by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona from 1950 – 2016 at blue and green wavelengths.

These measurements showed that Uranus appears a little greener at its solstices (i.e. summer and winter), when one of the planet’s poles is pointed towards our star. But during its equinoxes – when the Sun is over the equator – it has a somewhat bluer tinge.

Part of the reason for this was known to be because Uranus has a highly unusual spin.

It effectively spins almost on its side during its orbit, meaning that during the planet’s solstices either its north or south pole points almost directly towards the Sun and Earth.

This is important, the authors said, because any changes to the reflectivity of the polar regions would therefore have a big impact on Uranus’s overall brightness when viewed from our planet.

What astronomers were less clear about is how or why this reflectivity differs.

This led the researchers to develop a model which compared the spectra of Uranus’s polar regions to its equatorial regions.

It found that the polar regions are more reflective at green and red wavelengths than at blue wavelengths, partly because methane, which is red absorbing, is about half as abundant near the poles than the equator.

However, this wasn’t enough to fully explain the colour change so the researchers added a new variable to the model in the form of a ‘hood’ of gradually thickening icy haze which has previously been observed over the summer, sunlit pole as the planet moves from equinox to solstice.

Astronomers think this is likely to be made up of methane ice particles.

When simulated in the model, the ice particles further increased the reflection at green and red wavelengths at the poles, offering an explanation as to why Uranus is greener at the solstice.

Professor Irwin said: “This is the first study to match a quantitative model to imaging data to explain why the colour of Uranus changes during its orbit.”

“In this way, we have demonstrated that Uranus is greener at the solstice due to the polar regions having reduced methane abundance but also an increased thickness of brightly scattering methane ice particles.”

Dr Heidi Hammel, of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), who has spent decades studying Neptune and Uranus but was not involved in the study, said: “The misperception of Neptune’s colour, as well as the unusual colour changes of Uranus, have bedevilled us for decades. This comprehensive study should finally put both issues to rest.”

The ice giants Uranus and Neptune remain a tantalising destination for future robotic explorers, building on the legacy of Voyager in the 1980s.

Professor Leigh Fletcher, a planetary scientist from the University of Leicester and co-author of the new study, said: “A mission to explore the Uranian system – from its bizarre seasonal atmosphere, to its diverse collection of rings and moons – is a high priority for the space agencies in the decades to come.”

However, even a long-lived planetary explorer, in orbit around Uranus, would only capture a short snapshot of a Uranian year.

“Earth-based studies like this, showing how Uranus’ appearance and colour has changed over the decades in response to the weirdest seasons in the Solar System, will be vital in placing the discoveries of this future mission into their broader context,” Professor Fletcher added.

Modelling the seasonal cycle of Uranus’s colour and magnitude, and comparison with Neptune, PNAS (open access)

Astrobiology