Friday, September 22, 2006

The Equality of Light


Sometime late this evening is the Equinox.

The sun will rise due East and it will set due West.

It is the time that the sun passes over the equator.

It's also a time for all kinds of so called Pagan rites.

We think of this day as the day that the day and the night are equal.

According to Wikipedia, not quite.

"An equinox in astronomy is the moment when the Sun is located right over the equator. The event occurs twice a year, around March 20 and September 23. More technically, the equinox happens when the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator and ecliptic intersect. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the center of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night).

In practice, at the equinox, the day is longer than the night. Commonly the day is defined as the period that sunlight reaches the ground in the absence of local obstacles. This is firstly because the Sun is not a single point of light, but appears to be a disc. So when the center of the Sun is still below the horizon, the upper limb is already visible and emits light.

Furthermore, the atmosphere refracts light downwards, so even when the upper limb of the Sun is still below the horizon, its rays already reach around the horizon to the ground. These effects together make the day about 14 minutes longer than the night (at the equator, and more towards the poles).

The real equality of day and night happens a few days towards the winter side of the equinox."

The more we understand our spaceship,

and the way it moves through space and time

and around the sun, as we spiral through the galaxy,

The more we understand at a very deep level, our sublime craft.

It is truly a marvel that our little 23.5 degree tilt causes

our seasons, our change of light, and acts as a signal

for so many natural processes and organic systems.

The geese prepare to make their lovely Vs in the sky.

The butterflies are vibing where their grandparents came from.

Many of the bats under the bridge will go to another home in Mexico.

The snow birds will move down to the coast for a while.

And the young will play drums and trumpets on Friday Night,

and march around in military uniforms with fuzzy hats on,

while their companions dress up in pads and motorcycle helmets.

There is so much beauty and grace during this time of year.

It's a shame we have to spoil it with elections,

and the rampant politics of fear.

In the old days,

Our leaders would promise us prosperity and hope.

Today, they only threaten our freedoms in the name of security

from a foe they have created with their own hands.

Meanwhile, the real threat to our survival continues its march

Through the hinterlands of our consciousness,

passing the equator of understanding,

into the hemisphere of the immoral night


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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Oz, I relly liked your statemennt "Today, they only threaten our freedoms in the name of security from a foe that they have created with their own hands"
They also put their own personal interests above the interests of the common good and the country, violating and contradicting the Constitution they are sworn to uphold, and acting against the best interests of the constituents they are sworn to serve and protect. It's disgusting.
K
K

11:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like "Today, they only threaten our freedoms in the name of security from a foe that they have created with their own hands" a lot.

very easy to understand. SP

1:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish I could post cartoons to your blog
Iggie

4:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THANKS FOR THE PRIMER ON THE EQUINOX AND YOUR ELOQUENT AND EDIFYING STATEMENT " Today, they only threaten our freedoms in the name of security
from a foe they have created with their own hands."

IT IS A TERRIFIC REMINDER TO PAY ATTENTION.

I LIKED SUSAN BRIGHT'S PIECE ON "EL DIABLO" AS WELL.

9:25 AM  
Blogger SB said...

If you send a lo res -- (72) jpeg of the cartoon to
sbright1@austin.rr.com
I will probably be able to post it

if not as a comment we can put it at the end of the post.

SB

4:11 PM  

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