Light in the Darkness

Sunrise on Winter Solstice, Missouri

The sun rose this morning awash in a moving fog, on this, the shortest day of the year. A prelude to this evening's longest night. And while it is our beginning of Winter, the days from here on out get longer, brighter, and reach toward spring and the return of light, green, and warmth, though we'll traverse through winter's cold to get there. 

Newgrange Passage Tomb, Boyne Valley, Ireland [photo mine]

This morning, a magical, curious, but very intentional thing happens in the Boyne Valley in Ireland. At Newgrange Neolithic Passage Tomb the sunrise of the Winter Solstice illuminates the inner passage of Newgrange for 17 minutes in an otherwise pitch black interior. This is science. This is faith. This is astronomy. This is magic.  

Entrance to Newgrange Passage Tomb. Square above the door is called the light box through which the sun's light enters creating a beam of light that travels to the back of the passage to a vaulted room. [photo - mine]

I have visited Newgrange in the spring, entered the passage tomb and stood in the ink black chamber. Here, the light of the winter solstice is simulated for visitors. Even that was quite magical. But for viewing the solstice sunrise, people enter their names all year into a lottery for just a handful to be chosen to enter and witness the ancient and awesome spectacle. Ireland's Ancient East tourism board streamed the sunrise live but this morning found Ireland cloaked in fog and cloud. I imagine it was quite a privilege anyhow.  The live video is long but still worth a watch as it covers the history and science of Newgrange and many interviews with visitors, locals, lottery winners, and experts. 

Neolthic art adorns the passage of Newgrange [photo: Nat Geo]

Newgrange Passage [photo: Nat Geo]

Sun's illumination of passage at Newgrange [photo: Irish Central]

All across the world - Peru, Mexico, England, Egypt, Scotland, Germany, and beyond, ancient monuments align with the winter solstice and pay homage to the sun, the tilt back toward the light. May the light always find you in the darkness. 

Read more about Newgrange at Ireland's Ancient East or Mythical Ireland.