The author in 2017 at Great Serpent Mound
We have reached the point of earth's relationship with the sun at which the North Pole and northern hemisphere are pointed "most directly" towards the sun (the North Pole obviously does not point directly towards the sun, in that the sun is never directly above the North Pole of earth, but rather our earth and its axis of rotation is tilted by 23.4 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic -- that is, from the plane of our relationship with the sun -- and on the June solstice our North Pole is pointing towards the sun but at that 23.4 degree tilt).
This situation, in which the North Pole points towards the sun (but only insofar as that 23.4 degree tilt allows), is the June solstice, which we refer to as summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.
We reach the moment of June solstice -- the moment when the North Pole points most directly towards the sun -- at 11:32 pm Eastern time (2332) today, June 20th, which is also 8:32 pm Pacific time (2032). For Greenwich or UMT the time will be 3:32 am on June 21st (0332).
Many ancient sites around the globe are aligned to the summer solstice (and other ancient sites are aligned to other significant points in our relationship with the sun in the annual cycle, including the winter solstice, the two equinoxes, and even the cross-quarter days and others).
Four years ago at this time of year I had the privilege of visiting one such aligned ancient site, the Great Serpent Mound in modern-day Ohio, where I gave a presentation about the Star Myths. Graham Hancock and Saantha Faia were there at the same Serpent Mound event, exploring the mysteries of the Serpent Mound and taking photographs and gathering data for America Before.
The Great Serpent Mound is designed such that the gaping mouth of the serpent and the ovoid "egg" feature between the open jaws of the serpent point towards the setting sun on the summer solstice. Today, a dense curtain of trees blocks the horizon from the observer on the ground at the serpent's head, but the phenomenon is still visible if viewed from a drone.
Below is a photograph I took, looking out over the coiled "tail" region of the Serpent Mound, as the sun was setting on June 17, 2017 (a few days prior to the solstice). You can see part of the body of the serpent stretching off to the right.
I am convinced that the great stations of the annual cycle were imbued with deep spiritual significance within the system of celestial metaphor underlying all the world's ancient Star Myths. I find abundant evidence that the path along the "line" stretching from winter solstice up to summer solstice was associated with the reconnection with Self, from whom we become alienated as part of our "descent" into this earthly life (that descent being associated with the "plunge" into the lower half of the year at the fall equinox).
I hope you have time this solstice day to meditate on the significance with which these great stations of the year were held by our distant ancestors around the earth.
