Summer Solstice Days

Greetings to you all and may the shorter and darker days ahead burst open more light within all of us. This years summer solstice days were saved by the mere fact that it wasn’t raining. We took the opportunity to head out to the forest, to the animals and to the archipelago. Initially we had planned for a road trip to Norway and longed for it. But plans changed as we had a lot of work to do in our new flat and as it will be repainted soon enough we saved the money and time to get away for that occasion. Besides, the summer has been below good even for Scandinavian standards. The weather forecast didn’t even give a 20% of good weather for Norway and its mountains. I’m okay with the forecast at least saying 30-40% OK weather – but taking this bad forecast into account we stayed where we are.

It turned out into a great ending for June, the days will now get shorter and we’re ready for it.

The header image is called sol niger meaning black sun. It comes from the beautifully illustrated alchemical work called Splendor Solis (source image), meaning the Spleandor of the Sun. The black sun represents the dissolving of the body, or a state, the rebirth and the necessary darkening of matter, which I find fitting for the summer solstice and the restart it represents for the darker days to come. The image is in the Public domain and a drip in the ocean coming from the British Library and their illuminated manuscript catalogue.