I arrived at the Sunwheel before dawn on the longest day of the year, filled with a mix of sleepiness, joy, excitement, and uncertainty. I smiled inwardly at the presence of a stone circle on a University campus at the beginning of the 21st century.
To the West and South were the trees and hills of Hadley, to the North was the UMass football stadium and to the East was the town of Amherst. The Sunwheel stones, 14 beautiful sentinels of granite, looked so much a part of the landscape that I could almost imagine they had magically sprouted up from the ground where they stood, or even that they had always been there.
The sunrises at the stone circle had become a cornerstone of my experience of the rhythm of the seasons. My growing familiarity with this rhythm, as well as the strong public interest in the Sunwheel, both came as pleasant surprises. I had accidentally discovered a way to bring my love of teaching astronomy and enjoying the out of doors to the general public. Even in the wee hours of the morning, the public had responded with enthusiasm and with their feet, as over 1000 people each year joined me for the seasonal Sunwheel gatherings.
When I arrived at the Sunwheel, the only sign of life was a red-winged blackbird perched atop the 9’ tall North stone. For the past 5 years, at every summer solstice sunrise gathering there had been a red-winged blackbird sitting atop the summer solstice sunrise stone as the Sun rose in the sky. Then at sunset, the red-winged blackbird would sit atop the summer solstice sunset stone. Visitors would marvel at how remarkable it was that this bird was sitting atop the correct stone and I’ve always wondered if the bird was marveling at all of the people who came to witness the northernmost sunrise and sunset of the year.
The air was still and quiet except for the shrill notes of the bird song. The stars and the dark of the night had faded from view, allowing the clouds in the northeast to show a beautiful pink hue. As soon as the first visitors arrived, I would show them the Earth’s shadow before it receded from view, that grayish band close to the horizon in the direction opposite the Sun at sunrise or sunset. The Earth’s shadow is actually projected onto our atmosphere, and it becomes visible when the Sun is down, in the crack between daylight and darkness.
I entered the Sunwheel through the West portal, that pair of stones which frame the western direction as seen from the central viewing area. The two West stones are set so close together that it is necessary for me to turn my shoulders when I walk through this doorway, and I am a small person.
At each gathering, the clouds were always different, the colors of the sky were always different, and the people were always different. The one thing I could count on was that on this morning the Sun would rise in the same direction it had the year before, and the year before that. And the other thing that was always the same was that the red-winged blackbird would sit atop the summer solstice sunrise rock and sing as the Sun came up. Rain or shine, the bird was there, and I was, too.
I find myself drawn to the stones, to celebrating the cycle of the seasons by watching the Sun rise and set. The power of the Sunwheel is so great that it draws me from the warmth of my bed in the darkness before dawn to witness and explain the cycles of the Sun and the Moon to all who are curious. The Sunwheel enables us to connect our physical bodies to the space around us at a particular time, and to connect to time at a particular place, over and over as the seasons and years and our lives go by. The stones provide an ongoing way for us to connect to the larger Universe with our eyes, ears, minds, bodies and hearts. Together, what the stones create is much greater than the stones themselves - greater because of the connections that are offered to us, and greater because of the space they collectively create within. The stones stand and wait with infinite patience for all who choose to visit.
This is a shortened version of the beginning of the modestly titled book Sunwheel: Connecting Earth & Sky, Sun & Stone, Past & Present, Matter & Energy, Science & Art, Culture & History, You & the Universe.
Judith Young’s workshop at Rowe October 20-22 will explore the timeless and fascinating worlds of astronomy and spirituality.
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