By Len Wallick
Today, the Sun’s apparent motion southward reaches its limit. It stations directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. That makes it the first day of summer below the equator, and the longest day of the year for those down under. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere it’s the other side of the coin — the shortest days and mostly cold. For those wishing to mark the occasion with some sort of ceremony, the exact time is 6:38 pm EST.
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Concurrent with the Sun stationing over the tropic of Capricorn on our globe, it also moves into the sign of Capricorn on the zodiac. It is a change of season experienced in one way or another by every human being on Earth. Its a personal experience concurrently and publicly shared. That’s how cardinal point events come to be known — as the congruence of the personal and political.
Your faithful correspondent is fortunate to have both residence and employment near the 48th parallel in the upper northwest corner of the United States. The two are close enough to each other to allow nearly two hours of commuting by daily perambulation. This has allowed for abundant sky viewing at dawn, dusk and during all hours of the night as the the duties of a salaried subordinate would dictate. During these long recent nights with the sky obscured by sleet-laden clouds, one has turned attention to the itinerant businesses that sprout up along the roadside at this time of year, providing frequent and ample opportunity to contemplate the odd tableau of trees nailed to crosses.
Two pieces of wood affixed at right angles to each other has a powerful resonance this time of the year, representing the martyrdom of perhaps the most influential figure in Western Civilization. The meaning of the cross has evolved from a predominant method of torture and execution to an abstraction connected with faith. To get some perspective on this, just imagine wearing a golden miniature guillotine, hangman’s noose, electric chair or water board on a chain around your neck. Come to think of it, there may be a few who do.