Summer Solstice
-
Peace be upon you,
I am trying to bring back up the discussion of abstaining since the other topics probably need a break. I still hold the view that "ramadhan" is describing the hot period. Before, I was basing this time on the rising of sirius, but now I have some more info that I want to share. There is a phenomena that happens every year called summer solstice. The Word solstice comes from the latin word "sol" meaning sun and "sticia" meaning stand still. So solsticia or solstice means sun stand still. Every year when the daylight gets longer every day and the earth tilts TOWARDS the sun and the oxygen we breathe becomes more ionized, there is a point when the sun stops (really the earth stops its tilt) for 4 days then starts to tilt back the other way. The days of the summer (and winter solstice) are VERY WELL KNOWN to all civilizations and most celebrated these times. The Winter Solstice is actually where christmas comes from because it was the day after the winter solstice which marked the RETURN OF THE SUN that saved them from total darkness (which is where it seemed they were heading) That is why we have the light show this time of the year. Study on the yule log.
Ok, so the summer solstice is when the earth is at its most direct point towards the sun, this is what makes summer hot, not because the earth is closer to the sun, many times it is further away, but because the earth is fixed towards the sun, insterad of away from it as in winter. So this would obviously be the time of extreme heat. There is never a day in any place where it is "most hot", these days vary, but using this understanding of the earth in relation to the sun, these days are the best for being the hottest. Also, we are told that abstaining(fasting) is for a fixed number of days or counted days. We are told to fast at this time just like people before us had to.
Shakespeare writes about this time in his story "A Midsummer nights dream". There was an emporer, I cannot recal who, who used to close the gates of his castle during these four days. In all history people used to celebrating these periods by sleeping and fasting and meditating. I was listening to someone the other day who follows the Ausarian religion of ancient egypt, and he stated this was a time when you are to fast , meditate, and sleep and you can achieve what is called a Lucid Dream, where you wake up IN your dream. You realize you are dreaming but can control what is going on.
This is just some info I wanted to share with you all, not sure how it fits or if it fits.