Thursday, December 20, 2007

Solar Cycles



Like many holidays, the origin of Christmas is rooted in man's continuous use of cosmic cycles to establish measures of time.

We are just about at the point in the Earth's orbit around the Sun that is known as the Winter Solstice. This solar occurrence has led to countless celebrations & religious festivals throughout the world such as Dies Natalis Solis Invicti on December 25th - where the Romans recognized the majesty of Sol Invictus, the Invincible Sun. This key astronomical marker is also used as a point of observation in such ancient initiation structures as Newgrange, Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, etc. The seemingly unconquerable Sun has obviously inspired wonder and reverence throughout the history of humankind.

However, in the fractal universe we inhabit, cycles within cycles within cycles are existing simultaneously. As we periodically spin around the Sun, this unimaginably massive star also exhibits patterns of activity that we can directly observe. The more I learn about the Sun's destructive potential I have become concerned about the susceptibility of our pervasive electronic technologies to electromagnetic forces. The possible disaster awaiting the modern world if a solar storm damages important digital infrastructures should be a major priority of the science & tech world.

Seeing the NASA article below really freaked me out because the magnitude of the solar cycle will be at its greatest around 2012, the supposed end of the intricate Mayan Calender's Great Cycle. We are becoming more and more aware of synchronicity in our perception of the universe. The question is whether, as a species, we can become tuned into it fast enough to affect our existence in a positive way...

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