\tThe dictionary defines \u201cEpiphany\u201d as a \u201crevelatory manifestation of a divine being.\u201d An event in which the essence of something is revealed to someone \u201cas in a sudden flash of recognition.\u201d The Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, celebrates the arrival of the three kings at the stable in Bethlehem, confirming the divine status of the infant Jesus. As an archeo-astronomer, I have always thought of January 6 as the time when it becomes really obvious that the sun has turned around and the days are getting longer. At the time of the Winter Solstice the sunrise stays close to the same place on the horizon for a number of days. In order to tell which day is the actual solstice (before modern technology) people needed a long tunnel (like the passage at Newgrange) or an alignment of two stones that are fairly far apart as in many of the megalithic circles. Another possibility is something like what the Sunwatchers of the Anasazi used \u2014 a place to sit, and an eastern horizon distant, clear, and marked by the edges of mesas and buttes that would calibrate the sun\u2019s position.
\n\tIn my own life, in my struggle with depression, I have been reassured by the fact that, to turn something around, it has to slow down & stop & then start moving the other way. So sometimes, when I feel absolutely stuck, which is very scary when the state you are stuck in is hopelessness and helplessness, I remind myself that sometimes there is a delay between taking acting (e.g. raising medication) and being able to see that it\u2019s working.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The dictionary defines \u201cEpiphany\u201d as a \u201crevelatory manifestation of a divine being.\u201d An event in which the essence of something is revealed to someone \u201cas in a sudden flash of recognition.\u201d The Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, celebrates the … Continue reading