Comments on: Winter Solstice at Newgrange, Ireland http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/ Michael Hanley's blog about e-learning, web-based elearning, technology in education, e-learning tools, learning 2.0 (blogs and podcasts), & continuous professional development. Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:09:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Megalithic Passage Tomb of Newgrange | Your Irish Culture http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/comment-page-1/#comment-2072 Megalithic Passage Tomb of Newgrange | Your Irish Culture Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:51:41 +0000 http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/#comment-2072 [...] michaelhanley.ie -  Winter Solstice at Newgrange, Ireland [...] [...] michaelhanley.ie -  Winter Solstice at Newgrange, Ireland [...]

]]> By: virginia Yonkers http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/comment-page-1/#comment-1361 virginia Yonkers Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:15:00 +0000 http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/#comment-1361 Interesting that you posted this. Last night (at 4:15 really), as I was driving to pick up my son, I realized that it was already dark. Again, this morning, after getting my family out of the house, I realized at 7:00 AM that it was still dark. The light always is different this time of year, and the color of the sky is so "wintery". While the rest of the east coast US was buried under snow, we had none (we were "too cold"). But the look was still one of winter. I wondered as I was driving, what it was like in other parts of the world at that time. My friends in Norway had been in darkness for a while. My friends in Costa Rica would not even tell the difference, as the time change between summer and winter is only about an hour's difference. Those that I know in the Southern hemisphere would still have many hours of sunshine to go, perhaps suffering from high temperatures. I had never thought of the man-made structures that melded with nature to create an annual event. Interesting that you posted this. Last night (at 4:15 really), as I was driving to pick up my son, I realized that it was already dark. Again, this morning, after getting my family out of the house, I realized at 7:00 AM that it was still dark. The light always is different this time of year, and the color of the sky is so “wintery”. While the rest of the east coast US was buried under snow, we had none (we were “too cold”). But the look was still one of winter.

I wondered as I was driving, what it was like in other parts of the world at that time. My friends in Norway had been in darkness for a while. My friends in Costa Rica would not even tell the difference, as the time change between summer and winter is only about an hour’s difference. Those that I know in the Southern hemisphere would still have many hours of sunshine to go, perhaps suffering from high temperatures. I had never thought of the man-made structures that melded with nature to create an annual event.

]]> By: Michael Hanley http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/comment-page-1/#comment-1347 Michael Hanley Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:20:16 +0000 http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/#comment-1347 Thanks for your comment Santosh, Interesting views, but after having spent considerable time in the historical Mayan lands of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, visited many Mayan sites, and talked to many of the modern descendants of the Mayans, apparently the 2012 date has no significance for their culture in the way that you elaborate. A western European equivalent would be the transition from the age of Capricorn to the age of Aquarius, which is also happening around now I believe. In my view, it's best to celebrate these events for their display of applied astronomy, geometry, advanced mathematics, and construction techniques than as having a mystical existence the we in the 21st century probably can't really understand in their essence. Best regards, Michael -- Thanks for your comment Santosh,
Interesting views, but after having spent considerable time in the historical Mayan lands of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, visited many Mayan sites, and talked to many of the modern descendants of the Mayans, apparently the 2012 date has no significance for their culture in the way that you elaborate. A western European equivalent would be the transition from the age of Capricorn to the age of Aquarius, which is also happening around now I believe. In my view, it’s best to celebrate these events for their display of applied astronomy, geometry, advanced mathematics, and construction techniques than as having a mystical existence the we in the 21st century probably can’t really understand in their essence.
Best regards,
Michael
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]]> By: santosh khatelsal http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/comment-page-1/#comment-1342 santosh khatelsal Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:02:40 +0000 http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/winter-solstice-at-newgrange-ireland/2009/12/21/#comment-1342 Today is winter solstice the shortest day of the year that has a special significance to almost all cultures and countries in the world. But there is another significance on a much grander scale to this day, three years from now. On this day 21st December 2012, the plane of ellipse on which the planets of the solar system revolves around the sun completes one full round with respect to the equator of the milky way, this happens once every 26,000 years!! The last time this event happened, earth was in the peak of last ice age. This time around we have had a failed global conference to prevent another impeding climate change. Apparently, The Mayans prophesied that from 1999 we have 13 years to realize the changes in our conscious attitude to stray from the path of self-destruction and instead move onto a path that opens our consciousness to integrate us with all that exists. Did they know that climate change will be a big subject in the current decade? So now that Copenhagen conference has failed to arrive at any conclusion to steer “from a path of self destruction” will we be less integrated with all that exists? But I am digressing; So what will happen on 21st December 2012. For one, it is the end of the Mayan calendar, yep, those very literate, prosperous and great pyramid builders also calculated empirically astronomic movements at a time when humans in other parts of the world were busy hunting and gathering, worrying either for the next meal or mate. So the Mayans ended their “long count” calendar on 21st December 2012 and given our compulsion to intellectualize and find answers, there are many opinions on why did their calendar end on this day than any other. Lots of theories of doomsday have been going around; reversal of earth’s magnetic fields, giant intergalactic fire storms destroying planets, apocalypse and the like. There are also some who opinion that earth and its inhabitants will undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation on this day with one cycle getting over and another commencing. An equivalent of a Hindu “uga” coming to an end. Our cumulative knowledge on this subject is thus effectively limited by our imagination at best. Many say that we have no scientific basis and others say “is science the epitome of all knowledge we have ever had?” Again no definite answers, only opinions some backed by maths and physics and some by religion and belief, which is better of the two?? I am sure we will have more opinions on this too Today is winter solstice the shortest day of the year that has a special significance to almost all cultures and countries in the world. But there is another significance on a much grander scale to this day, three years from now. On this day 21st December 2012, the plane of ellipse on which the planets of the solar system revolves around the sun completes one full round with respect to the equator of the milky way, this happens once every 26,000 years!! The last time this event happened, earth was in the peak of last ice age. This time around we have had a failed global conference to prevent another impeding climate change.

Apparently, The Mayans prophesied that from 1999 we have 13 years to realize the changes in our conscious attitude to stray from the path of self-destruction and instead move onto a path that opens our consciousness to integrate us with all that exists. Did they know that climate change will be a big subject in the current decade? So now that Copenhagen conference has failed to arrive at any conclusion to steer “from a path of self destruction” will we be less integrated with all that exists?

But I am digressing; So what will happen on 21st December 2012. For one, it is the end of the Mayan calendar, yep, those very literate, prosperous and great pyramid builders also calculated empirically astronomic movements at a time when humans in other parts of the world were busy hunting and gathering, worrying either for the next meal or mate.

So the Mayans ended their “long count” calendar on 21st December 2012 and given our compulsion to intellectualize and find answers, there are many opinions on why did their calendar end on this day than any other. Lots of theories of doomsday have been going around; reversal of earth’s magnetic fields, giant intergalactic fire storms destroying planets, apocalypse and the like. There are also some who opinion that earth and its inhabitants will undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation on this day with one cycle getting over and another commencing. An equivalent of a Hindu “uga” coming to an end.

Our cumulative knowledge on this subject is thus effectively limited by our imagination at best. Many say that we have no scientific basis and others say “is science the epitome of all knowledge we have ever had?” Again no definite answers, only opinions some backed by maths and physics and some by religion and belief, which is better of the two?? I am sure we will have more opinions on this too

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