19.6.20 We Woodward if we Could...

Good morning everybody. Today in the School of Daddy we are once more turning to the wonderful world of religion to provide us with knowledge and enlightenment, as it always does, and light is particularly important at the moment as we approach the Summer Solstice. If you are to believe those secular cranks that call themselves scientists, it occurs because the axis of the rotation of the Earth is not aligned with the axis of its motion around the Sun and we will experience the longest day and shortest night with the sun reaching its most Northerly declination at 21:43 GMT on Saturday 20th June. Dreary fact at best and heretical nonsense at worst, I'm sure you will agree. Much more interesting are the religious takes on the Solstice where we can take our pick from celebrating the Sun God dying, jumping through bonfires, over consumption of alcohol, fertility rites, burning human sacrifices to the Sun Goddess Saule or crowning the Oak King before he is defeated for another year by the Holly King as the world returns to the Darkness after the Light. Obviously we will have to keep our studies age appropriate and have elected to celebrate the death of God by building our own Wicker Man. Our crops of fruit from the garden have been a little lacklustre over the years so the children have volunteered to be present when we set alight the pyre beneath our effigy. Fingers crossed we get a few more apples and cherries this year although as Lord Summerisle said, "Animals are fine but there acceptability is limited. A small child is even better but not nearly as effective as the right kind of adult".