UPDATE 3/19/2020: This event is CANCELLED due to rainy, misty, heavily overcast weather that is not conducive to an outdoor gathering to witness the sunset alignment here at Kinstone. Please STAY HOME, STAY HEALTHY and STAY BALANCED! Happy Equinox to all!
UPDATE 3/15/2020: This event is STILL ON and will remain so as long as the weather is good and there are no further mandates regarding COVID-19! We will be outdoors and avoid standing close together, but we will stand and watch the sunset! If the weather is bad, we will not gather – watch for final updates on the day of the event! The Education Center will NOT be open during this event! There will be no available restroom facilities or place to get warm. Come prepared!
Spring Equinox Evening Observance
Watch the Sunset Alignment and Try to Catch the Sun!
We will say farewell to Winter as we watch its last sunset together just hours before the actual celestial event. Join us to celebrate the warming of the Earth and the long awaited time for putting out new growth from the long winter’s root work that has been underway.
Spring (Vernal) Equinox is an astronomically significant solar event. It occurs when the sun is midpoint in its journey from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice. The sun appears to rise at due east and set at due west. It is traditionally seen as a time of balance. The light of day and the dark of night are equal. It is a harbinger of spring; a time for new beginnings, growth, and seeking the joy of the light.
At Kinstone we have a unique alignment visible only at Equinox at sunset. Stand with us and the Enlightenment Stones (Atlas and Lancelot) as the sun aligns to shine through the perforations in Lancelot and cast a line of bright points of light onto Atlas. Come and see!
COST: admission to Kinstone ($5/person) (place your admission in the Blue Payment Box attached to the Information Sign Board near the parking areas); No Registration Required
Date: Thursday, March 19 Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Actual sunset is expected at 7:18pm for our location. However, with the topography specific to Kinstone, the time we witness it is always just a bit earlier than expected! Come at 6:30 and enjoy the last light of winter before the sun sets!
This will be a quiet, meditative event with a short opening rite and reading to send Winter off with a flourish. Given fair weather and clear skies as the sun sets in the West, we will witness the light as it passes through the “Wise One” (Lancelot) and enlightens the “World” (Atlas). If the sunlight is strong enough and unobstructed by clouds on the horizon, we will see a line of polka-dots on Atlas and a select few folks may be able to “catch the sun” as it aligns with the perforations in Lancelot. We will begin watching for opportunities to Catch the Sun immediately after our readings. If the sun is visible, participants may wish to try to “catch the sun”, take photos, and watch the sun go down as we say farewell to Winter.
Dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear, jackets, scarves, hats and gloves! Bring a camp chair or blanket to sit on, for your comfort, if you wish. Be prepared for it to be breezy and cool up here on the ridge!
This event is outdoors and will be held only in good weather. In light of COVID-19, for everyone’s health and safety, we will NOT gather indoors for any portion of this program and no indoor social time will be offered. If it is raining or very overcast, this event will be cancelled.
Cancellation will occur in case of overcast, rainy or stormy weather. Cancellations will be posted ONLY on THIS event page and on the corresponding Facebook event page at least 1 hour before the scheduled start time for this event.
IMPORTANT: If you wish to ensure your chance to “catch the sun”, please Contact Us to sign up by sending an email stating “I want to catch the sun” and include your full name and email address with the subject “Catch the sun”. During this event, guests who have signed up will be invited, in order of sign-up time, to catch the sun as and if weather and sunlight conditions permit. As many as we can get through will be given a chance to be photographed with their hands catching the sun – bring a friend who can be your photographer!
HAPPY SPRING!
Interesting fact: The exact time of the astronomical Vernal Equinox is Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 10:49pm CDT.
Photo credit: Kristine Beck
