Mezzogiorno
Mezzogiorno is both a time and a place. In Italian, it means "the middle of the day", or midday. But in the northern hemisphere, facing the midday Sun means facing South; hence Mezzogiorno also refers to the southern stretch of the Italian peninsula. The same spatio-temporal use is found in the French terms "le Midi" and "midi".
Facing the midday sun can bring longings for a more temperate climate, but as we "head South" the Sun reveals itself to be a complex benefactor. The source of life on Earth is also the bringer of droughts and deserts; temperance gives way to thirst and fatigue.
Solar energy also has its analog as a psychic phenomenon. Images of the Sun are an important part of many mystical and alchemical traditions. But such symbols do not refer to the Sun in the sky, but rather that solar energy that illuminates from within. And, just as some of us may withdraw back from the equatorial Sun to appreciate a cooler clime, so many will step back from a full experience of their own energy.
Perhaps the most famous solar symbol is the winged Sun, which can be traced back to the dawn of human artefacts. The mixture of Fire and Air is illuminating, as it describes an internal fire that transforms but does not burn. The transformation is overwhelming, the state of mind is so atypical as to be truly surreal, truly over-real or hyper-real.
No story can ever capture the essence of the experience without sounding banal or trite; they are not reproductions, but signposts. And yet the same stories need to be retold to keep those signposts from perishing under the weight of cultural weeds; to stop such experiences from becoming un-real.
When we gaze at the Sun, we are not really facing South - we are facing inwards.
Enjoy some solar flares...
Tales from the MAP Room
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Have you been... entertained?
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Editor: @rycharde (vote for me as witness here)
Artwork: Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons, check the original articles
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This is the second post from the Minnows Accelerator Project (MAP). I feel we have enough authors to already make this a stimulating and vibrant collection of articles. Indeed, there is no underlying theme *apart from* being stimulating and vibrant, with points of view across the cultural spectrum of the arts and sciences.
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A great story, the sun is the source to all life, still it can destroy everything.
Love the quotes from the MAP room, well chosen!
Thanks @kerlund74. There is such a small window to pick "live" posts; I hope in the long run everybody gets at least one entry in these magazines.
Interesting post, I'll put the article-compilation on to-read-list for today ;)
Thanks!
I really enjoyed this post... The pictures are beautiful and the quotes. The first in the last photos are very striking... Following you.
Many thanks! have you signed up for MAP? Maybe you can be in one of these posts in the future.
In our everyday experience, we do not get much time to appreciate the power of the Sun as both the source of life and the destroyer also.
Thanks for sharing :)
Very nice story. I UpVote . I wish You a very Good luck.
Bel post! Mezzogiorno viene anche usato per denominare infinite manovre economiche fasulle per rilanciare l'economia del meridione:)
Grazie, lo so' ma non volevo intrecciarmi in politica!
Good post :) follow
Interesting story!
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STOPNice post rycharde...