Here Comes the Sun Part 2
Exploring Solar Maximums and solar mythology
2. Our Father the Sun
Could it be that pole reversals and periods of extreme Solar Maximum activity also have an impact on human behaviour? I speculate about this possibility in the Introduction to Pole Shift, asking: “Could magnetic pole shifts have a subtle effect on us, causing errant behaviour?” [1] It’s hard not to wonder, given the current chaos in human society and the cultivation of social micro-divisions that has left us more divided than possibly any time in history, leading to what Redacted News journalist Clayton Morris describes as “insane clown world.” But equally, could it be that the cosmological and terrestrial forces influencing us could lead to a New Renaissance period, a shift into a more enlightened consciousness? It reminds me of the scene in the classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the black obelisk appears among a clan of apes, leading to a sudden transformation to another level of evolution.
“Sun, sun, sun—here it comes…” sang The Beatles on their parting masterpiece, Abbey Road. As other commentators have noted, there are multiple references to the sun on that album, most famously George Harrison’s gorgeous “Here Comes the Sun” as well as John Lennon’s “Sun King.” As artists often do, were they intuitively tapping into coming events—if not in the initial years or decades following this recording, perhaps forecasting ahead to our time of intense solar and cosmological activity?
In October 2023, during the full moon phase, I was gripped by a bolt of inspiration, or what I sometimes like to call a “download from the universe,” resulting in the poems published in Pole Shift & Other Poems. These were written in a rush, pouring out over a period of less than a week. Combined with other poems written during the past couple of years, they formed the nucleus of the new book. This is not mere self-promotion. I’ve maintained for a long time now that “it’s not about you.” A work of art or a poem isn’t just about its creator, or shouldn’t be. It serves as a high-energy construct that points us to something higher, and in particular, helps us gain a sense of meaning to what is often a confusing and chaotic existence. An artist or poet is merely a channel, an instrument the universe sings through.
Art is a meaning-making activity. This is why I have little patience with aesthetic movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Deconstructivism or Postmodernism. These abstract aesthetics remove the audience from the artwork by employing a figurative language known only to those trained in it. The legacy is thus alienation, not connection. It becomes cultish, designed primarily for its own initiates. At a fundamental level, art can only create meaning through communication with its audience. That’s not to say it needs to be simplistic by any means. The poet Wallace Stevens once said: “Poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
Of all forms of language, poetry is unique in this regard. The same poem, read years or decades later, will yield still more layers of meaning. But when it strays into so-called “language-based” aesthetics, akin to throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks and then printing that, you’ve lost the most profound capacity of poetry to communicate. Only rarely does this method work, as for example with David Bowie’s “cut-up” method of writing out lyrics, cutting up the sheet and randomly putting them back together. Some of Jon Anderson’s early lyrics with progressive rock band Yes also succeed despite being non-linear. However, both artists eventually abandoned the technique for a more direct lyrical approach.
Getting back to the sun, we’ve forgotten as a culture that almost all previous civilizations had a profound connection both to the sun and the stars. The ancient Babylonians were renowned by the classical Greek civilization for their knowledge of astronomy. Sadly, due to the loss of ancient repositories of knowledge such as the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the remnants of this knowledge have come down to us today mostly as a confused kind of astrology. Fourth century BC astronomer and mathematician Aristarchus of Samos was first to realize the Earth revolves around the sun. [2] A millennium would pass during which the medieval church fell into error on this point, confirming my hypothesis that human societies don’t advance in a straight line but often fall backwards or “take a wrong turn.” We may be the first advanced culture in history in which the vast majority of people never look up at the sky, relegating that role to specialists in astronomy. That’s a shame, given that we now have the most advanced telescopes in history as well as fantastic tools such as the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) that can provide daily images of the sun, including all its sunspots, flares and CMEs, along with precise measurement data.
In a recent issue of Archaeology magazine, the discovery of a whole new Bronze Age civilization is revealed dating to between 2000–1,600 BC. What’s exciting to me about this discovery are the unearthing of two small solar chariots, artifacts made of clay, indicating that this culture in what is today the Pannonian Plain of Romania had a strong element of solar worship. Archaeologist Barry Molloy of University College Dublin comments on the fact that there seems to have been a shift in the regional culture from large settlements to a pastoral lifestyle. “Why there was such a radical shift in the way people lived on the Pannonian Plain is unclear, but ... Recent analysis of mineral deposits from caves in the region suggests that the Late Bronze Age climate was cooler and rainfall more predictable than in previous eras.” [3] Evidence indicates the Pannonian Plain civilization traded with the Mycenean culture in the Mediterranean, which may have helped foster solar deities Apollo and Helios in classical Greek tradition. However, the entire Bronze Age culture collapsed in 1200 BC, likely due to a sudden cooling trend in the climate. It’s not hard to see why these ancient cultures would have had solar deities, when their very existence was dependent upon its generosity or lack of it. [4]
The ancient Egyptians, among their many gods and goddesses, worshipped Ra, the Sun God, depicted as transiting the sky in a boat each day. As with any other culture dependent upon agriculture for an advanced way of life, Egypt depended for its existence on a narrow strip of fertile land on either side of the Nile, and thus upon the sun. Sun symbolism to the ancient Egyptians represented life and fertility, order and stability, and the common solar theme of resurrection, as the sun “dies” each evening at sunset and is born again with sunrise. [5] This explains the motif of the solar chariot riders, such as those found in Romania and later with Helios and Phaeton, riding in its arc across the sky. Once again, in Hindu belief, Surya the Sun God is depicted “riding a chariot drawn by seven horses, representing the seven colours of light and the seven days of the week.” [6] The very nature of how we mark time is thus in large part due to our observations of the Earth’s transit around the sun, with the moon determining the length of the calendar month. [7]
As the primary focus in the West has shifted in recent decades to more feminine-centred values and concerns, we’ve forgotten just how vital the sun is to our existence on this planet. The sun was traditionally seen in most cultures as a male deity, with the Earth and the moon being female. Poet Rupi Kaur got this wrong when she titled a book The Sun and Her Flowers. A notable exception is the Japanese legend of Amaterasu, a sun goddess, whom I write about in Pole Shift. In indigenous Shinto tradition, “Amaterasu governs the movement of the sun, providing warmth, vitality, and nourishment to the world. Her significance in Japanese culture is immense, symbolizing enlightenment, purity, and divine presence,” [8] a role also ascribed to Surya in Hindu mythology.
The ancients understood that the male and female principles are intertwined and thus vital to all life on Earth. Each has their essential role in procreation and society. One cannot exist without the other. This makes nonsense of attempts to mark out clear historical lines between “patriarchy” and “matriarchy.” Talk to any farm family and you’ll quickly learn that it takes so much work to run a farm that both parents and children must willingly take their roles in the enterprise if it is to keep them fed and clothed. Those roles have historically had far more to do with utility—men are physically stronger and therefore can more easily do the heavy fieldwork or blacksmithing—than with any attempt of men to lord it over women. Who has time for battles over hierarchy when you have to be up at sunrise to feed the chickens and plough the fields?
Water is seen as a feminine element working in tandem with the male solar element. These days people seem to have trouble understanding basic human biology thanks to the startling success of transhumanist propaganda. Compare this with the analogy of human sexual reproduction mapped over the heavens by the ancients through solar and lunar deities. If there’s no sperm, the egg remains infertile. Likewise, if there’s no sun (male principle), the Earth remains infertile. If there’s no water (female principle) in an ecosystem, the sun will produce a desert. That of course is an ecosystem in its own right, but one could argue it’s largely a dormant one, as is seen during rainy seasons when long-quiescent seeds begin sprouting and wadis suddenly green up. The ancient echoes of solar tradition in contemporary Western culture have come down to us in celebrations like Christmas, a conflation of the Roman celebration of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus, “the invincible sun.” It’s during the darkest, coldest days of winter that we remember just how dependent we are upon the sun, how central it is to our lives. Hence the celebrations of light that mark the winter solstice in many cultures around the world.
I won’t delve into this discussion too deeply here, but there also seems to be a consciousness dawning in scientific circles about just how critical the sun is to Earth’s climate, likely far more so than carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Indeed, the entire thesis of CO2 as a driver of climate change has come under increasing challenge from a broad array of scientists. A strong argument can be made that solar cycles, combined with Milankovich cycles [9] affecting the Earth’s tilt, spin and eccentricity of orbit, may in fact have a far greater impact on climate than CO2, and coincide with the onset of glacial and interglacial periods. [10] “Long-term changes in the tilt of the Earth’s axis, relative to the plane of its orbit, are of great significance to long-term climate change, because they control the size of the arctic and Antarctic circles,” explains one study. [11]
Mainstream science remains in a kind of institutional capture, unsurprisingly given that billions in research funding overwhelmingly supports the CO2 thesis and largely stifles funding to explore any alternative theses. NASA goes so far as to state that Milankovich cycles can’t explain Earth’s current warming trend. [12] But given that scientists have repeatedly been caught out in recent times having either manipulated data to support the CO2 hypothesis or having failed basic due diligence, it shouldn’t surprise us if NASA is eventually proven wrong in this regard. As just one example, it was discovered that the recent surge in methane concentrations in the atmosphere were caused by microbial action, not human-generated emissions. [13] Yet, on the basis of this premise, “150 nations signed the Global Methane Pledge without even bothering to check if the methane was man-made. It seems many have been blaming fossil fuels for the global surge in emissions, but forgot to check the C13 isotopes,” writes science journalist Jo (Joanne) Nova. [14] Thus, in Pole Shift I wrote:
“Living in the post-glacial period for the past 20,000 years or so, we’ve been given a false sense of security about climate, and ‘climate change’ is treated as if it were a new phenomenon almost entirely caused by human activities. The fact is, the Earth is a dynamic, not a static entity. Ice ages, volcanic eruptions, droughts and floods have continually altered the face of the planet. Its stability is only a relative one on the vast scale of geological history spanning millions of years.” [15]
We may now be leaving the period of unprecedented climate stability enjoyed by humans for the past 10,000 years.
3. As Above, So Below: Completing the (Solar) Circle
The ancients subscribed to the principle “as above, so below, as below, so above” indicating that they understood how changes in the stars, planets and sun mirror changes on Earth and in human society. As writer Richard Barker explains, it’s a phrase “as old as it is prophetic,” linking what goes on in the physical with the metaphysical realms, the micro- with the macrocosmic. [16] It’s a principle worth reviving. As mentioned in Part One, I can’t help but wonder whether a natural EMP from a solar storm could prompt a “Great Reset” that could ultimately save humanity from its current orgy of self-destruction. Could it lead to a New Renaissance period, a shift into higher consciousness, as illustrated in the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Certainly, it would also be a period of great hardships and mass casualties if all our power grids and electronics are destroyed. Growth is often accompanied by growing pains.
One of the reasons I’m enjoying the videos produced by “space weatherman” Stefan Burns is that he combines hard science with a holistic sensibility. Though this may not be for everyone, he often follows his space weathercasts with a meditation, using various sizes of “singing bowls” that resonate at different frequencies. I see this reunification of the rational and the spiritual as a positive development, a return to first principles known to the ancients. Perhaps it’s the beginning of a restoration of the consciousness that we are a part of the cosmos, as much as the Earth, and therefore it has an impact on our lives. Burns speaks of how the heightened energy of solar flares and storms—at least those that are in an Earth-central axis and thus strike our atmosphere—can affect us personally, leading us to feel more enervated or activating sublimated emotional issues in need of resolution. Here again the mythic texts illuminate this inextricable connection with the cosmos, as in Hindu Sun God Surya, who reflects “the deep connection between the sun, spiritual enlightenment, and physical well-being.” [17]
A year ago when I wrote Pole Shift, I was relying purely on an intuitive sense that all this cosmological and terrestrial activity may be having an effect on human society, both personally and at scale. Now, a year later, the book is published and suddenly there’s this flood of information being released about the Solar Maximum cycle 25. As I write in the title sequence, “Trust your intuition, it seldom lies.” In a new, as yet unpublished poem, “Ode to Milankovich,” I wrote: “People say the Earth is waking up. / But who is waking her? The sun / is bursting geysers of light and protons.”
Pole Shift contains two poems dedicated to furthering solar consciousness illustrated by solar mythology, “Resurrecting the Sun,” and “Amaterasu Awakening.” The reason I juxtapose the two is to highlight the unity of the male and female principles—in our times, a unity sorely in need of restoration or “resurrection.” The sun itself of course is a symbol of resurrection. In part, it’s a call to end the war between the sexes, to return to ancient patterns of mutual cooperation. It’s well past time, and the sun itself seems to be calling out to us to do so.
As I conclude in the Introduction to Pole Shift: “Take courage—the cosmos is sending us new light every day.” [18]
[1] Sean Arthur Joyce, Introduction, Pole Shift & Other Poems, Ekstasis Editions, Victoria BC Canada, p. 9.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristarchus_of_Samos
[3] “Europe’s Lost Bronze Age Civilization,” Eric A. Powell, Archaeology Magazine, November/December 2024, pp. 34–37.
[4] “Archaeologists uncover Europe’s hidden Bronze Age megastructures,” David Kearns, University College Dublin, Phys.org, November 20, 2023: https://phys.org/news/2023-11-archaeologists-uncover-europe-hidden-bronze.html
[5] “The Sun’s Divine Journey: Myths and Legends of Solar Deities,” II. The Ancient Egyptians: Ra and the Sun’s Daily Cycle: https://mythologyworldwide.com/the-suns-divine-journey-myths-and-legends-of-solar-deities/
[6] “The Sun’s Divine Journey: Myths and Legends of Solar Deities,” IV. Hinduism: Surya and the Eternal Light,” ibid.
[7] See Britannica.com: https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar/Time-determination-by-stars-Sun-and-Moon
[8] “The Fascinating Tale of Amaterasu: The Sun Goddess in Japanese Mythology,” https://mythologyworldwide.com/the-fascinating-tale-of-amaterasu-the-sun-goddess-in-japanese-mythology/#google_vignette
[9] “Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth’s Climate,” NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/milankovitch-orbital-cycles-and-their-role-in-earths-climate/
[10] “Interglacials, Milankovitch Cycles, Solar Activity, and Carbon Dioxide,” Gerald E. Marsh, Journal of Climatology, September 8, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/345482 ; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2014/345482
[11] “Long-term changes in the Earth's climate: Milankovitch cycles as an exercise in classical mechanics,” R.C.T. Rainey, American Journal of Physics, November 1, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0013563 ; https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article/90/11/848/2820265/Long-term-changes-in-the-Earth-s-climate
[12] “Why Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles Can’t Explain Earth’s Current Warming,” NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/why-milankovitch-orbital-cycles-cant-explain-earths-current-warming/
[13] “Rapid shift in methane carbon isotopes suggests microbial emissions drove record high atmospheric methane growth in 2020–2022,” Sylvia Englund Michel, Xin Lan, John Miller and Jianganyang Li, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), October 21, 2024: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2411212121
[14] “Mysterious record methane surge since 2020 was not fossil fuels but ‘90% due to microbes’”, JoNova:
[15] Sean Arthur Joyce, Introduction, Pole Shift & Other Poems, ibid., p. 9.
[16] “As Above so Below – Meaning, Origin and Usage,” Richard Barker, History of English, August 27, 2024: https://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/as-above-so-below
[17] “The Sun’s Divine Journey: Myths and Legends of Solar Deities,” IV. Hinduism: Surya and the Eternal Light,” ibid.
[18] Sean Arthur Joyce, Introduction, Pole Shift & Other Poems, ibid., p. 13.
Beautiful Art; the Song of Light and Life. You might also be aware that the defrosting of the Permafrost soil is also releasing methane into the atmosphere. Here is something I wrote recently which periferraly relates to your piece:
The 6th Mass Extinction Event?
The previous 5 which have been identified by eminent scientists from various disciplines were:
#1-the End Ordovician- 440 million years ago;
#2-the Late Devonian– 360 mya;
#3-the End Permian - 250 mya;
#4-the End Triassic - 200 mya;
#5-the End Cretaceous –65 mya;
#6-the End Freedom------5 years ago!
Since humans weren't around for any of them (except the current), and even though the climate seems to have been the main driver for the extinction of species, genera and families of assorted flora and fauna, then none can be blamed on us!
The only effect that any living organism has had on the biosphere, that thin layer where Life can exist, was when the green plants changed the composition of the gases in the atmosphere to reduce methane, and to increase oxygen. The vital relationship between oxygen and the carbon-dioxide needing green plants was, and still is, essential to Life as we know it, and Its continuance.
The current Mass Extinction is only tentatively linked to these gases, and is much more insidious. With no direct or irrefutable evidence, humans are being blamed for changes in weather patterns! Even if this were true, weather isn't climate, and the solution isn't a 'natural' one!
The strategy of trying to control humans natural production of the minor but critically important Life-permitting carbon-dioxide, is the Extinction of Freedom for the vast majority.
In every way that Freedom can be measured it is being attacked and legislated out of existence! All of the Freedoms that Western societies have fought to achieve and implement over centuries are being deluged in courts, derided in the media, denied by zombi mobs, and denigrated by academia, to the despair of the minority of the population who are aware of this.
Much of this is enabled by erosion of critical thinking by the majority of the population. They have been lulled into into accepting the opinions of 'experts' who slavishly obey their political puppet masters. The total effect being that Freedom of thought, movement, purchase, support, expression, diet, donation, and demonstration, are all struggling to survive in an atmosphere which is gradually reverting to the soporific if not outright poisonous methane. In this analysis the 'me' is them, and the 'thane' are us!