The day the fathers met the sun

In ancient times, our ancestors understood the power and significance of names. Great time and intention were often dedicated to the naming of people, places and things. The names given to land masses were often symbolic of historical context, spirituality, symbolism, and geography.

Ancient peoples frequently named land masses based on what they observed, valued, or believed about a territory. Kemet, the name the original people gave to the geographic region now known as Egypt (later renamed by the Greeks), translates to “The Black Land,” referring to the rich, dark soil deposited by the Nile. Likewise, concepts related to astronomical events and natural elements are often tied back to deeper metaphors and meanings. Yearly events such as the Summer Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Winter Solstice were often regarded as sacred times to honour our connection to the Earth and the various changes Mother Earth experienced through the seasons.

June 20^th or 21^st often marks the yearly Summer Solstice, the longest day and night of the year. This year, Father’s Day, the annual celebration of fatherhood, happened to fall on the same day as the Summer Solstice. The symbolism offers a brilliant example of two annual traditions being commemorated simultaneously, each carrying strikingly similar themes.

For those who appreciate symbolism, the overlap is powerful. Father’s Day honours fatherhood, guidance, protection, and legacy, while the Summer Solstice represents the sun at its greatest strength and vitality.

Yosef A. A. Ben-Jochannan, aka Dr. Ben (one of my favourite humorous historians, who actually planted the history bug in me at an early age), world-renowned African historian, taught that “One cannot fully understand Ancient Kemet without understanding its relationship to the sun, the Nile, and the cosmos.”

Ra, the solar deity, was central to Kemetic spirituality. The solstice marked the period when “The sun reached its greatest apparent power in the sky. The rising of the sun was a sacred symbol of renewal, power, consciousness, and divine purpose.” – D.B.

Dr. Ben, in his group lectures, further taught that “The sunrise represented Victory over darkness and chaos, Rebirth after struggle, The return of light, truth, and order (Ma’at), The awakening of consciousness.”

The narrative taught by other historians describe the story, that “Ra emerged from the eastern horizon as the youthful sun, often associated with Khepri, the scarab who rolls the sun into the sky. This was not merely a physical sunrise; it symbolized the triumph of life over death and purpose over stagnation.”

The archetype (universal symbol) of the father, and the principle the ancients celebrated as Ra, the root often associated with words such as rays of the sun, radiation, and radioactivity, speaks to the solar principle of light, as well as order, vitality, and renewal.

How the metaphor ties into fatherhood and manhood is quite phenomenal. For men, the symbolism of Ra’s daily journey speaks to a powerful model of masculine development.

The concept of Rising into Purpose is similar to Ra “Rising” each morning regardless of the battles he faced the night before. Are you familiar with the recent popular phrase, “Grand Rising?” The same way, a man is called to rise each day into his responsibilities and purpose, as men as fathers, it’s as if to say, “Will you rise today, regardless of the struggles of yesterday?”

In reflecting on all of this, as I celebrated Father’s Day this year, I thought about how miraculous it is when these cosmic events occur, and what they mean to us at this moment in time. It is a period in which divine father attributes are being celebrated, the spirit of our ancestors is symbolically and practically present, and we are honouring seasonal connections, practices that span hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Sometimes, we don’t even realize how much we embody the essence of those who came before us simply by honouring the principles we have come to hold dear in this age and time. It’s almost as though we, as Ashra Kwesi (student of Dr. Ben), would say, are tapping into our “Ancestral memory bank,” without even knowing it. As a result, we gain a form of cosmic favour by welcoming the seasons with practices that demonstrate reverence for that which predates us. Some ways we do this include: organizing communal gatherings, cooking and eating together outdoors, and connecting with the various elements, much like our ancestors did in ancient times.

So, whether you gathered around a BBQ with family to honour your father or the male figures in your life, or simply spent time in nature, smiling and sharing meaningful moments with loved ones, know that you were symbolically honouring the legacy of your ancestors and the role they have played (and continue to play) in your life and also planting healthy seeds, to be planted to nurture the lives of future generations.