Having gone through this past winter in New England, it is really hard to comprehend the simple fact that yesterday was the Summer Solstice, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and we have the longest day of the year. Yesterday some 23000 people gathered at Stonehenge in the UK to celebrate the event. There is a wonderful sense of spirituality that people have been gathering in this way for thousands of years. It symbolizes a recognition of our connectedness with the Earth, the Sun, and the cycles of the world.

I have spent some time scanning the new sites for the best photos of yesterday’s event. I thought that I would choose one that showed the sun rising behind the stones, but I was moved instead by a much more intimate image from the AFP/Getty. What makes this picture is the way in which the figures look in anticipation beyond the photographer towards the heavens. In this effect, it is reminiscent of Raphael’s Madonna of the Chair, a recognition that what is beyond is of importance.