The book The Ancient Path of the Sun by Mark Atwood has just got a new title and cover design. It has been re-released as Ancient Solstice: Uncovering the spiritual meaning of the solstices and equinoxes.
It’s the same book, but with a new name.
To be clear – the content of the book is almost exactly the same – there are only a few tiny little additions.
If you already have The Ancient Path of the Sun book, there is no need to buy it again as Ancient Solstice, unless of course you want it in the new cover design! which is beautiful by the way – thanks to its designer Dara.
Thank you also to Jenny at the publisher for doing all the detailed bits and pieces need to make the changeover.
You can find the Ancient Solstice book here.
Please note that when a book is first released, it can take 1-2 weeks for it to complete the process of becoming available. So it can take a while for the book to show as available in some stores, and even when it is showing as available, there can be delays with book orders being processed and sent out. The orders do come through eventually though.
That book cover is world class. Amazing!
After Skool & UnchartedX
A nicely made overview video of why the picture of our history needs serious reassessment, featuring many of the concepts written about by Lara as well.
Great to see such productions go out there (for example this one was shared with me by someone who thought I might find it interesting, rather me sharing such content.)
Made me think that this renewed picture is indeed due to be established at some point. From there, there naturally might come the yearning among people to do more, to ‘do something with it’. What? How? It might come as a wonderful shock then that the mysteries alluded to by the remnants of ancient cultures refer to an inner mystery which can actually be lived personally, and its ancient practices experienced. How I see it, although that part is not widely known yet, the knowledge that Mark and Lara have to do that is something very special and it’s exciting to think what the future might bring.
We’ve just received ours!
The new cover is really something!!! Great work guys :)
A big thank you to everyone involved.
Received our copy today. Just beautiful.
I really enjoyed the introduction/preface, explains really well the purpose of writing such a book and the need to go on your own internal spiritual adventure to discover within our own hearts the Truths found and expressed through the remnants of the Religion of the Sun.
Thank you Mark, Lara and team for always sharing these sacred jewels with humanity. I am very grateful for all the hard work over the years.
I got it!
Actually I liked your honesty when you said that there’s no need buying the book if you already have it…
And the cover looks stunning indeed! Like etheric from the dream world. Cudos to Dara!
Looking forward to more books from you and your husband and videos when the time comes for them š
Thank you Lara for letting us know about the update and also big thank you to everyone involved. The book is really great and highly recommended to anyone who is interested in spiritual mysteries and perhaps is also searching for answers to some profound questions about life. The new cover reminded me of some of recent astral experiences ā there is so much I want to learn about the hidden nature of the Sun!
Thank you again for your continuous efforts in bringing the light of knowledge to this small yet intricate part of the Cosmos.
Great work as always, Jenny, Dara, and Lara!
Stunning new cover design and great title name update.
Really value and appreciate all the time and work thatās put into these beautiful works. Thankyou so much
Love the new cover, beautiful design Dara.
To me its a great representation of the books content. I prefer this new name also, far easier to remember. Well done
Beautiful cover and art work. The cover perfectly embodies the axiom “as above, so below”. Love the images of the different constellations of the zodiac around the sun and the Orion constellation hidden in the back.
Hi Lara
I just received the Ancient Solstice book and had a chance to briefly look through it before I start reading it from the beginning. I was hoping to find additional information about Maponos, the Celtic divine sun/son. After reading your Twitter comment about your Celtic winter solstice ceremony in 2020, it piqued my interest to know more but I was surprised to see that I did not find any mention of him or a ceremony in relation to him anywhere in the updated version of this book.
Will there be any updates on new or additional solar ceremonial practices, mythology, cosmology, sacred sites and cultures that worship the sun in the near future?
Hi Patricia,
We’ve been wanting to add more about Celtic religion, particularly an example Celtic ceremony. I’ve been researching Celtic spirituality here and there, but haven’t had the time to go in great depth with it. There is so much to research! Especially now with Mark’s books coming out and practices soon too.
This last update to the Ancient Path of the Sun/Ancient Solstice book could only be within the current page limit, to keep it in the same succession of editions of the book. Jenny had to squeeze the references at the back a bit more so we could get a few of the updates we wanted to put in, so there wasn’t any more room on this round. But for the next round I am hoping we can put some more example ceremonies in, including a Celtic one. Just not sure when that will be though…
Thanks Lara for the feedback.
Hi Lara, do you have any recommendations for resources on Celtic spirituality and practices? It seems so obscure! The Kolbrin is of course an exception to that, (and actually it could keep me busy for years) but I wondered if there is anything else you can point me (and others with Celtic heritage) to, maybe things you’ve seen have some depth to them, but haven’t had the time to research yet? Would be much appreciated! :-)
I have another question! I was reading the chapter on the spiritual meaning of the spring equinox recently and came across a picture of the Nebelivka temple in Ukraine (a little synchronicity given recent events) which had a very mysterious symbol on it – the ‘horns of the solstice’ as they’re described. (Page 66 of Ancient Solstice.) If I’d have seen this anywhere else than your book I’d feel pretty wary about this temple! Despite all the other beautiful solar symbols these horns on the apex are a classic ‘devil’ symbol culturally and in my mind, and I’m wondering what I’m missing about why they are linked to the solstice? Maybe it’s described somewhere in the book, or you (or someone!) could shed some insight?
I wonder if it’s just that depiction of the temple at Nebelivka where the horns are pointy giving that impression. There are other images from the same culture where ornaments are decorated with horns that are softer on the ends which remind me of cow horns. Eg. this image
If the temple was aligned to the equinox, then if you were standing in the right place the sun may have risen through the horns. Maybe this is related somehow to depictions of the mother / Hathor with a horned headdress and sun between her horns? Like this example.
I also wonder if similar symbolism is present in traditional Nordic architecture. Eg. a lot of traditional buildings from the Scandanavian countries have horn-like ornamentation of different variations to. Eg. Viking longhouses
It’s lovely to see the updated book! It looks magical and inspiring and I hope it will reach many new spiritual seekers. Thanks to all involved for your efforts and to Mark and Lara for bringing this unique content together. It’s very needed in the world now, as it always has been.
I really love this new cover! It really draws you in and is more ‘universal’ somehow. I hope the new name and new design will help it reach many new people! I’m going to have to get one just to see it in real life :-)
Hi Ella, that’s exactly what I was thinking too, how universal it is now… Like you can easily imagine the title written in Chinese for example, and it would match the culture no problem. :-)
Hello Lara, thanks very much for letting us know. The cover, as always, is stunning. Also thank you for clarifying that only minor additions apply to this edition, as it may help those that are interested.
Again, congratulations to all those involved, so much dedication and talent.
Beautiful title and I love the addition of the constellations along the wheel of the zodiac. As the planets revolve around the sun – the sun also revolves through the constellations – a quite breathtaking, beautiful and significantly meaningful unfolding of our lessons reflected in the cosmos.
I’m looking forward to getting my own copy and a few to give away…
Thanks Lara for this update :)
Looove the new cover. Dara, your designs are always so lovely and inviting. Thank you all for this update.
Thank you Mark and Lara for all the efforts and time you have given to this Beautifully Presented Book , as someone as already mentioned the cover is very Special and it draws a lot of attention , really looking forward to r reading it šš¼
What a breathtaking piece of art! I think its the most beautiful cover to date, so sublime and meaningfulā¦ well done Dara! I just love the stars motif, and it makes a perfect sense too, as the stars are the sources of Light in the universe, and therefore a beautiful symbol of the Religion of the Sun.
I also like how this image is a cosmic version of the famous image of Christ/Sun in the middle of the zodiacal circle (http://ww.voyance.free.fr/fond/Horoscope_amour.jpg), reverberating the cosmic truth of the Son/Sun passing through the different constellations with different spiritual meanings. And the back cover is beautiful too, with more of the starry sky, and the symbolic Orionā¦
Wonderful colours too – the earthy reddish tones on the bottom, the yellow Sun tones in the middle (like a proper spiritual āmediatorā between the earthly and heavenly realms), and the blue sky with the stars aboveā¦.
The change of the name makes sense to me as well, as the two books may have been a bit too similar before, the name-wise, as well as the design-wise, so some people may have easily misidentified them (even though of course the previous cover with the druid and the pyramid was spectacular too!)
I hope this book will speak to many today, and that it will help the Religion of the Sun to become the āmainstreamā it once was. :-)
It’s my favorite cover so far too.
That cover is like a window through which the warmth of the sun shines right into your room! A very powerful impression. Great work on it, thank you. It would even be great as a giant poster. Best one yet.
The simplification of the title feels right too, and will be much easier in use and to stick in one’s memory.
Happy to see this little update and I appreciate the work put into such ongoing efforts.
Oh waow, what a stunning new cover! It really draws you in, and the colors are so so beautiful. It’s like a beautiful sunrise, mixed with the stars and ancient stones. I love it. Thank you Dara for a really, really beautiful cover. It really feels like it can showcase/provide for the amazing content and work found within the pages. It really, really is beautiful and it makes you want to know more, to uncover the mysteries it evokes within, which is the point of a good cover :) As for the new title, ‘It’s short and sweet’, and it’s easier to remember too. Many thanks to everyone involved in its production. I think that is a wonderful way to start 2022! Thank you Mark (& Lara) for the content in the book, I can’t wait until we get our copy.
I completely agree! The new artwork really resonates a timeless aspect, especially with the constellations overlaid.
A huge thankyou to everyone involved with a special thanks to Dara for the inspiration for the cover.
I notice there’s a feeling that everything is afire. I can see how this could represent vibrant life, constantly changing & how it’s due to the sun. From that it seems there’s an As Above, So Below symbolism too. Is there something deeper that I missed with the fire motif?
Congrats on the re-release! The cover image is quite amazing (nicely done, Dara!). It really reflects the profundity of what’s within.
I’m curious: why the change in title? Is it to emphasize the solstices more as sacred times of the year (put the focus on solstices/equinoxes instead of a more general “path of the sun”), or to relate more directly to spiritual ascension (which is particularly tied with the summer solstice), better keyword relevance, or something else?
I think the previous title was more obscure to people who aren’t familiar with the concept of the path of the spiritual sun. Plus, it was almost identical to the title for the ancient religion of the sun book!, which is a bit confusing. So hopefully this title will be clearer, and easier to remember like Karim said.
It’s hard to come up with titles as the books cover so many topics as well as things that are difficult to put into words. So we can only try get close enough :-)
That makes sense. Haha, in retrospect, it did take a little bit of effort for me to remember the difference between the “Ancient Path of the Sun” and the “Ancient Religion of the Sun”. Now it will be much easier to remember :) Thanks for clarifying.
I think you did a really nice job re-naming this book! The new title puts the focus on the solar events of the year, including the practice of the religion of the sun through ceremony, and itās connection to worship through time. I do love the multilayered meaning of āthe path of the sunā, but as you said, unless you know something about it, a lot of that meaning is lost.
The new title and cover are great. When I first heard the title it sounded like a fragment, and it took me a bit of time getting used to. However, I noticed right away how it conveyed a feeling of the solstices and of the old ways and of it being alive. I think conveying the right feeling is more important than explaining it in a title, so I expect your new book will reach many more people. Well done for making this adjustment!
And well done to Dara for the cover – it looks not only amazing, but brings in the zodiac (and therefore stars) into scope, which is something that many sacred sites do as well. The interplay between darkness and brightness of the sky is also beautiful and reminds me of the amazing contrast in colors I see on a clear midwinter sky.