Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of Winter, in the northern hemisphere.

Many of the customs associated with the Winter Solstice derive from stories of a mighty battle between the dark and the light, which is won, naturally, by the light.Celebrated in many religions and by many cultures we often forget the real meaning of this winter celebration.

Earlier traditions focused on the battle between the dark and the light, but we know both are valuable. Honor the dark before calling in the light. This is the season when animals hibernate and nature sleeps and we can turn inward too. Perhaps some of the depression people feel during the holidays comes from not providing a space for feeling the sadness associated with this season. Set aside time (hard to do amidst the frenzy of the holidays) for sitting in the dark and quiet. I like to spend a little time of the Winter Solstice in silence and reflection.

It is a time of year when some despair, seem lost, confused, frustrated and money seems to go before we receive it; with all the Christmas shopping. We feel like we have reached the turning point and our strength recedes and/or declines. Such is the cycle of birth and death, elation and melancholy, strength and weakness, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, the harmony of change.

It is the time of year to have good friends around, and to be a good friend. Celebrate with the light of candles, yule logs on the fire and share your food and warmth. It is the time of year to be hospitable to strangers and travellers. It is the time of year for telling stories around the fire, the time for sipping hot drinks to warm the soul; the time to raise spirits...and a glass or too. A celebration of the promise of the Sun's return in all it's power.

You should enjoy yourself as much as possible on the Winter Solstice because this will bring back light (and lightness) into the world. Different traditions mention feasting, gambling, playing pranks, giving gifts, visiting, drinking, dressing up, putting on plays and staying up all night. During the dark of winter, invoke all the forces of pleasure and love which make life worth living.

This is a natural time for letting go and saying farewell. Release your resentments and regrets into the darkness, knowing they will be transformed. Write about them in your journal or write them on slips of paper which you can burn in your Yule fire.
Celebrate in the warmth and love of your friends and family and lighten the way into 2009.

Greetings from Dorothy