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Winter Solstice (December 21)
Winter Solstice, or Yule, is the night of longest dark,
the point of deepest night and winter before the
returning of new life. . .the rebirth of the sun. This
time of year signifies enlightenment, when the light is
reborn within the womb of darkness. It is the time of
the turning sun.
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Slow Down,
Seek The Within,
Dream
Healing Dreams
My help is in the mountain
Where I take myself to heal
The earthly wounds
That people give to me.
I find a rock with sun on it
and a stream where the water runs gentle
And the trees which one by one give me company.
So must I stay for a long time
Until I have grown from the rock
And the stream is running through me
And I cannot tell myself from one tall tree.
Then I know that nothing touches me
Nor makes me run away.
My help is in the mountain
That I take away with me.
Earth cure me. Earth receive my woe. Rock strengthen
me.
Rock receive my weakness. Rain wash my sadness
away.
Rain receive my doubt. Sun make sweet my song.
Sun receive the anger from my heart.
-Nancy Wood, from "Hollering Sun"
Psyche's Dream by Josephine
Wall
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Soothsayings
December 2008 -- January 2009
by Rosemary Clark
The Birth of
Light
We approach the fourth time of transition in
the year, when light is diminished and
darkness prevails over the season. We
have celebrated the ascent of light in the
Spring, its culmination in the Summer, and
its senescence in the Fall. We are now in
the time of inward enlightenment, when light
hibernates in the womb of darkness and we
await validation of its return in the coming
months.
The Winter Solstice the shortest day of the
year, when the Sun is seen at its most
southerly point in the sky (in the northern
hemisphere). Cultures past and present
have universally regarded this moment as a
time of rest, peace with the powers of
nature, and fellowship with society. It is the
first day that marks the beginning of many
winter festivals.
Soyalangwul, the Winter Solstice ceremony
of the Hopi Indians, is honored with a dance
performed to ceremonially bring the Sun
back from its winter slumber. Kachina
spirits return to the world at this time, and
the Awehai Kachina ("fertile goddess") is
said to accompany the dancers through the
night to Sunrise.
For the Germanic peoples, the solstice was
celebrated from the 4th Century, when it
took place in the month of Fuma Jiuleis.
Later in Anglo-Saxon England it was known
as Giuli, corresponding to our December-
January calendar and the season of
Capricorn. For the Druids, it was Alban
Arthuan ("Light of Arthur") a festival when
gifts were bestowed on the less fortunate.
King Arthur was believed to have been born
on the Winter Solstice in Castle Tintagel in
Cornwall.
In Persia, the solstice marked the birth of
Mithras, god of light. His mysteries were
brought to the occidental world by Roman
soldiers, and the day of his virgin birth was
known as Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "birthday
of the unconquered Sun."
Amaterasu, the Sun goddess of Japan,
comes out of her cave at the Winter
Solstice, after a prolonged period of
darkness in the world. Shut away in the
heavenly realm from her brother¹s sacrilege
of destroying her rice fields, she now
emerges to remind the human race of the
divine light that is diminished by irreverence
and impiety. More.
(*) All phenomena are cited for the Tropical
(Western) Zodiac © Copyright 2008 by
Rosemary Clark
Rosemary Clark is author of The Sacred
Tradition in Ancient Egypt: The Esoteric
Wisdom Revealed and The Sacred
Magic of Ancient Egypt: The Spiritual
Practice Restored. She has also written
The Everything Meditation Book and
her work is included in Menopause: A
One-Stop Resource for Feeling Good
and The Complete Dream
Dictionary. When not writing and
organizing spiritual expeditions to Egypt,
she is saying sooth to an international cadre
of students and associates. |
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Herb of the Month by Fee
The holly and the ivy
When are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown. (Traditional
Carol)
The calendar year is coming to an end and
we
descend deeper into the months of moon. If
you
blessed us in December, you have holly, ivy
and the
poinsettia.The magickal pair of holly and ivy
is
traditionally used at Yule for seasonal
decorations, the
holly, being the male plant and the ivy being
female.
Holly is used for protection and ivy is used
for love and
fidelity.
Coming from Mexico, near my home, we
have the
lovely poinsettia, a traditional holiday flower.
Lovely as
it is, it is a toxic houseplant so please keep it
away
from pets and small children who might try
to eat it.
The poinsettia corresponds with the Lady of
Guadelupe, also known as the Mother of the
Americas. Her sacred day is December
12th.
Garden Witchery ~ Magick From The
Ground Up
Ellen Dugan, Llewellyn Publishing 2003
Fee is a Certified Master Herbalist from the
Global
College of Natural Medicine, Keeper of the
Gardens.
For gardening or herbal questions, contact
Fee at
khotbc@yahoo.com.
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The Miracle of Winter
"Plants die after producing their seeds,
which are
buried in the ground, storing precious
energy. During
the darkest days of winter, these seeds
begin to
germinate, thus completing Nature's cycle.
So, too,
this dark night of the soul will produce new
growth in
time. At no other moment are you more
deeply in
touch with your will to survive. The darkness
of night
can be terrifying, but it can also bring
blessed sleep
and relief from the day's troubles. Perhaps
the most
peaceful time of life is experienced in the
darkness of
the womb as life's potential begins to take
form. The
winter solstice, the darkest day of the year,
brings
hope and the return of the Sun's life.
Likewise, your
darkest moments hold the power of healing.
Conserve your energies. Sink deep into your
inner Self
to find that seed of new life." (M.E. Warlick)
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WINTER SOLSTICE RITUAL
Within the dark, winter womb of Mother
Earth rest
many seeds awaiting the Turning of the Sun
to coax
them into the light. So, too, within each of us
are
countless "Seeds of Potentialities" awaiting
the warm
Sun of our own Self-Love to bring them to
the
surface of our consciousness, and into the
world as
the living fruit of our lives.
To enact this ritual you need one tangerine
or orange
that has seeds. Find a quiet time and place
where
you will be undisturbed. You may light a
candle, burn
incense, play music, whatever you wish to
do
to "create sacred space." Begin by looking
back at
2008. What was the year like for you? What
good
things came to you? What lessons did you
learn?
What did you accomplish? (Remember,
there are no
small accomplishments.) Reflect on all
areas of your
life. Give thanks to the Divine, your guides,
whomever
you include as an ally in your life process,
for their
support in the past year. Then take a deep,
heartfelt
moment to honor yourself for the "Living
Light" that
you are.
Hold the orange, or tangerine, to your heart
and think
about the seeds lying dormant inside the
fruit. Begin
to contemplate the Seeds inside you that
want to
come to Life in the coming year. What do
you want
to do . . . create . . . accomplish in 2009?
Where do
you want to be a year from now, and what
must you
do to get there? Think about all aspects of
your life,
and trust that Spirit will spark and guide you
on your
path.
Peel the fruit. While the peelings drop away,
imagine
them as any, and all obstacles, limitations
and fears
holding you back. As you let the pieces of
rind fall
away, know that they have protected and
served
you . . .until now. Thank them and release
them.
While eating the fruit, visualize the sweet
juice and
pulp as the inner love, strength, and
boundless
resources you have inside you. As you
discover the
seeds within the fruit, take a moment to
envision,
and name, what each "Seed of Potentiality"
will
represent in your life in the coming year. Set
the
seeds aside until you have finished the
entire fruit.
Then take all the seeds into your hands.
These
represent your goals, wishes and dreams
for 2009.
Endow them with your life essence by
breathing into
them, singing or sounding into them,
dancing with
them, or anointing them with your kisses or
tears. Let
Spirit guide you in this energy-exchange.
(You might
want to write about your wishes, dreams
and goals in
a journal, as well.)
Finally, offer your Life-Seeds back to Mother
Earth,
or put them in a sacred space until you are
ready to
give them to Her for safe-keeping. When it
feels
appropriate for you, bury the seeds with
prayer,
thankfulness and a commitment to yourself
to do all
that is necessary to grow these "Seeds-of-
Life" into
their complete form. Trust that you have all
the
resources you need to nurture your goals,
wishes and
dreams into full manifestation.
This personal rite also works well at the
New Year. ©
1997 Xia
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