Fire. Candlelight. Honour. Give the Ashes Back to the Earth.
 |
| After the fire~ scattering ashes as fertilizer |
The shortest day of sunlight, called the Winter Solstice is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs every year.
The apposing hemispheres experience the Earth’s tilt at the same time, that is to say, that while the Northern Hemisphere is at it’s shortest daylight producing capacity, the Southern Hemisphere is at its longest - and vice versa.
Solstice, derived from Latin, means “Sun standing Still” and that connotation, has prehistoric attachments to ancient monuments like Stonehenge. Archaeologists have discovered that its alignment creates a perfect sight line at the time of the winter solstice sunset (in one particular direction) and then it reverses and aligns perfectly (in a different direction) during the Summer Solstice.
These Solstices shift slightly in date and time.
I recognize the Solstice as an Earth Cherishing date that we should adapt into a more Celebratory ~ Green Awakening Observance.
Because Man is a creature of habit and ritual, many customary tasks, were historically done to coincide with such environmental shifts, till eventually, Winter Holidays - were created. The Feast of Juul, is the pre Christian Scandinavian Festival that eventually evolved into Christmas. People set fire to Juul or Yule logs to symbolize the heat and light of the returning sun.
During these age old Solstice Customs, a whole tree was brought into the house and the log was burned till nothing but ash remained. The ashes were then collected and either strewn on the fields as a fertilizer or kept as a symbolic & magical medicine. Our ancient ancestors celebrated the restoration of the earth and I think we ought to do more pro active,
replenishing customs
Sun recognition rituals are as important as all the other light worshipping practices that make up December’s blended Holiday Cheer.
The ceremonial use of lights, exists in many religions; Kwanzaa symbolically recognizes historic struggles & hope, Hanukkah honours a re established foot hold of power after assertion and Christmas is the date chosen to celebrate the birth of a great Spiritual Prophet. All coincide around the original pagan practice of acknowledging the shift in seasonal year, or rather - The universal light that we call the sun.
During Winter Solstice, I plan to recognize the Earth’s courageous journey and will try to give something back, even if I can only do it symbolically.
