Today we’re celebrating Winter Solstice, so I thought we’d start with two fun Solstice-themed tidbits….one grammatical and one historical.
The grammatical piece….who knows which two Latin words the term “solstice” comes from? (“Solstice” in Latin means ‘sun’ and ‘stillness’…the sun standing still.)
The historical trivia is… does anyone know what famous darkness to light story was first released 57 years ago tomorrow, on Dec. 18th, 1966? I’ll give you some hints….roast beast. Cindy Lou-Who.
Answer: How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Although the Grinch story wasn’t specifically solstice-related, there certainly is a thread to the inner darkness to soulful light theme.
And that is the refrain of our gathering…the invitation that solstice gives us to embrace seasonal, sacred quietness. (especially amidst the other seasonal hubbub).
Typically the message of our reflections are somewhat linear.
Today it will be a bit different. In response to the summons to soft solstice stillness, we invite calm into our midst with meditation, story, prayer, and the lighting of candles.
Before we move in that direction, however, just a word or two about this thing we call Solstice.
Solstice celebrations are often recognized as stemming from pagan traditions, and in being so it’s in keeping with the pagan roots of our Christmas traditions.
Many of us know by now that Christmas wasn’t observed until 300 years after Jesus’ death, and that the early church borrowed December 25th from the pagan Brumalia (winter solstice) festival, because it was handy to switch from the birth of the sun god to the birthday of the “Son of God.”
Then in the fifth century the Church (the Roman Catholic Church) ordered that the birth of Jesus be observed on December 25, the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, the sun god. They renamed this day “Christmas” (Christ’s mass).
The Jewish folks did the same thing by identifying their festival of light – Hanukkah – to be at this time of year.
While some Christians may cringe at the idea of Jesus’s birthday having pagan origins, I like it. I like the shared celebration of light and its dark counterpart crossing faith traditions.
It connects us people of varying faiths , underscoring that there is shared beauty and purpose in our celebrations and sacred rituals.
Awakening our souls to the invitation of spiritual illumination has no bounds… no particular group can claim that.
And so, Solstice reminds all of us of the value of darkness, and of the quietness that often accompanies it.
The same natural world, pervasive throughout time and space, provides this darkness, this time of incubation, in preparation for the unfolding of things to come.
Most us are caught up in the external preparations for the holiday…gifts, buying, gathering, merriment.
And these activities can be lovely and very enjoyable, but they can also take us away from introspective quietness that are the seeds of our growth.
This is the beauty of the solstice….stillness, time for that introspection.
I think sometimes solstice is seen as a precursor for something else, an anticipatory celebration when we acknowledge that we are looking down the way for something better (namely, warm, light, springtime).
But winter solstice is important in and of itself, not just a prelude for something else. Rebirth and blossoming doesn’t come without the germination of the seed.
And so, let us move into a mode of quieting ourselves, our minds now, and listen to a guided meditation. I invite you to close your eyes if you are comfortable with that.
[LIGHTS OUT]
Winter Solstice Meditation
We pause as the path of the sun reverses, seemingly holding its place for a moment of turning, delving into the gifts of winter’s darkness. We follow curiosity and contemplation down into the cold earth, taking a journey to the world below the surface.
Here we find acorns, gathered by squirrels and chipmunks, perhaps to be food laid in store, or perhaps to become trees in the fullness of time. We find the burrows of hibernating animals, those who sleep and repair. We find seeds, including some that will not sprout unless they first wait through frost and ice.
Life finds rest and renewal in the darkness.
May those who are weary find comfort.
May those who are struggling relationally find meaning and companionship.
May those who are injured or ill find recovery.
May those who hunger find abundance.
Let this be a time of healing.
Our imagination rises back to the surface, to life where the cold ground meets the crisp air. Here we observe life finding its way. We observe animals eating seeds left on the ground, though the harvest is long past. We notice the migration of birds, natural movement that allows populations to find places where they can thrive. We observe the trees that appear to sleep, and yet hold sap that will rise again before the spring arrives. We observe that not everything lives through the winter, and yet all that has lived returns to the earth and is transformed.
Let this be a time of resilience.
May the changing seasons bring new meaning and new insights.
May creativity and persistence lead us to find resources for all to share.
May those who migrate find safety, and may there be good news in the transformation that leads us onward.
We now lift our imagination upward, to the returning sun and to the brilliant winter night sky. Shifting hours of light and darkness remind us that change is part of the rhythm of the universe, and so discontent does not last. Acknowledging the gifts of darkness, we also look forward to the growing light, a change that brings glimmers of hope. We marvel at the beauty of this time: stars unobstructed by leaves, jewels of the night shining over the land, moon and meteors inspiring us to awe and wonder.
Let this be a time of celebration. What joy can be found, let us hold it close, blow on its embers, and share its spark. We do not take for granted having come this far, and we give thanks for our companions on the journey.
We continue our meditation for a few more moments in silence.
A Solstice Tale
I now have a tale to tell of two great Kings. One is the Holly King who rules the earth during the waning part of the year or what we call the dark part of the year. This is the time from Summer Solstice in late June until the Winter Solstice around this time of the year, at Yule. It is the time of the year when the Earth begins to slowly tilt away from the Sun which makes the hours of light shorter.
It is at this time that the legend says the Oak King defeats the Holly King in battle.
You see, the Oak King rules the earth during the waxing half of the year, which is from now until the Summer Solstice arrives again in June. Beginning on the Winter Solstice, the earth begins to tilt back and slowly the hours of light grow, until the cycle repeats itself next June.
In Ancient times the people did not understand science or how the earth worked so the story of the battle of the Oak King and the Holly King made it easier to understand what was happening. Here is that story as a poem:
A rivalry
Many centuries old
Since ancient times,
The tales were told
Of two great kings,
One dark, and one light,
Who twice a year,
Would heroically fight.
The Holly King,
The darker one,
Ruled the Winter,
The dimming Sun.
While the King of Oak,
Was vibrant and bright.
He reigned over Summer,
The Sun’s growing light.
At Yule they would battle,
‘Twas an inspiring scene,
And the victory would go
To the mighty Oak King.
But at Midsummer’s time,
With the Sun at its peak,
The Holly King would win,
The Oak King grew weak.
And so it went on,
Year after year,
And the story was told
To all who could hear.
And that is the story of the Solstices.
Let us now share some moments in prayer.
A Winter Solstice Prayer
Perhaps for a moment
the typewriters of our minds will stop clicking,
the wheels stop rolling,
the computers desist from computing,
and a hush can fall over this place.
For an instant, in the stillness,
the chiming of the celestial spheres will be heard
as earth hangs poised
in the crystalline darkness, and then, gracefully, tilts.
O Creator of the dark and light,
let this be a season
when holiness is heard, and
the splendor of living is revealed.
Stunned to stillness by beauty
let us we remember who we are and why we are here.
There are inexplicable mysteries.
Remind us that we are not alone,
For in the universe you move,
You, whose gestures alter earth’s axis
toward love.
In the immense darkness
everything spins with joy.
Your cosmos enfolds us.
We are caught in a web of stars,
cradled in a swaying embrace,
rocked by the holy night,
babes of your universe.
Let this be the time
we wake to life,
like spring wakes, in the moment
of this winter solstice.
Let it be so. Amen.
Lighting the Yule Log
As we prepare for the re-birth of light into our world, we can begin to plan ahead for the year, to think, and rest from activity while we contemplate our lives, our successes, our joys, our concerns, and to choose new seeds to plant in our lives.
What goals and actions did not serve you in the last year? That is what you sacrifice to Winter, that is what you leave behind. That is what you give to death.
We can exercise forgiveness about these things, and make peace with it.
Conversely, what seeds do you wish to plant in your life, what will you energize you in the new year? This is the dream and hope of Yule, to begin again in Joy and Peace.
Winter’s darkness is a time to plant seeds in the darkness of the soul’s earth, as the beginning of what will grow and culminate in the months to come.
In a spirit of upholding the sacredness of stillness, we now have an opportunity to come forth, quietly, light a candle, and perhaps offer an internal prayer about what you wish to leave in the darkness, and what in your life you want to foster to fruition.
I invite each of you to come up now, row by row, and light a candle in the darkness.
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