December 21, 2024 at 1:20 pm PST /4:20 pm ET / 21:20 UT
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The Sun reaches 0° Capricorn
Winter Sunrise at Stonehenge · James O. Davies
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I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
— The Lake Isle Of Innisfree, William Butler Yeats
WHEN OUR CENTRAL STAR glides into the cardinal, earth sign of Capricorn, it marks a turning point in the solar year: the Sun concludes its long, half-year descent into the southern sky. High noon on this day, it shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn, its southern-most extreme: 23.5° latitude, south of the equator.
Marking the official start of winter for those of us perched top-half Mother Earth, the darkness at this time of year is tempered with the knowledge of the never-ending turning of the wheel. After Capricorn's solstice, the Sun once again shifts its apparent motion northward. Every year, in the depths of winter, the seeds of summer are sown. While we huddle by a fire and peer out at a stark winter landscape, our friends in the south are basking in the peak of the Sun's strength. If there's ever a time when the fundamental, dual nature of life here on planet Earth is most evident, it is at the two solstices — the "Sun extremes" of the year.
Let It Go
Winter solstice, starting point of the natural year, is a great time for releasing problems, worries, bad habits, irritations, and various other thorns in the side. You can do this through elaborate ceremony, such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram; or you can accomplish the same end more simply (my personal preference). Write down all the things you'd like to see disappear in you and all around you. When you've composed your list, burn it in the flame of a special fire you've blessed with prayer, intention, or mediation. You can use a candle (red, gold, white or green are colors associated with the season), or get into the act a bit more by decorating your very own yule log with sprigs of related winter solstice herbs and evergreen boughs, blessing it, and lighting it safely in a wood stove, fireplace, or fire-ring.
More important than the method employed, whether simple or elaborate, beautiful or plain, is the sincerity, intention and focus you bring to the task. Joining forces with fellow banishers magnifies the power of the process, not to mention, it is fun.
to the task. Joining forces with fellow banishers magnifies the power of the process, not to mention, it is fun.Relatedly, I just read in a favorite Chinese cooking blog, The Woks of Life, that those delicious folded and filled noodles, wontons, are used as a different (and delicious) kind of releasing ritual for Winter Solstice. The Dōngzhì Festival, 冬至 which translates "winter arrival" was a traditionally important Chinese holiday, somewhat forgotten and overshadowed by the Lunar New Year nowadays. Wontons (which according to legend were invented on solstice) are popular this time of year, as Judy, Mother of the Woks of Life family, tells us, as you can "wrap up all of your troubles and get rid of them!" Take that troubles! What a fun idea, eh? Here is her article (photo shown here from their website) on Dongzhi with a variety of other recipes for solstice. Woks also offers a full guide to making wontons from scratch for the more adventurous.
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Symbols of the Yule Season
Bells, candles, Yule logs of oak or holly, wreaths, stars, the crown of light, the evergreen tree, holly, ivy, and mistletoe are all emblematic of the season. Mistletoe, the "Golden Bough" of the Druids, in particular is an ancient symbol for life essence, fertility and immortality honored at the depths of winter. According to J.C. Cooper's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Symbols, the evergreen mistletoe represents the sacred feminine principle, with the oak its male counterpart, on which this (usually non-damaging) semi-parasitic plant commonly grows. Cooper adds that mistletoe was once believed to be the result of lightning strikes to the branches of oak trees and was thus considered imbued with special spiritual qualities.
The evergreen mistletoe no doubt came to represent everlasting life at winter solstice as it is only really visible this time of year. Only after the oak has dropped its leaves and slipped into a deathlike, winter slumber, do we see it, still lush, green, growing — fruiting even — hanging in rounded masses from the oak's bare branches. Birds relish mistletoe fruit, its pearly white berries, an important winter food source. If you're worried about the oaks, don't be for mistletoe spreads and grows relatively slowly and only rarely becomes a threat to the tree's health. And no doubt, in those cases, probably due to other ecological imbalances. Healthy trees are able to tolerate a few mistletoe plants with little harmful effect. Moreover, when trees are laden with mistletoe, it is often a sign of a healthy bird population.
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A low sun shines through redwood trees and fog at noon on winter solstice · Mendocino County, California
BECAUSE DEEP WINTER is naturally a time for retreat and rest, long nights to help us catch up on our sleep, making soothing, sleep-enhancing dream pillows is a fitting way to celebrate the season. Among the many calming and relaxing herbs to use are: lavender, catnip, rose petals, hops, chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, sweet marjoram, and passionflower. When making the pillows, a combination of two or three favorites works very well. If you are using hops, however, just know a little goes a long way. While it is a most potent relaxer, it does have an unpleasant odor. Be sure to mix sweeter smelling herbs with hops to mask the scent.
You can easily find the herbs at your local natural food store in the bulk section, organically grown, dried and ready to use. After making my first dream pillow years ago, I started growing my own herbs — most of which are perennials that come back year after year in the garden. I like to harvest herbs on the day of summer solstice, hang them to dry in the warm shade under the eaves of the house, and then store them until it's time to make a new batch come winter. They make nice handmade holiday gifts.
If you sew, you can make your own custom pillows: squares or rectangles are easiest. If your sewing skills allow: hearts, stars, circles or crescent moons make especially sweet pillows. Tucked into pillowcases, they do not have to be large. I found a medium-sized pillow that is relatively flat after filling works best as it stays in place better. You can use scrap material or buy remnants or fat squares from the fabric store. You can sew them by hand or machine, or if you don't sew at all, you can use ready-made cotton sachet bags, the kind you can usually find right in the bulk herb section.
Felt can also be used, as the photo here shows a Blue Moon pillow I made with wool felt on which you can easily (no hoop needed) add embroidered designs and symbols. When the herbs lose their scent, just crush the pillow a bit. You can also recharge them with drops of lavender essential oil. It's fun to tuck small polished stones in the pillows along with the herbs to further reduce stress: Moonstone, Selenite, Onyx, Blue Jade, Amethyst, Prehnite, Rose Quartz, and Lepidolite are some that are calming.
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DRINK IN THE STARK BEAUTY of our little planet at this reflective time of year. If you light a bonfire, campfire, hearth fire, or even a simple candle, in honor of this "turning of the wheel" of the solar year, you are reviving a practice that stretches back through millennia. Observing these ancient, natural "holy days" helps us heal a split that has gone on way too long between Mother Earth and her human children. May this solstice bring peace and happiness to you and your loved ones, and to Mother Earth herself.
Merry Solstice!
Elaine
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