December 21/22
In the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate the Winter Solstice and the beginning of winter toward the end of December. The solstice marks the shortest day of the year and the longest night. This holiday represents the rebirth of the goddess/god and the return of the sun—the light and the promise of spring returning. Another name is Yule.
Purpose
To celebrate the Winter Solstice. To increase our light into the world.
Preparation
Prepare the affirmation on page 40 with enough copies for your group. Also prepare simple affirmations on long, thin strips of paper. Ideas: You are loved. You are cherished. Your dreams are coming true. Success is already yours.
You will need a cauldron or bowl of dirt for your altar with a large central candle and enough smaller candles for each of your participants.
Welcome and Greetings
Welcome to our Winter Solstice ceremony. Introduce yourself and go around the circle having each participant share their name and why they came to the circle. Have them close their eyes and share a moment of silence to prepare for the ceremony.
Call the Directions
We give our gratitude to our Mother
Earth, to nighttime, and to winter.
We honor the darkness because
this is where all gestation begins.
We ask that the wisdom of this
portal support the journey of our days.
We love the earth and the sun
and the moon and the stars.
We give our gratitude to the
Great Spirit that leads us.
As we embrace the silence and we
appreciate the sacredness of our lives.
And so it is.
Teachings
The theme is rebirth. The divine birth giver is the Crone Goddess. She personifies the midwife-priestess. We too act as midwives to welcome the rebirth of the sun. We also honor the birth and return of the special sons and teachers born to holy women. This is the longest night of the year and so we honor the darkness. We keep the Yule log burning, seeking the fire of hope in the winter of the life of the year. We celebrate the promise of new life ahead. Themes for this time of year are:
• Honoring the parts of ourselves that are dying
• Transmutation: the eating and drinking of the gods and goddesses, ingesting their power
• Endings: change and transition, transformation
• New beginnings
• Rebirth, renewal, resurrection
• Turning the Wheel of the Year
Sing
Choose songs that call back in the light. This is a time of the birth of the sun and we honor the many sons that were said to be born at this time. We give gratitude that the sun enlivens our lives and brings new beginnings every year.
Chant
What is the teaching of the Winter Solstice?
Life begins within the darkness.
We die and are reborn in this darkest hour.
Behold! The crone beckons the light’s return.
Transformation comes from endings and rebirth.
What is the teaching of the Winter Solstice?
The promise of new life.
Guided Meditation
Take a moment to go within and close your eyes. Listen to your breathing and focus on your heart. Slow down and be with the darkness here. Enter the chamber of your heart. Find a place to sit upon the floor within the chamber of your heart. This is a dark and safe place for you. You are held. You are loved. Be here in this quiet safe place. This is your very own sanctuary. Here you are mothered by Gaia herself. As you are a child of the earth, she knows you. You are one of her dear children. Within this space, be willing to set down your burdens and concerns. Let them evaporate into the acceptance that is here. Allow yourself to nestle into safety. Allow yourself to be held.
Being within this dark, safe spot is like returning to the womb. You are a seed and you are meant to grow into your full magnificence. You are reminded that you begin here but you are a light being with a purpose. At the least, your purpose is to share your light. Take your time here. Let the dark embrace you and fill you with unconditional love.
You notice light streaming from beneath a closed door and you stand and move toward it. As you do so you give your gratitude to the dark from which all things manifest. You are happy to have spent some sacred time with this fruitful darkness at the center of your own heart. You feel restored and renewed.
You open the door easily and walk through into the daylight. You see that the sun is rising. You feel the promise of the returning light on this new day and the days that will lead you forth toward more sunlight. For although you have passed through the darkest night of the year, you have been comforted by the dark. You know that a whole new cycle of life begins here in the dark.
You may have a sense of renewal. New ideas and new projects may come to mind. You may sense a deep desire that you wish to manifest. You may bring seeds of ideas and wishes and desires back with you from this meditation that will spur your creativity for new endeavors. Trust this. This is the beginning of the new. Take a moment to review your time within the sacred darkness. And then as you look at the rising sun, think about your new plans. Remember that you too are the light, that the sun and you are one. You are meant to shine your own light out into the world.
It is time to return to our ceremony. Give your gratitude and slowly come back. Be gentle and take your time. You can return to this safe place within your heart anytime you choose. When you are ready, open your eyes …
Prepare this affirmation beforehand with enough copies for your group. The group reads together:
Tonight, we each have an opportunity
to increase the light within our world.
And yet here we stand within the darkness of winter.
The paradox is that it is within the darkness that
we find the beginnings of new life and light.
And so, as the darkness nourishes us and hold us
Let’s invite the coming light to bring in new
horizons of possibility.
And let us welcome these possibilities to
grow within ourselves and our world.
Let us share and affirm our personal wishes
for an increase in the light of our world.
And so it is.
Activity: Bringing the Light into the World
Say: “Reflect for a moment on how you would like to bring light into the world. What are you hoping for? What do you want to create? What light do you want to see more of? How can you increase the light that you already share?”
Have each member light their individual candle from the light at the center and plant their candle in the bowl of earth as they speak. Have them express what they would like to create. How would they like to bring greater light into the world?
Read
The light is beckoning us. We are waiting for its return as we share here for a moment together in the darkness and silence of winter. At the solstice, we give our gratitude for both. We give our thanks for the turning of the wheel of the seasons. This celebration is the time to sit in the silence, reflect, and listen. Can you hear the songs of the cosmos? Can you hear the music of the earth, the sun, and the stars? Can you hear the melody of the flora and the fauna of our planet? Can you hear your own heartbeat? Let us rejoice in this mystery of life and light returning, that is the great holy miracle of this season. Let us too honor her darkness as well, for it is here that the mystery of life is born. And so, as the earth spins, turning from dark to light, may we celebrate the music in our hearts and the dancing of our jubilations. May we give our gratitude that we are part of the great mystery.
Sing
Choose a song that calls in the light.
Activity: Affirmations
Have each participant choose an affirmation from a bowl at the center and read it out loud.
Sing
Choose an ending song that has to do with keeping the light alive. Or simply choose from these ending songs: “May the Circle Be Open,” “Merry Meet,” or “We Are a Circle.”
Ending
Give gratitude for the teachings of the solstice and release the directions. Say: “Here ends the solstice mystery.” Open the circle.