Link (Archive)
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
A line from an ADF Druid liturgy says “as our ancestors did in times of old and our children will surely do in times to come, so we do now.” There’s something meaningful and powerful about participating in a tradition that goes back generation after generation.
We – meaning humans, but especially Pagans – often claim lines of tradition where none exist. My Druidry is inspired by the people who were the storytellers and healers and magicians of the ancient Celts, but there’s a thousand year gap between the ancient Druids and the revival Druids of the 1700s.
But even though people stopped celebrating the Winter Solstice when they converted to Christianity (mostly) the Solstice was still there, waiting for us to rediscover it – waiting for us to find meaning in it once again.
But more happens at the Winter Solstice than the days getting longer. The sun has been rising and setting a little farther south on the horizon every day. At the solstice the sun appears to pause, then starts rising and setting a little farther north each day.
In modern Western culture, we think of time as linear: from beginning to end and always moving forward. In Pagan thought – and in many indigenous cultures – time is cyclical. What was before will be again – for better and for worse.
These are hard times for many of us… for most of us. The progress we assumed would continue indefinitely has stopped and instead we’re moving in the wrong direction. How long will this continue? I don’t know. Hopefully this is a temporary setback (though it’s clearly not a minor one) and not the beginning of a long cycle.
But the Winter Solstice reminds us that every decline has an ending. Eventually, the sun is reborn, and we begin moving forward again.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
Traditions need not be ancient to be meaningful.
We live in a culture that is still dominated by Christianity. Christmas is a national holiday – the Winter Solstice is not. So as usual I’ll be gathering with my local Pagan community on the closest Saturday… which this year is the evening before the moment of the Solstice, which makes it an ideal time to celebrate.
What’s most important isn’t when we celebrate, but that we celebrate.
I enjoy all the Christmas decorations. My wife comes to most of my CUUPS circles (and often serves as photographer) so I go to her United Methodist Christmas choral program. I’m not the least bit bothered if someone tells me “Merry Christmas” (if they mean it and aren’t just throwing the phrase around like a weapon).
But it’s good to be with my fellow Pagans.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
There’s a metaphor in there for our current social, political, and economic situations, but I’m reluctant to say anything that even sounds like a prediction. Spring will get here some day, because it always does. But we’re living in Westeros, and I have no idea how long this winter will last.
What’s important at the beginning of winter is to make sure our houses are tight, our pantries are full, we have plenty of firewood cut and dried, and that we know who we can call in case of an emergency… and whose calls we will answer if others need our help. One of the best ways to form and strengthen those important relationships is with group celebrations – like the Winter Solstice.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
Decorate your house – many traditional and readily available Christmas decorations work just as well as Solstice decorations. Just don’t get into an argument over who stole what from whom – it’s pointless and it ruins the mood.
Mark the sunset on Solstice Eve, or the sunrise on the Solstice, or both. Unlike the Summer Solstice, you don’t have to stay up late or get up particularly early to do it.
Light a Yule log, make wassail, and tell ghost stories.
Where ever you are, whatever you do, I hope your Solstice is warm and bright.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
I’m A Pagan – I Celebrate The Solstice
There is no shortage of holidays and holy days to celebrate at this time of year. There’s the Jewish Hanukkah, the African-American Kwanzaa, the secularist and anti-consumerist Festivus, and the big one, Christmas… which can be celebrated religiously, secularly, or both.I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is likely humanity’s oldest holy day
I say “likely” because we have no way to know for sure when it was first celebrated or how widely it has been celebrated. But we know this much is true: the Winter Solstice is as old as the Earth itself. It’s caused by the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to the plane of the solar system, and by the annual revolution of the Earth around the Sun. The Winter Solstice was happening for billions of years before the first animals – human or otherwise – were around to notice it.A line from an ADF Druid liturgy says “as our ancestors did in times of old and our children will surely do in times to come, so we do now.” There’s something meaningful and powerful about participating in a tradition that goes back generation after generation.
We – meaning humans, but especially Pagans – often claim lines of tradition where none exist. My Druidry is inspired by the people who were the storytellers and healers and magicians of the ancient Celts, but there’s a thousand year gap between the ancient Druids and the revival Druids of the 1700s.
But even though people stopped celebrating the Winter Solstice when they converted to Christianity (mostly) the Solstice was still there, waiting for us to rediscover it – waiting for us to find meaning in it once again.
But more happens at the Winter Solstice than the days getting longer. The sun has been rising and setting a little farther south on the horizon every day. At the solstice the sun appears to pause, then starts rising and setting a little farther north each day.
In modern Western culture, we think of time as linear: from beginning to end and always moving forward. In Pagan thought – and in many indigenous cultures – time is cyclical. What was before will be again – for better and for worse.
These are hard times for many of us… for most of us. The progress we assumed would continue indefinitely has stopped and instead we’re moving in the wrong direction. How long will this continue? I don’t know. Hopefully this is a temporary setback (though it’s clearly not a minor one) and not the beginning of a long cycle.
But the Winter Solstice reminds us that every decline has an ending. Eventually, the sun is reborn, and we begin moving forward again.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is the next stop on the Wheel of the Year
The solstices and equinoxes are as old as the Earth. The four fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain are attested in ancient Irish lore. But the idea of putting all eight together is a mid-20th century invention.Traditions need not be ancient to be meaningful.
We live in a culture that is still dominated by Christianity. Christmas is a national holiday – the Winter Solstice is not. So as usual I’ll be gathering with my local Pagan community on the closest Saturday… which this year is the evening before the moment of the Solstice, which makes it an ideal time to celebrate.
What’s most important isn’t when we celebrate, but that we celebrate.
I enjoy all the Christmas decorations. My wife comes to most of my CUUPS circles (and often serves as photographer) so I go to her United Methodist Christmas choral program. I’m not the least bit bothered if someone tells me “Merry Christmas” (if they mean it and aren’t just throwing the phrase around like a weapon).
But it’s good to be with my fellow Pagans.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is the beginning of winter
We sometimes call the Solstice “midwinter” but when it comes to the seasons, it’s the beginning of winter. The days will start getting longer, but the coldest weather is still ahead of us. It’s the opposite of the Summer Solstice, where I celebrate that the days will finally start getting shorter, but I also understand that the worst of summer is yet to come.There’s a metaphor in there for our current social, political, and economic situations, but I’m reluctant to say anything that even sounds like a prediction. Spring will get here some day, because it always does. But we’re living in Westeros, and I have no idea how long this winter will last.
What’s important at the beginning of winter is to make sure our houses are tight, our pantries are full, we have plenty of firewood cut and dried, and that we know who we can call in case of an emergency… and whose calls we will answer if others need our help. One of the best ways to form and strengthen those important relationships is with group celebrations – like the Winter Solstice.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice
If you’re in North Texas, join me for Denton CUUPS Winter Solstice celebration. If you’re not – and most of you aren’t – I encourage you to find a local celebration to join. You may have to do a bit of digging, but they’re out there in most places. If you can’t find one, maybe you can host one for your Pagan and Pagan-friendly friends and neighbors.Decorate your house – many traditional and readily available Christmas decorations work just as well as Solstice decorations. Just don’t get into an argument over who stole what from whom – it’s pointless and it ruins the mood.
Mark the sunset on Solstice Eve, or the sunrise on the Solstice, or both. Unlike the Summer Solstice, you don’t have to stay up late or get up particularly early to do it.
Light a Yule log, make wassail, and tell ghost stories.
Where ever you are, whatever you do, I hope your Solstice is warm and bright.
I’m a Pagan – I celebrate the Solstice.
