The precise moment of the 2006 solstice will be December 21, 2006 at 7:22 P.M. EST (Dec. 22, 00:22).
It’s uphill from here(doesn’t that mean that it is getting harder, uphill?? when really I mean the days are getting longer and I’m thinking that’s good, but downhill sounds so derogatory).
There are three times during the year when I particularly like to have a fire burning, a bringing in of the light. The winter solstice is one, New Year’s Eve another. It must come from a part of the collective conscious as I am quite sure it wasn’t part of my upbringing nor any religious affiliation. As I grew older, it just felt like the right thing. Before Google, before the computer, I never knew the time of the Solstice. It didn’t matter. Was it the night between the 20th and the 21st or the 21st and the 22nd? I’d ask friends and get different answers. The point is, it doesn’t matter, the spirit of the celebration is the point. Steph posted a long list of celebrations we have to mark the passage of the seasons, the return of the light. It’s good to see them all written out, nice and orderly, proof that we are all of the same cloth, no matter how different we believe ourselves to be.
Comments
12 responses to “solstice..bring in the light”
I never really gave solstice much thought before I started reading blogs. Now I think about its rituals and what it means to me. The return of the light. It’s a really special time in my life now.
Uphill is a good analogy. We will slog through the coldest, snowiest days of the year before we see the warmth return. Spring is the payoff. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and enjoy your fire tonight!
Ah, that’s tonight. I can look forward to more sunshine, even if it is slow to change. Tonight I’ll sing, The days are getting longer! The days are getting longer!
Happy Holidays to you and yours! And may your Solstice be “bright”. Enjoy the amazing changes…
We all came from the same caves, the same superstitions, and the same fears. Happy holidays!
Happy Soltice! I am already feeling hopeful…spring is in the air…ok I know, I know
May you savor the light of the holiday season! Enjoy!
Merry Christmas, Judy. I bet you are happy that the decorations are done, now I guess you’ll have to pull them down again!
Merry Christmas, Judy. I bet you are happy that the decorations are done, now I guess you’ll have to pull them down again!
I think there is something about fire that is part of basic human existence. If you think of how, until the past century, every human depended on fire for heat and security and cooked food, and used the hearth as a central community or family spot, well it must be in all of us still at some level, right?
I think spinning has similar connotations for me; when I spin I always feel like I’m connecting with my ancestors even though I don’t personally know anyone in my family who did spin. I’m sure someone did!
Happy solstice.
We had a nice bonfire Christmas Day too. It seems right to have that kind of gathering. Like celebrating the return of the family and friends to the hearth. It helps to keep all that Christmas wrap from winding up in the landfill too. Apparently it is too difficult to recycle.
Happy New Year Judy! May 2007 be full of good health, joy and love!