Honoring Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is finally here. From the moment we turn our clocks back after Samhain (Halloween), the anticipation for the light’s return begins. There's a natural inclination to let the rhythm of the season take us inward: into shorter days, less light, less doing, and more resting. This intentional slowing down feels like an act of personal resistance to the cultural context of material overlay that has colonized a cosmic phenomenon holding all life in the palm of its hand. In the quiet darkness of late afternoon is a twinge of anticipation, fed by the quiet hope of a fresh start.
It’s pretty obvious why our ancestors held the winter solstice as sacred. If the light doesn’t return, the people don’t eat, and that truth remains the same today. Though the distractions of modern life may be many, the fundamental truth remains: neither Santa, nor Jesus, nor miraculous lamp oil have anything more potent to offer than what the Sun is doing right now.
We can thank Copernicus for explaining in 1543 that the tilt of the Earth's axis as it orbits the sun is the scientific reason for the Solstice. That may sound old but it’s less than 500 years, or about 15 generations. Anthropologists believe humans have been honoring the solstice for at least 30,000 years. Around the world, our ancestors began building monumental structures to track it about 10,000 years ago, many of which we can still observe today. Our ancient, wise and well ancestors—the source of the blessings, wisdom, and medicine for our ancestral healing and cultural repair work—would have felt intimately connected in mind, body, and spirit to this cosmic phenomenon. When we honor the Solstice, we honor them.
In the northern hemisphere, I like to call it the "big lean back." The Solstice occurs at the exact point in Earth's orbit when the North Pole is at its maximum tilt away from the sun, causing the sun to appear at its lowest point on the horizon. Here, it seems to "hang out" for about three days, pausing its southern progress before reversing direction and beginning its northward journey. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin solstitium, meaning "sun standing still." Imagine the primal anxiety of not knowing if the light would return to bring warmth and the new growth of spring.
So, naturally, this pause is a potent time for remembering that our lives are interwoven with this energetic dance between Mother Earth and Father Sun. To make this astronomical experience human-sized and relatable, many cultures came to describe the interplay of these vital cosmic and telluric forces as Gods and Goddesses. From there descends the many diverse spiritual traditions found in our ancestral lineages. Even once organized religions were established, they often co-opted the ancient ways with new vernacular and characters describing the same foundational event: the death and rebirth of the Sun.
Modern day humans can use this time to honor the solstice as a powerful way to connect with their ancestral lineages. This can involve:
Connecting deeply with the Earth.
Giving thanks for all she has provided to you and your ancestors.
Learning myths, legends, stories, or folk songs from the heritage traditions your people come from.
We can honor the pause by taking time for quiet reverence and deep reflection within our internal worlds. During this sacred stillness, we might consider which old patterns or burdens are calling us to let die and return to the Earth, making necessary space for a potent new energy to stir in our hearts and minds. We can nurture this new seed of creation through the remaining darkness, tenderly allowing it to gather strength and begin to express itself when the light returns.
We can gather together in a circle of community—both seen and unseen—to honor all of our people whose sacrifices and resilience made our lives possible. This honoring can take many forms:
In ceremony and prayer: Acknowledging the spirit world and the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth that connects us all.
In the sharing of food and story: Weaving our present lives into the rich tapestry of our heritage and collective human experience.
As we pause our busy lives, we remember a profound truth: we are the living manifestation of our people. Our ancestors run in our blood, their wisdom whispers in our hearts, and we carry their legacy forward. We are part of the whole community of life, intricately interwoven with all beings and the spirit world, and we offer profound gratitude for all that has brought us to this Solstice moment.