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The Dance of Light and Dark
Ways to Commemorate the Winter Solstice/Yule
The strongest component of the winter season is light. Throughout the year, there is the dance of light and dark, and at the winter solstice, this dance is at its most intense and pronounced, with the longest period of darkness and the shortest period of light.
Our ancestors, without the advantages of electric lights and central heating, were no doubt apprehensive about whether the winter’s coldness and darkness would ever come to an end. They wondered whether their food supplies would last, and whether their family or tribe would survive the harshness of the season.
The fire that heated the home kept up their spirits, as did candles placed around and about, and their great faith in the eternal cycles of light and dark, heat and cold, death and rebirth.
The various solstice festivities kept up their hope. The symbols of light, such as the bonfire, hearthfire, and candles reminded them that the light would return as it had every year. Other symbols, such as an “ever-green” tree that was brought into the home, helped them to remember that even in the harshest of times, life continues.
In this, the season of darkness and light, here are some ways you can celebrate the winter solstice and Yule this December:
Slow down!
That’s perhaps the best way to commemorate these times. We’re experiencing the time of year when life is dormant, when the seeds that are in the ground will be there for a while, until the proper amount of light and heat beckon them to germinate and sprout.
It’s time for us to rest and recuperate, to settle down for “a long winter’s nap,” to go to bed earlier and to sleep-in later. This is quite a challenge in these hectic, hurry-up times, but with such an intention, you can do it.
Everyone tends to rush around during the holidays, frantically trying to fulfill the Christmas wish list and prepare for the feasts. If our inner nature is in step with the season, then to override this with such tremendously forced activity can’t help but contribute to stress. When our organic self is stressed, it compromises the immune system, and voilá! — illnesses, such as colds and flus, beat down the door of our natural defenses.
Energy Fast
One effective ceremony to remind us of this is an energy fast. The winter solstice provides perhaps the best quarter day to do this. Let yourself surrender to the darkness. Light candles and go to bed very early. Use as little energy as you can. In addition to this fast, you could have a day of silence, and if you want to round it out, at the same time as these, why not do a cleansing fast?
On the morning of the return of the Light, that is, after the longest night of the year (December 21st), I like to go up on a mountain and greet the sunrise. It’s possible to do various ceremonies at the same time – one year I danced and drummed as the sun rose.
Feasts and festivities with friends allow us time for pause and appreciation. These kinds of activities remind us that we’re part of a clan, tribe or family, and that we need not suffer the dark times alone.
Make time in your schedule for such gatherings and create ones that fit your needs and desires. Some of these can be formats for sacred ceremonies.
Manifestation Ceremony
Another powerful ceremony augmented by this season of darkness and light is a manifestation ceremony, similar to a release and renewal ceremony but with a slight twist.
A few years ago I did this as a New Year’s Eve ceremony which also served as a way to socialize with friends. We all brought a dish to share, and there were snacks as we sat around the warm fireplace, socializing, with occasionally a flute or some drumming happening on one side of the room.
On the steps leading to the house, we had constructed lamps made from paper bags folded halfway down, with sand in the bottom and a lit candle on top.
We started the ceremony rather informally, when our hosts brought out a whole bunch of crayons and paper and, not so subtly, placed them in the center of the living room. They gave each of us two sheets of paper and explained that on one we should write or draw the stuff we wanted to leave behind (release), and on the other, those attributes and attitudes we wanted to expand and grow (manifestation).
We all set to work. On the release piece of paper, I wrote such things as “shame,” “fear of disapproval,” and “self-doubt.” On the manifestation paper, I wrote “faith,” “purpose,” and “courage.” On both papers, the words were stylized and multi-colored. We all had fun with this, and yet there was serious intent.
Whenever any of us finished, each person took the release list to the fire, and with a prayer threw it in. Once everyone had done this, we all walked out into the back yard. There we found lanterns similar to those at the front of the house outlining a path to a small plateau of dirt. We followed this path and circled around a hole that was dug in the center of the mound.
There we prayed together, then chanted “Om” three times, after which each of us in turn buried the manifestation paper whenever we were ready. Once we all finished this, everyone cast a handful of Earth into the hole. The purpose of this was so that Mother Earth could take these requests into her bosom and nurture them through the darkness of the winter into the warmth and light of the coming sun days, so that these items would manifest.
We circled together once more, and sang a couple of songs, then closed with a prayer. There was a tremendous sense of camaraderie and support in that beautiful Solstice ceremony, designated to welcome not only the coming new year, but also the return of the light.
