The return of the light!!!

Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, yesterday was the Winter Solstice ~ the shortest day of the year and the longest night. It is the point in the year at which the days begin to lengthen and the light begins to weave its way back into our lives. For me it is the December holiday that feels the most authentic as it has been celebrated for thousands of years by many people all around the world and stems from the cycles of Mother Nature. As our lives are more and more connected to and dependent on technology and electronics I feel there is this dire need to reconnect with the cycles and wisdom of nature.

So the Winter Solstice is a celebration of light ~ started thousands of years ago when people were not sure if the sun and warmth would come back. There were not weather folks or scientists to explain about the earth's orbit, however the people noticed that around this time of year the days started to get longer and they had faith that the sun & warmth would return. This tradition goes back thousands of years and have been associated with religious and philosophical importance. In ancient Japan the winter solstice was believed to be the time when the sun goddess Amaterasu emerged from her cave bringing light to the darkness. The Incas held winter solstice celebrations in honor of Init, the sun god. In Germany, the winter solstice was a time to celebrate Hertha, the Norse goddess of light. The Roman celebration of Sol Invictus, the Roman deity of the sun, was held on December 25th and represented the rebirth of the sun. Interestingly, there are many parallels between these celebrations and Christmas. Traditionally, Christians celebrate Christmas as the day of the birth of the Son of God while other traditions were celebrating the rebirth of the Sun. (interesting play with phonics).

For thousands of years,the Winter Solstice has been celebrated as a time of new beginning and rebirth. This year the winter solstice coincided with a complete lunar eclipse which has not happened since 1638. To some this means we have an opportunity for major change and expansion, "what the Spiritual Hierarchy refer to as a "wormhole from the old to the new" (from Solstice Message from Earth Transitions by Christan Hummel ) when i heard that, the image rang true to me ~ a time to move forward, to grow, to shed some old baggage. So this year my family and I light a fire and wrote down 'things' that we wanted to leave behind and burned them in the fire. I also took some time to quiet myself (from all the craziness of this season), to breathe & to celebrate the return and wonder of light ~ because light, sun, warmth are wonderful things!!

So I wish you all a happy Winter Solstice and Peace on Earth!!