On the solstice in December, the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn, heralding the longest night of the year--here are a few fun facts on the Winter Solstice:
- The Winter Solstice for 2007 occurs on December 22nd at 1:08 am EST and 6:08 Universal Time.
- The Winter Solstice is also called Yule and is actively celebrated in Wiccan communities.
- The Yule log (a large log) is brought outdoors and begins a great bonfire. This fire is burned throughout the night. The participants dance and sing around the fire to awaken the sun from a long winter's sleep.
- The Druids celebrated Winter Solstice long ago honoring the Sun God and welcoming his return, as the days grew lighter.
- Sol + stice is a derivative of the Latin words meaning "Sun" and "to stand still".
- In astronomy, the winter solstice is when the Earth's orbit is tilted away from the sun the most.
- Pope Julius I chose to celebrate Christmas on December 25th to replace the Pagan celebration with a Christian one.
Winter Solstice in Your Garden
This is a perfect time to think and plan for the coming transition. Many cultures celebrate the winter solstice, and past traditions tell us of people in other cultures that kept a fire burning to help them through the longest night to honor the turn of nature back to the sun. No matter how you transition your winter solstice, rituals honor the anticipation of sun filled days to ward off the depression that the focus on darkness can bring.
With that being said, your garden should certainly take part in the celebration. Following the longest night of the year our days grow longer and portend a time of hope and possibility. Your garden reflects that nature welcomes this time of hope as well.
One ritual to do with your garden on the winter solstice is candle burning, because fire offers us light and warmth replicating the sun. Take a small amount of dirt from your garden beds and mix it in a glass bowl. If it is too cold outside, then do this indoors. Place a candle in the middle of the bowl and set it before you. It is best to put your garden jar in a place where the candle can burn down undisturbed.
While you contemplate the flame, take inventory on what flourished and what didn't in the past year. This is meant to be internal and external. Consider this: What did you have an abundance of this past year? What was missing?
Take stock and write things down. Once you have decided how you can improve growth for the coming seasons, make sure that you write that down on a separate piece of paper. When it is complete, offer it up in prayer--both what worked and what didn't. Ask that Spirit help you grow and that it help you reveal more wisdom for you in the time ahead. Ask that miracles far beyond your imagination be revealed to you.
Now, burn your past right inside the bowl, and bless it. Next, place your intentions for growth inside the bowl, but do not try to burn them. If it catches that's fine, but just place it inside, near the flame so it will catch when it is ready. When your words turn to ash, mix them into the soil. Finally, take the soil out into your garden and distribute evenly throughout.
December does not always allow us to perform an outdoor ritual, which makes this a perfect ritual to perform in clearing the way for the coming year.
The deep winter months of January and February loom ahead, yet this simple ritual is a reminder that the days are in fact lengthening. If you keep in mind what the Winter Solstice brings, your spirits will grow lighter as they days do.
