Pages

Monday, December 13, 2010

Muse: Solstice is coming!

Solstice is coming!  Solstice is coming!  December 21st heralds the longest night and therefore a return of the sun.  It is a winter Pagan holiday that celebrates the return of the light after the darkness of winter.

I have never quite wrapped my head around the fact that it gets colder here after the solstice, but that's me. 

My extended family is almost all Christian, and I was raised that way, so Xmas is still the holiday that is for gift giving and gathering together as family.  However, Solstice has started to become a time for friends.  It is a time to honor the returning light and gather together to celebrate that the light will return. 

This year I plan on celebrating the Heliogenna festival for the Solstice.  However, since it is on a Tuesday and I work full time during the day, I will have to modify a few things.  For instance, I cannot greet the new sun with singing and breakfast because I will be on my rideshare van on my way to work when the sun rises.  And I am on my way home when the sun sets. 

I feel like a kid on xmas morning anymore about the solstice.  Why?  I'm not sure.  It could be a return of the light.  It could be because I love giving gifts the way I used to love getting them as a kid.  Maybe it is just the return of the light.  We don't loose the light as much as those north of us do, but the sun rises around 8 am and sets around 430 pm here.  That means that it is dark when I go to work and dark when I get home.  And I don't have any windows in my cube.  The closest I get is the door outside next to me but I have to get up and go look out it.  So by the time Solstice comes around, I am ready for the joy that means more sunlight. 

What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

http://sites.google.com/site/hellenionstemenos/festivals/heliogenna-festival

No comments:

Post a Comment