Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn - the cycle and circle of Nature's year. In an age where most of us have lost touch with the life and rhythms of our mother, the Earth, the cycle of the year is a sure way back into the Center of Life. As we struggle to reclaim the lost heritage of our natural life rhythms, it is through the gateways of the Wheel of the Year that we come to understand once again the cycle of birth, growth, fulfillment, decline, and finally death, which turns to birth once more.
Winter Solstice is the birthday of the Sun and of the year. It is a time when we experience the greatest darkness, when the hours of darkness are so much greater than the hours of daylight. And yet, it is within this time of greatest darkness that the Light of the World is reborn, for now the hours of daylight will begin to grow and the hours of darkness will lessen.
In all cultures, the Winter Solstice is a time of rejoicing, a time of thanksgiving and a time of hope, when the beauty and truth of the Light is remembered and honored. We light fires and gather together with our loved ones, we give and receive presents, and we make wishes for the New Year. For this small space of time, we actually come close to living the ideal of "Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men" which the angels proclaimed in the skies over Bethlehem.
At each of the eight gateways of the year, we connect to the natural laws governing this world and the cosmos. Inner and outer become One, and Life's dramas are manifest. But it is at Winter Solstice that the truth of our Oneness is most evident, for the darkness that we face is our own darkness and aloneness, and the Light becomes most precious as we realize that it is through the Light that we come to love and appreciate each other.
This tale has been told by the women of my family for many generations. It is always told before an open fire on the darkest day of the year. When I was a little girl, this was one of my favorite times, for although the days were short, there was always light and joy and hope in our house as the family gathered 'round the glowing fire to listen to my grandmother tell this story. As I grew older, my mother took her turn as storyteller, and now it is my turn to tell you this tale.
It is a story about Grace. Do you know what Grace is? No? Well, Grace is a gift that Spirit bestows on all of us, regardless of whether we deserve it or not. It is an unexpected gift of Love, and we need to learn to recognize it and be thankful for it.
Once upon a time, there was a land shrouded in darkness. This was not always so: at one time, it had been a land of great Light and depth and beauty.
Until the darkness appeared. And strange things began to happen.
At first, the darkness was just a vague impression on the periphery of sight, an uneasiness that tickled awareness, then fled. Over time, the tickle turned into a shiver as the darkness sent out tendrils like premonitions. People were not afraid, however, for one reason: it made the Light in the land even more beautiful and radiant. The darkness became a riddle that called out for an answer. And as time went on and the riddle went unanswered, people forgot to notice and give thanks for the Light, for they were fascinated by the darkness. And slowly, over time, the darkness spread and the Light became dimmer and dimmer, though the people didn't even notice that the Light had changed. You see, their eyes became accustomed to the dimness and they could see just as well as ever, or so they thought.
But not all the people forgot the beauty of the Light that used to cover the land. Sometimes they read about it in old books; oftentimes they dreamt about it; and some passed the knowledge of it down within their families from generation to generation. And in not forgetting the Light, it turned out that it lived on in their imaginations so brightly that it filled their eyes with its very own clarity, and they could see things that other people could not see. But the ones who remembered were only a few compared to the others, and if they talked about what they could see, they were most often ignored and sometimes reviled.
Eventually the land grew so dark that more people began to acknowledge that they really couldn't see very well at all! But since there were so many others still stumbling around in the dark, everything became even more chaotic and frantic. In short, things got even worse!
And the darkness deepened.
One day, a woman sat watching her children at play. This woman was neither young nor yet very old, and her children were not babes nor yet were they grown. And because she was one of those who loved the memory of the Light, and had imagined it and longed for it until it shone in her eyes, she was seeing something that no one else saw. She saw her children, who had been filled with a sense of her own inner Light, growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing day, for the full weight of the darkness around them was too hard to fight off.
Gradually a resolve grew in that mother, until finally one night before she put her children to bed, she told them that she was leaving on a journey. Since she did not know how long she would be gone, she wanted them to take care of each other, to love each other, and to remember her own love for them every day. She promised she would come back to them.
The woman set out that very night, determined to travel to the source of the Light which used to cover the land, and entreat it to come back with her. Although she had no idea where to begin her search, she walked through the cold lonely winter night with great joy in her heart, despite her anguish over leaving her children. For she rejoiced in the thought of seeing the Light at last, the Light she had loved and imagined all her life. She soon found herself singing to the Light in the dark of the night. And although their own light was very much dimmed in that land, still the stars and the moon in heaven heard that mother's song, and they sang back to her of the glory she was seeking.
Cathy Pagano, M.A., C.E.C, is a Jungian Psychotherapist and Mythic Astrologer, as well as a Soul Coach and Archetypal Story Coach.
Cathy works with the tools of the imagination - dreams, alchemy, myths, astrology, symbolic language, (more...)
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Thank you Cathy, that was truly beautiful.
If only Bush could feel the surge of Light in the world as strongly as the Darkness that shrouds him. That's a surge we could all get behind.
Blessed be,
by
Susan K. Baritell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments) on Thursday, Dec 21, 2006 at 7:29:48 PM
...on the return of the light. We celebrated the solstice this past Tuesday as the venue where the Dallas pagan community celebrates had another event happening tonight. However, be that as it may, I found a lovely feeling of peace which has been sorely lacking.
The darkness of my reality had taken a hold of me, and I couldn't even see it had me in its grip. It's hard not to feel dark when I witness these days of abject darkness fed by all manner of fiend and monster with two legs. It's hard not to let that darkness take complete hold of me.
As I sat during the time of the darkness, I reflected upon how the evil that haunts this land has been so deeply affecting me. I also reflected on what I can do to keep it at bay. While I came up with no firm answers, at least in the reflection, I realized that by my embracing of the darkness, I was granting it more power than it is due. Maybe that's an answer in and of itself. I don't know. I am just another critter in this now brightening forest.
All I can say with certainty is I am glad that the sun is back on its way to exaltation in the northern sky. I am also glad that there are only a few days left in the hubbub of the holidays. I'll be so glad when there are no more Xmas commercials.
Bless us all on this night of transition. Bless us all as the sun comes back.
Blessed be!
Pappy
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Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 860 comments [5 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 at 1:37:14 AM
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