Winter Solstice - A Time Out of Time

Winter Solstice - A Time Out of Time

Celebrating the Magical and Healing Times of the Holidays

By Ariela Weisfeld

This year the Winter solstice is on Thursday, December 21st, one of four cardinal points marking the main seasonal shifts.[1]  Because the earth tilts as it orbits around the sun, our northern hemisphere is leaning furthest away from the sun at this time of the year, creating the shortest day of the year on the solstice.

The word solstice comes from Latin, sol meaning sun, and sistere, to stand still. On the day of the Winter Solstice, December 21st, the sun reaches the height of its southern journey.  Here on earth you can watch the Sun's path in the sky from sunrise to sunset forming the shortest and lowest arc. In the Arctic, the winter solstice is eventful and meaningful, for on that day there are only three and a half hours of light.  On each subsequent day, we gain four minutes of light until the Summer Solstice, when there is no darkness.

Before the Industrial Revolution, our lives were intimately tied to the seasons, and we developed traditions to express and mark these transitional times in unique ways.

Each season had its own meanings and customs, and these were represented in the symbols developed for the celebrations; for example, Spring was about the rebirth of life on earth, Summer about cultivation and fruitfulness, Autumn about harvest and spiritual attunement, and winter was aabout the return of light in the midst of darkness.

In early Mesopotamian and Babylonian festivals, the Greek celebration of Kronos, Rome's feast of Saturnalia, the Norse's Yule, the Hindu celebration of Diwali, Hanukah and Christmas, as well as all other indigenous traditions, this time of the Winter solstice is the most celebrated time of the year.

As the temperature drops, the days get shorter, animals hibernate, and plants begin to die. The sun appears so low in the sky, it looks as though it will never return.  In the growing darkness, people become more aware of the mysteries of loss and death, the end of the life cycle.  In ancient times, we created rituals and celebrations to drive away despair and chaos and to entice the light to return.  Celebrations aimed at creating hope, demonstrating care and generosity, and bringing people together emerged all over the world.  The closest to us in the western tradition is Saturnalia- a Roman celebration in which time and social norms were reversed.[2]

Slaves were unchained and masters became their slaves‚ servants for the duration of the holiday. The Romans cut down evergreens and decorated them to pay homage to Saturn; they exchanged gifts and feasted for 7 days.

The Romans also adapted the god Mithras from the eastern Mediterranean tradition and celebrated him on December 25th, (the date of the Winter solstice in the Julian calendar).  Mithras was born of a virgin and brought salvation to his followers. He died and was resurrected as the messenger between humanity and the God of Light; his day of worship was Sun-day.

By the 4th century the Roman Church absorbed this holiday tradition into the Christian culture.  For Christians, Jesus, whose Hebrew name Yehoshua means savior, is the Son of God.[3] The church of Jerusalem ignored Christmas till the 7th century, and the modern day Jehovah's Witness sect refuse to celebrate it to this day because of its pagan origins.

It is interesting to note that the Jewish holiday of Hanukah, which means dedication, is celebrated for eight days around the new moon closest to the solstice, and this festival is also about the miracle of light.  The story is told of a victory of the Maccabean Jews over the Hellenistic Syrians in165 B.C.E., and the rededication of the temple where they found a small vessel of oil, which miraculously kept burning for eight nights. The modern day ritual of lighting a candle each night for eight nights is done in remembrance of this miracle.  Each candle is lit from the ninth candle, which is set apart from the other eight and is called shamas, meaning sun.

As we choose to reconnect with the essence of this sacred time, we must recollect that this is a magical period, a turning point from darkness to light, and we are being asked to honor and participate in it. How do we mark this time as a source of knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration?

December 20th is a powerful beginning to the twelve days of sacred time.[4]   It is a time out of time when we make time for family and friends, and loosen the chains of the routines that are followed all year.  Most importantly, we are to take time to reflect on what we need to sacrifice in order to bring about a new way of being.  

On the solstice the sun enters the astrological sign of Capricorn, which is ruled by the planet Saturn. Saturn symbolizes the importance of being in right relationship with time.  Saturn-day is the 7th day of the week and it is dedicated to sacramental activity: time for solitude, slowing down and rebalancing our lives. This is an important antidote to these dark times, and the despair, grief, loss of faith, fear and depression that are a natural part of this time of year.  These moods are the messengers of our soul in need of expression; in the words of Leonard Cohen there is a crack, a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.

Through this potent time we are also encouraged to share our time with family and friends, exchange gifts, donate time and/or money to a charity, consult our favourite oracles, create seasonal delicious meals and bring forth the spirit of generosity and gratitude.  We celebrate the bounty of beauty and light by decorating our homes with candles or lights, burning wood in the fireplace or outdoors and bringing the evergreen indoors as the symbol of life force.  The Hebrew word for evergreen is Oren and comes from the root, which means light.

It is widely known that the darkest hour of the night is just before dawn, and here too the darkest night of the year holds the promise of the gradual return of light, bringing with it a new cycle of life. Towards the end of this 12-day period, in order to encourage a new cycle of creative life, we are asked to bring forth a vision, an intention to bring more light and goodness into the world.  This vision can be connected to our health, our work, our community, the environment or all the above.  Drawing from the symbolic and the mythic traditions described above, we are asked to think of how each of us can embody the sun ˆ becoming a shining center of creativity, generosity and a source of new life. How do we best use our time to benefit the larger whole starting from our selves and extending it to all life on earth?

So, if you choose to immerse yourself in this wonderful and mysterious universal drama, take clues from its rich language of symbols and customs that have been enacted by us humans for thousands of years, and make it personal and meaningful to you in your life.

All Blessings, All Love, All of us.

Ariela Weisfeld, is a practicing astrologer in Toronto. For appointments and information on classes please contact Ariela at 416-654-0082 or email her at arielaw@sympatico.ca Her other articles on the Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox can be found by searching this web site.