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21 December

Earth is sleeping

∞Darkness∞

∞We light a candle in the dark∞

∞to heal and to love∞

∞May love and healing grow, when the days become longer∞

Long nights, short days. The season of darkness. We fight the cold and hold our own against the damp darkness, cold rain or fog. Sometimes we can’t accept the fact that darkness is setting in sooner every day, and we are robbed of daylight. Society as a whole is subject to apparently pointless and aimless, stressful activity as if the end of the year marks the end of everything. Is this heightened activity perhaps some kind of way of escaping the darkness? We flood our towns with lights, decoration and music and keep wondering why the darkness still remains cold in us.

The winter solstice. This ritual is not about extinguishing darkness with light and candles, but about honouring the longest night and darkness, the darkness in us. Darkness is not simply void, cold and threatening. Darkness and night consist of many different dimensions, all of which are going to be looked into tonight. Only if there is darkness will there be light. From darkness we can gather hope, if we manage to feel the darkness and respect it. Based on this acceptance, we can now light a candle, a light for healing and love. The more we accept darkness, the more candles we will be able to light for ourselves and for others.

From this day onwards the light is coming back, and daylight will last a little longer every day. We cannot really notice it yet, we can’t see it, but we know the days are continually getting longer. Our healing can grow in just the same way, our love for all beings, if we feed it enough.

Ritual for winter solstice: We form a circle. The room is dark or we draw the curtains and darken the room once everyone has taken her place in the circle. The centre point is one large candle. Everyone has brought three candles, which have been arranged to form an inner circle. We start by meditating about darkness: darkness in nature, darkness in us. What does darkness feel like if we try to feel it? It is possible to conduct this first part outside in the dark. Then we return to the warm room.

Everyone now lights their three candles: the first for a place on earth that needs love and healing, the second will be dedicated to a person, an animal or a plant in need of healing and the third candle is lit for ourselves. If you like, you can name your wishes aloud. Finally the large candle is lit: May all living creatures of this earth find healing and love.

And again there has to be a festive meal and celebrations after the ritual…

Position of Solstice in the Annual Cycle: Samhain sent us into the season of darkness. We met and honoured our ancestors, but also suffering, illness and death. This day we have reached the mid-point of the dark season, and we honour darkness. If today we can bring love, joy and healing into our world with our candles, we are laying the foundations for the returning sun at Candlemas to give a bright light to our visions, which we will use to make plans and colour our future brightly.