Welcoming the Return of the Light

How scary it must have been to the ancient skywatchers when they saw the amount of sunlight diminishing! Did they wonder what was happening to their source of light? Did they know why the temperatures were dropping? Were they concerned for their survival as the amount of daylight kept shrinking?

And then, imagine how joyful they would have been once they noticed that the sunlight slowly returned after the Winter Solstice. A cause for celebration indeed!

Are you afraid of the dark? When I take my dog out after dark, we both hear lots of strange and unidentifiable noises off in the woods. This primal fear of the dark explains why so many of us deck the halls with lots of twinkly lights at this time of year. We literally crave the return of the light in the midst of the darkness.

Humans have celebrated the Winter Solstice since early days. The people of the megalithic times built giant monuments aligned to capture the first rays of the rising sun on the Winter Solstice. Newgrange in Ireland is older than the Great Pyramids in Egypt and was constructed to allow the first rays of morning sun to pass through a small window over the entranceway, crawl down a 62’ passage, and light up small chambers at the end of the passage under a great mound of earth. You can watch a live stream of this event on the Office of Public Works YouTube channel, here.

screen grab from Winter Solstice 2020 OPW YouTube livestream

Reframing the Darkness

The Wheel of the Year has turned again. It’s always turning but we pause to notice and celebrate the festivals: the Winter Solstice is upon us. Since Samhain, at the beginning of November, we have moved into the dark half of the year when the feminine energies are prominent. The natural world has invited us to move inward and embrace the darkness as a time of rest and renewal. The energy around the Winter Solstice is a very different energy from that which our culture embraces: hustle and bustle and holiday excitement, presents and New Year’s Eve parties. The natural world embraces a stance of waiting and watching what is gestating deep underground. The earth is receptive and open to what wants to emerge. Compare that to the feeling around setting New Year’s Resolutions.

As you consider the year ahead, what energy feels right for right now? Would you prefer to focus on what you want to '“become,” or what you want to “accomplish.” Does it feel right to “witness” your unfolding or to “force'“ your goals? There are times when you want to get stuff done, but for now, linger in the darkness and savor the silence. Create opportunities to listen to what your soul is suggesting. Become still enough to listen to the voice of your intuition.

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The return of the light was celebrated long before the birth of Jesus. But over the last 2000 years, we have come to associate the Winter Solstice with the birth of Jesus, who has been called “the light of the world” (John 8:12). How did that happen?

There is no Biblical reference to the date or time of year of his birth. Only two of the four gospels even mention his birth, so it was clearly not important to those gospel writers.

Early sources claim that Jesus was conceived on the same day that he was crucified which was on March 25. Not sure how anyone could know when Jesus was conceived, but it tracks that he would be born 9 months later, on December 25. Later sources propose that dating Christmas on the Winter Solstice may have been a strategic move by the church to appropriate the day from the feast of the Imperial cult of Sol Invictus or the Sun God. There is written evidence that in the early 7th century, Pope Gregory the Great directed that local pagan temples be converted into churches, and that pagan festivals be celebrated as feasts of Christian martyrs. For seven days in late December, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia with parties, banquets, and exchanges of gifts. Doesn't that sound quite a bit like our celebration of Christmas?

Are you ready to receive the light of Christ?

We are still in Advent, a season of preparation for the birth of the Divine Child. For me, Advent was mostly about preparing for Christmas festivities, you know - buying presents, decorating the house, and planning the Christmas feast. This year, we celebrated Christmas with all of my children a couple of weeks ago, so on the actual day of Christmas, my house will not be filled with joyful chaos.

Alas, I have an opportunity to rethink how I will celebrate this year. In the peaceful silence of the next couple weeks, I’ll be considering how to fully recognize and honor the birth of Christ in history, and in me.

As the light of the world returns after the Solstice, how will I allow the light of Christ to shine more brightly in me, through me, and as me? I come back to Teresa of Ávila’s reminder that Christ has no body but ours. How, then, can I shine the light of Christ for others?

Photo by Samuel Svec on Unsplash

How about you?

Light some candles,

Hang some twinkly lights,

Make some Christmas cookies to share with friends,

and know that the light will return.

I’m holding the Christ light for you!