Winter Solstice in the Universal Hall, Findhorn, Scotland
Winter Solstice: celebrating the Gift of Life
Why celebrate the Winter Solstice?
Imagine being in the North east of Scotland. It is December, the days are getting colder and shorter, and it is completely dark by four o’clock. Simultaneously you experience your own trials and tribulations in life: the bills that need paying, the relationship with your elderly mother, that unexpected crisis with your boss at work. And then there are the collective challenges: how to recycle plastic wrappings, how do you go on a holiday without increasing your carbon footprint? Life can be really overwhelming, creating a lot of stress!
It is no surprise many cultures have looked for ways to honour the returning of the light during mid-winter. To find ways to rekindle a sense of hope, of warmth, of nourishment and togetherness. It is an excellent time to pause and reflect, to take stock of the previous year. A moment to disengage from the relentless cycle of doing, and focus more on being.
Over the centuries, people have created Solstice events. Many Solstice rituals include the element of fire or light, weather through large bonfires, or simply by lighting a candle in your home. People come together at Stonehenge, witnessing the sun from the ancient stone circle.
Imagine being in the North east of Scotland. It is December, the days are getting colder and shorter, and it is completely dark by four o’clock. Simultaneously you experience your own trials and tribulations in life: the bills that need paying, the relationship with your elderly mother, that unexpected crisis with your boss at work. And then there are the collective challenges: how to recycle plastic wrappings, how do you go on a holiday without increasing your carbon footprint? Life can be really overwhelming, creating a lot of stress!
It is no surprise many cultures have looked for ways to honour the returning of the light during mid-winter. To find ways to rekindle a sense of hope, of warmth, of nourishment and togetherness. It is an excellent time to pause and reflect, to take stock of the previous year. A moment to disengage from the relentless cycle of doing, and focus more on being.
Over the centuries, people have created Solstice events. Many Solstice rituals include the element of fire or light, weather through large bonfires, or simply by lighting a candle in your home. People come together at Stonehenge, witnessing the sun from the ancient stone circle.
Stonehenge
Winter Solstice in Ecovillage Findhorn
In the Findhorn Ecovillage Community, Winter Solstice has been honoured and celebrated passionately with a beautiful community ritual. Traditionally people get together in the Universal Hall, where a spiral made of green branches was laid out on the floor. There was space to sit and meditate, reflecting on the past year. What actually happened during that year? The smell of the greenery is strong, and there is silence. The lights are dimmed, just enough to make your way following the spiral to the central candle. The walk is slow and meditative. Arriving at the centre, you light your small tealight from the main candle, symbolic for rekindling your inner light, and you walk the spiral outward again, carrying your little light into the world. Then you offer this light as a gift or a service to the world, by placing your little tealight around a globe, joining the many other small candles. This symbolic act is extremely powerful.
This was followed by welcoming a specific quality or Angel for the next year. There is a collective quality for the Community as a whole, and you can connect with your specific individual quality, again listening within to its significance.
Suddenly everything changes
And then everyone changed. Due to the Covid19 situation the Community meditation is now held online; a creative response to the current crisis. The individual ritual is now held outdoors, to create literally a safe space for everyone living locally to participate. Last year I was inspired to create a virtual Solstice event, also accessible to those who live further afield, which resulted in a beautiful event, full of magic and meaning. This is how a participant summarised it: “The Solstice Retreat was a wonderful opportunity to engage with a community on-line and to enjoy the Solstice ritual of releasing the past year with gratitude; before welcoming the Lights return and setting personal and global intentions, for inner and outer actions, in the year to come.”
Solstice Time and Astrology
The actual time of Winter Solstice is Tuesday 21 December, 3.59 in the UK. On Sunday 19 December there is a Gemini full moon, with it Mercury is square Cheiron, with Cheiron turning direct. This encourages us to learn about the Wounded Healer. Venus turns retrograde on that day, moving towards Pluto: our need for connection and togetherness turns more inwards, and favours powerful transformation. With all these energies, it usually helps if we are aware of them, and work with them instead of against them!
Now what?
If you are interested to join a group of people reflecting on the past year, celebrating our successes and honouring the learning, and step into the new refreshed and with zest and confidence, you may want to check the virtual retreat Winter Solstice, Celebrating the Gift of Life held over the weekend of 17-19 December. We will include guided meditations, the Spiral of the Work That Reconnects, as well as creativity, movement and dance. You connect with some fascinating people and share in small groups. We will create a ritual, and step into the coming year refreshed and renewed, ready to engage with our life with inspiration, and even more able to share our love with our world, in whichever shape or form that takes for you.
Thank you for being who you are, and for everything you do!
Margo van Greta, December 2021
In the Findhorn Ecovillage Community, Winter Solstice has been honoured and celebrated passionately with a beautiful community ritual. Traditionally people get together in the Universal Hall, where a spiral made of green branches was laid out on the floor. There was space to sit and meditate, reflecting on the past year. What actually happened during that year? The smell of the greenery is strong, and there is silence. The lights are dimmed, just enough to make your way following the spiral to the central candle. The walk is slow and meditative. Arriving at the centre, you light your small tealight from the main candle, symbolic for rekindling your inner light, and you walk the spiral outward again, carrying your little light into the world. Then you offer this light as a gift or a service to the world, by placing your little tealight around a globe, joining the many other small candles. This symbolic act is extremely powerful.
This was followed by welcoming a specific quality or Angel for the next year. There is a collective quality for the Community as a whole, and you can connect with your specific individual quality, again listening within to its significance.
Suddenly everything changes
And then everyone changed. Due to the Covid19 situation the Community meditation is now held online; a creative response to the current crisis. The individual ritual is now held outdoors, to create literally a safe space for everyone living locally to participate. Last year I was inspired to create a virtual Solstice event, also accessible to those who live further afield, which resulted in a beautiful event, full of magic and meaning. This is how a participant summarised it: “The Solstice Retreat was a wonderful opportunity to engage with a community on-line and to enjoy the Solstice ritual of releasing the past year with gratitude; before welcoming the Lights return and setting personal and global intentions, for inner and outer actions, in the year to come.”
Solstice Time and Astrology
The actual time of Winter Solstice is Tuesday 21 December, 3.59 in the UK. On Sunday 19 December there is a Gemini full moon, with it Mercury is square Cheiron, with Cheiron turning direct. This encourages us to learn about the Wounded Healer. Venus turns retrograde on that day, moving towards Pluto: our need for connection and togetherness turns more inwards, and favours powerful transformation. With all these energies, it usually helps if we are aware of them, and work with them instead of against them!
Now what?
If you are interested to join a group of people reflecting on the past year, celebrating our successes and honouring the learning, and step into the new refreshed and with zest and confidence, you may want to check the virtual retreat Winter Solstice, Celebrating the Gift of Life held over the weekend of 17-19 December. We will include guided meditations, the Spiral of the Work That Reconnects, as well as creativity, movement and dance. You connect with some fascinating people and share in small groups. We will create a ritual, and step into the coming year refreshed and renewed, ready to engage with our life with inspiration, and even more able to share our love with our world, in whichever shape or form that takes for you.
Thank you for being who you are, and for everything you do!
Margo van Greta, December 2021
Margo van Greta is a pioneer of holistic spirituality, and a facilitator of transformation. She trained with Joanna Macy, and offers Active Hope courses. She lives in Ecovillage Findhorn since 30 years, supporting people with their spiritual and personal development, and is a qualified guide of the Game of Transformation. She is a Buddhist practitioner and teacher. She deeply loves nature and her daily walks on Findhorn beach. Find out more about her work on Elegant Solutions Findhorn
Solstice celebration with bonfire
