The true reason of the season, the solstice!
Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, yet perhaps it is the most powerful. We (in the Northern Hemisphere), will be celebrating the returning of the sun.
Our European ancestors (like most cultures) had a vast knowledge of the cycles of nature and revered the winter solstice for thousands of years.
There are ancient ruins all over the world that pay homage to the solstice and especially in Europe. One such place, which I first learned about today, is the Neolithic site Newgrange inIreland.
The site was built in 3200BC, before the pyramids, and the entrance is constructed in a way that on the winter solstice (tomorrow) it becomes illuminated.
This is just one of the hundreds of surviving reminders that the solstice is significant. Because the church made such good work of destroying our European history, we may never know the true significance of the solstice to our ancestors. But, it is certain that you can still feel the magic of the holiday and the longing to be with the ones we hold dear.
Don’t be fooled by middle eastern propaganda, the solstice is a holiday shared with all humanity and Jesus or whoever has nothing to do with it. We come from nature and we’re born to this planet. We are intertwined with its cycles and processes just like all of her inhabitants.
I will be celebrating the solstice with a gathering of about 30 people tonight in the village at our annual Jule fire.
We will honor our ancestors, take pride in our accomplishments of the past year, and make oaths for next year to protect and our children and traditions.
Those brave enough will jump over the burning Jule log to cleanse away the bad energy from the past year and be reborn in the light of the new sun that will rise after the longest night of the year.
This year, I had the honor of selecting and supplying the Jule log, which I look forward to presenting tonight.
Whatever your beliefs, please do not disregard that 99.9% of our human history was nature worship not middle eastern worship. Pause and reflect on the struggles and sacrifices your ancestors have made for you to be here today.
Enjoy the magic of the solstice!
curator.