Winter Solstice window, MoonCourt Australia, 2008

It is the Season of Solstice – Earth’s tilt in relationship with Sun leans us to the furthest point, for both North and South hemispheres:

you may see Her there in your mind’s eye, as She orbits …

For the Southern Hemisphere June Solstice is the magic of the return to the light, out of the peaking of the long daily hours of darkness: it is a celebration of the birth of all manifest form, of Being, the Promise[1] of ongoing Creativity.

For the Northern Hemisphere June Solstice is the awesomeness of the return to the dark, out of the peaking of the long daily hours of light: it is a celebration of the fullness of Being, and the pouring forth of it – a fulfillment of purpose.

The Solstices mirror each other … the Winter peaking of dark celebrating the Origins/Womb of all, which is at the same time a Flaring Forth of being … as happens in every moment in the quantum foam, and as the Sun’s “return” may assure: and the Summer peaking of light celebrating a Radiance, the shining forth of all that a being is/may be, which is at the same time a dissolving of self … like the Sun does in every moment. The Solstices – both Winter and Summer – really celebrate an essential Cosmic mystery of sacred Interchange, a reciprocity at the heart of Life, the relational quality of existence … “to be is to be related”[2] – to be is to be in deep Communion. Mother Sun is a primary model for this deep Communion, and generosity of being, a model for what Australian Indigenous peoples name as “ngapartji-ngapartji”[3]. This quality celebrated at Solstice may be regarded and named as a primordial “Mother” quality, understood by all Indigenous cultures, and one’s own inherent Indigeneity/Nativity.

Winter Solstice may be a remembering of the Space/Void/Night out of which All arises: existence springs forth in every moment out of the dark sentience in which we are always immersed … it is an ongoing miracle of manifestation, in every moment, in every day. It is expressed cross-culturally and throughout the ages in the icon of Mother and Child[4].

Summer Solstice may be a remembering of the union of the fullness of being with the Space/Void/Night to whom All returns – the re-union of this Form we so love with All-That-Is: the fulfilment of our purpose, the small selves that we are – shining forth and given over … an ongoing “Give-Away”[5] in every moment, in every day. It is often expressed as a union of Beloved and Lover.

The actual Moment of June Solstice @ EarthGaia is 16:38 UT 21st, or 2:38 22nd EST Australia which is where I am. For other global times see archaeoastronomy.com

For some Winter Solstice Poetry and reflections: see PaGaian Winter Solstice 2009 on YouTube, and pagaian.org Winter Solstice

For some Summer Solstice Poetry and reflections: see PaGaian Summer Solstice 2009 on YouTube, and pagaian.org Summer Solstice

If you are celebrating Winter Solstice – The Birthplace of the Universe  may be an inspiring contemplation of our Origins, the Womb in which we are. And whichever Solstice it is that you may be celebrating, these short clips of Brian Swimme’s DVD’s may be nurturant of that spirit: Radiance and Generosity of the Sun.

Here at our Place in the Blue Mountains of Australia, we will gather for Winter Solstice ceremony in MoonCourt on the 19th June at 7pm. The invitation reads:

At this time when the Dark part of day is longest, as Earth leans us away from Sun to the furthest point,

You are invited to celebrate

WINTER SOLSTICE

Darkness reaches Her fullness, and  yet …

She turns, and the seed of Light  is born.

This is the season for the lighting of candles,

and receiving the Gift of Birth.

The story of Old tells us that on this night,

the Great Mother gives birth

to the Divine Child 

– the New Young One within all.

We celebrate Her eternal Cosmogenesis,

and the Miracle of Being.

O Holy Night

If you wish to attend, you may email me (Glenys) for an invitation and details: glenys@pagaian.org

Some Winter and Summer Solstice story may be found in Appendix F of PaGaian Cosmology, or if you have a paper version of the book there is an Index for references throughout. These Seasonal Moments in relationship to the whole Wheel of the Year may be found in Chapter 5, and ritual scripts are offered in Chapter 7 – the on-line versions are usually a bit different from the paper versions, as they evolve.

 I am currently crowd funding – until July 5th – to produce a set of CD recordings of PaGaian Cosmology Seasonal Meditations.  If you would like to pledge support and receive a set of the three CDs, or any other reward one of which includes a visit to my ceremonial space MoonCourt in the Blue Mountains, I would really appreciate it.

To participate in on-line preparation for either Winter Solstice or Summer Solstice, see PaGaian Cosmology Course on-line. The whole year-long course may be started at any time, with the Introduction.

There is a PaGaian Cosmology Facebook group where members may initiate discussion and/or respond.

I frequently post to the Pagaian Cosmology Facebook Page also … which you are welcome to “Like”, if you haven’t already.

NOTES:

[1] I capitalize to emphasise that this is a sacred entity – a power: to reclaim it as religious language in this context of cosmogenesis. I often choose to capitalise other words for similar reason.

[2] This is a quote from The Universe Story by Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry, p.77, and I discuss it in relationship to PaGaian Cosmology chapter 4, p.116 in particular.

[3] for more on this term see PaGaian Cosmology Chapter 8, p. 256.

[4] so often in the christianizing of this Seasonal Moment it is the Child that is focussed on, and the Womb of All is given scant recognition: the Mother’s gaze is usually upon the Child, no longer holding Her own integrity.

[5] As Starhawk describes Summer Solstice, The Spiral Dance p. 244.