As the Northern Hemisphere tilts further and further away from the Sun our daylight hours continue to shorten until the Midwinter Solstice on December 21. At this pivotal point in the solar cycle, we experience the shortest day and longest night of the year.

On the Wheel of the Year, the Sun’s alignment with 0° Capricorn at Midwinter corresponds to the Gaelic Solar Festival of Yule and Winter Solstice. 

From Latin, the word solstice means sun standing still. And in Irish Gaelic, the name for the winter solstice, grianstad an gheimhridh, means sun stop or sun stand still of the winter. Both names refer to the phenomenon of the Sun appearing to stand still in the sky for three consecutive days as Earth’s orbit reaches its turnaround point and begins its return toward the light half of the year.

Mythologically speaking, this is the time in the solar cycle when the Oak King — god of light, reclaims his reign from the Holly King — god of darkness, to rule from now until Summer Solstice when the ruling power will change hands once more.

From our perspective on Earth the Solstice Sun appears to stand still at its lowest most southern arch in the sky for three consecutive days before visibly beginning its journey back toward the northern height of its Midsummer glory come June.

Marking and celebrating Winter Solstice dates back thousands of years as evidenced by numerous Neolithic monuments around the globe. Perhaps most notably, Newgrange, or Sí an Bhrú, in Ireland — an ancient ceremonial burial mound meticulously constructed to receive the light of the winter solstice sunrise into its womb-like interior — likely symbolizes the sacred union of masculine and feminine forces and the importance of human involvement in renewing the land’s fertility. 

These sacred sites stand as testament to the spiritual and cultural significance of the Sun to our ancient ancestors.

Surely after these three awe-inspiring days of apparent stillness, the Sun’s resurgence on the morning of December 25 was cause for celebration for our ancestors.

Rejoice! The Sun is born anew! Sustenance, nourishment and ensured survival are on the horizon.

And indeed, this glorious event continues to be cause for celebration today as we’re also reminded that the cold and darkness of our lives never lasts forever. Spring always follows winter and the life-giving warmth and light of the Sun always returns to revive & illuminate our lives. 

These miraculous events are just the blessed way of things — simultaneously extraordinary and ordinary. There is order in the disorder and consistency in the chaos, and we can trust in nature’s infinite intelligence to provide for us.

Though the cold of Midwinter can be harsh and cruel, it’s also purifying and rejuvenating and invites us to cultivate and celebrate our inner light to shine the way through the darkest of times. So we gather around the warmth of the hearth fire, stoke the flames with love and laughter, and ignite our heart’s guiding light with goodwill, generosity, gift-giving and jubilation.

In time, Yule and the rebirth of the Sun at Midwinter became associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the Christian tradition — further immortalizing one of humanity’s oldest and dearest celebrations. But Midwinter’s truest relevance isn’t restricted to any specific spiritual or religious tradition. 

• Take a Nature Walk to Gather Winter Foliage for Your Home
• Decorate an Altar, Nature Table, Yule Log and/or Entire House with Yuletide Décor: Bells & Besoms, Dried Oranges & Apples, Cinnamon Sticks & Pinecones, Sprigs of Cedar, Pine, Holly, Ivy & Mistletoe
• Observe the Rising and Setting of the Solstice Sun, Even if it’s Cloudy; Contemplate & Celebrate Its Life-Giving Generosity
• Perform Sun Salutations to Activate Your Inner Solar Power
• Go for a Walk (Weather Permitting) to Appreciate the Warmth of the Sun on Your Face
• Light a Candle in Honor of the Sun
• Prepare and Enjoy a Solstice Feast by Candlelight to Commemorate the Longest Night of the Year
• Designate 3 Candles to be Lit in Procession to mark The 3 Days of Solar Stillness (December 22, 23, 24) Between Winter Solstice and Christmas Day
• Get Cozy by the Hearth Fire and Bask in the Stillness of the Present Moment
• Enjoy Special Yuletide Foods: Spiced Apple Cider, Eggnog, Wassail, Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread, Fruitcake, Dried Fruits, and Roasted Nuts
• Safely Burn Your Yule Log on Christmas Day to Symbolically Garner Its Solar Flame’s Generous Warmth and Blessings for the Year to Come
• Listen to Our Yule • Midwinter Playlist to Access the Power of Music Medicine

We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see, or hear, or sense. — Richard Louv

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