21st December
The Celebration of the South
(Winter Solstice)
In the Natural Cycles of the Year this time is the beginning of the Year and the first of the Eight Yearly Festivals. This Holy Night is the longest night of the year. The Earth and all life on it are immersed in the deepest darkness of the year, the fluid blackness, the audible silence of the cosmic obscurity.
Courageously, The Earth Mother surrenders to the secret of the longest night: she withdraws entirely into her own darkness, concentrates on her own depths to dream in the realm of the not-yet-revealed and gathers the necessary strength to lead her forward into her next cycle.
This primordial gesture of the Great Mother is a symbol for the child-man who, in Celtic and Norse Mythology is known from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the godlike enlightened one. Who must descend into his own depths, into his own darkness of his soul, to meet his brother Enkidu, who is likened to the black shadow.
In Native American (Lakota) tradition it can be likened to Nagi, the Ghost and shadow self.
Everyone loves Gigamesh, who shines like the Sun and wants to avoid Enkidu, his gloomy brother. But both are halves of the whole man, and both have to unite to become one- because where there is light, there is also shadow. We can only understand and comprehend light if we think darkness at the same time.
Brother Enkidu is celebrated by the childlike being in the South of the Medicine Wheel.
The South, with power of the sacred three and thirteen, joins the soul of man with the Power of the Plants and the Realm of water. The familiar custom of erecting the Christmas tree and decorating it with lights reminds us of this. We are reminded of innocence and trust displayed by the plants at this festival time. In the same way that they, as seeds, feel safe in the surrendering to the darkness of the Earth and feel that it is their source of growth that will lead them to the light. We as people have to immerse ourselves into the abysmal darkness of the soul---
To go into the dark sea of our emotions and completely trust that our surrender to the darkness, will lead us into the light.
This is the real gift of the night: the rebirth of light. The longest night of the year proclaims the departure of darkness and greets the first reborn rays of light. We are celebrating the Christ, who is given to us by the universe in this night as a newborn and innocent child of light to illuminate the darkness. Just as the wise men, in Christianity were also led through the darkness by a guiding star towards the newborn light in Bethlehem.
During this festival we share with the Earth and all our relations the recovered light of Love and Peace. The light’s first subtle rays penetrate the dark cave of our inner being and help answer the questions:
Ø What seed will germinate and grow in me this coming year?
Ø What responsibility must I bear
Ø Which sorrows that I may grow in harmony with everything?
Ø Where do I confront my light and dark sides?
Ø Which part of me is Gigamesh and which part Enkidu.
Ø How do I acknowledge Nagi, my shadow self?
We may also meet Heraclitus, an honoured guest of our inner, because we have undergone the Twelve Trials of the twelve months previous in heroic fashion. We may now set out on our new yearly adventure with freshly gathered strength, without false humility, as heroes.
This adventure, a plan still without form, lies before us as a wealth of opportunities. Our soul discovers something sacred and healing in this night. It is in Harmony, and we keep the peace of this night like shepherds and share our joy by giving and receiving gifts…
GRANDFATHER'S PRAYER FOR TODAY.
“May we all find courage and joy at facing the darkness within ourselves, so we might bring forth light and growth in the coming months ahead”
