7/17/2019 Solstice at the Stones and Sacred Wells

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Solstice at the stones and sacred wells-

two ceremonies upon our ancient sacred

land.

Solstice Blessings everyone! On the 21st, in the northern hemisphere, we celebrate the winter

solstice, the shortest day when the Sun appears to 'stand still' while at its lowest point in its

yearly cycle. From then until the summer solstice in June the sun will shine for a little longer

each day, in time bringing back the light and warmth.

In Britain this sacred time is said to be overseen by an ancient figure known as the Holly

King- a counterpart to the Oak King who rules over the summer, both perhaps aspects of the

Green Man, that mysterious divine figure which features in so many ancient Celtic tales.

These beings have most evidence in the Middle Ages, but hark back to far older pagan

traditions, reflecting both the importance of the oak to the druids, and the evergreen holly as

its protective 'other face' during the winter months. The holly is said to have many magical

 powers, protecting from storms and ill wishes hence is presence as a decoration in the home

over the darkest time of the year. It is also helpful as a Celtic 'power plant' in overcoming our

own darker issues; pain, anger, jealousy, fear, grief, the darkness of the underworld within our

own spirits. It achieves this by raising our life force, our kundalini, to give us the strength to

overcome adversity within. The Holly King is a guide and guardian of this inner and

underworld, known as Annwn

 in Celtic lore, which aligns energetically as well as psychologically with the mortal realm over the winter months, calling to us to seek stillness

and sink into the cave, the great cauldron of the earth, to look within and seek rest and

renewal...

This week I was honored to be part of a powerful solstice ceremony at Stonehenge, which is

astronomically aligned to the setting of the midwinter sun. It is now believed that during the

 Neolithic era great feasts took place nearby, culminating in a great procession to the stones

with the cremated remains of the dead. Having worked in the circle many times, I can attest to

its incredible ancestral power, which becomes almost physically tangible during this time of

the year. We gathered at dusk, the stones looming before us against a purple dark sky,

testimony to generations of ancestors marking this powerful spirit place. I faced the north andcalled in the powers of the great Celtic bear goddess, Artio to bless us as we gather in the

7/17/2019 Solstice at the Stones and Sacred Wells

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great cave of winter until the re-emergence of life and light in the coming spring, and I felt

her- a vast ancient presence all around me, together with the many people who have called to

her in the gathering dark, for millennia. There is great peace and continuity in this. We may

walk in darkness for a while, but we are not alone in the journey. The hosts of spirit know the

 path well, as do our ancestors, and our fellow living souls...we all feel the call to go within, to

sink into the earth at this time, into the underworld, into the cave, and seek renewal in thearms of the goddess, each in our own way...we need not fear the darkness, it is a blessing

which will see us re-born with the coming sun.

Tomorrow on solstice proper I shall be part of a ceremony at Chalice Well in Glastonbury,

another ancient and powerful sacred place. Twelve of us shall be calling in peace and

 blessings across the earth, and lighting a great solstice fire, marking the great turning wheel,

and the rebirth of the sun at last. This new light shall need time and nurture before spring

comes in the world, and in our own souls, but the promise of that renewal remains true.

The light is returning, the sun will be reborn anew! Blessed be!