Winter Solstice Ritual 2015 (Dedicant Path Essay)

My winter solstice did not go according to plan. Amid the usual chaos of an American December, my car broke down and we spent the days leading up to the solstice itself scrambling for a way to replace it. What happened to allow that was a moment of great generosity and friendship. My prepared plans for ritual didn't happen, from a combination of the actual events and the exhaustion that follows the relief of strain, I just couldn't do it. What I did instead was go to my altar. I lit a bunch of candles. I burned  scented oils (cinnamon and cedar) and I spent a long time in front of my altar praying and meditating, and watching the candles burn down. I have a set of wooden prayer beads I use for meditation, and my intended solstice centerpiece prayer worked well as a mantra for praying with beads. It just felt appropriate to sit there in the presence of the gods and spirits, and be grateful. It wasn't ADF style, there were no offerings or omens, but it was nonetheless very meaningful for me. I'm struggling to describe this in a way that makes it sound like I did anything to observe the high day, but it was a really lovely, deeply connected experience of gratitude and hope, and I thought about doing a more structured rite later and decided it was unnecessary. What I did was complete, even if it wasn't a full high day ritual.

image via pixabay.com

This post is late going up, partly because I was overwhelmed with events and partly because I really struggle in the winter getting anything done.