Solstice

Solstice

Winter Solstice is particularly significant in solar festivals, in the northern hemisphere, it usually falls on the 21/22 of December.  It marks the shortest day and the longest night, after which daylight hours increase, symbolically it was seen as the rebirth of the sun....the Great Mother, Queen of Heavens gives birth to the Son of Light.  The Winter Solstice falls within the astroligal sign of Capricorn and is seen as the 'door of the gods'.  It is one of two times of year when the Holly King and Oak King do battle, the other being on Summer Solstice.....at this time of year it is the Oak King who will win and wear the crown until they meet again in the summer.

'The Oak King, the Lord of the Greenwood and golden twin of the waxing year, rules from Midwinter to Midsummer. At Midwinter, he goes to battle with his twin, the Holly King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Holly King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.

Two themes run throughout the Oak King and Holly King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Beltane, the peak of the Oak King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Holly King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Lammas.) This aspect of the Oak King and Holly King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.'


from
http://www.earthwitchery.com/oak-king.html

The winter thus far has given us the time to pause and reflect, to plan projects and ideas for the future, we can now imbue these with the increasing solar energy.  It is a time to come out of hibernation and reconnect with friends and family, to celebrate the return of the the sun.

In 274CE the emperor Aurelian sought to unite the Roman Empire around the cult of the Sol Invictus (unconquered sun - the Persian god of light Mithras) and fixes the date on the 25th December.  Sixty years later the Christian church used the date to commemorate the birth of Christ, as the new prince of light.


Moon - Waning Crescent 24%

Yoga - The Gate Sequence, Surya Namaskara

Card Message - Seven of Swords
New ideas challenge old assumptions and great progress is made.  Using intellect, wit or charm to gain an advantage or recover something that has been lost, but care must be taken not to start believing the 'ends justify the means'.  Strategic planning or research.  Espionage, deceit or escape.

21st December - Winter Solstice
Hanukkah - is the Festival of Lights and marks the restoration of the temple by the Maccabees in 164 BCE. Hanukkah is celebrated at roughly the same time as Christmas, but there is no connection at all between the festivals.

Gratitude - Inspiration