Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Practices From the Inside Out: Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Practices From the Inside Out: Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Last updated on: December 21, 2021 at 6:48 am by Greg Richardson

Practices From the Inside Out: Celebrating the Winter Solstice 2021-12-21T06:48:17-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Many of us are afraid of darkness. We feel darkness growing darker and threatening to overwhelm us. Our darkest day each year is the Winter Solstice.

Some of us grow tired of searching for light on the darkest day. We give up and close our eyes, making our own darkness even darker.

Searching for light on our Winter Solstice is not simply about scanning the horizon looking for distant stars. The light we hope to find is not only a pinpoint on the edge of what we can see.

The light on our darkest day is spiritual life within us.

It can be a challenge for us to see the light we carry in ourselves. Some of us are so busy paying attention to the horizon we ignore or forget our own light. Darkness may overwhelm the light within us.

It is easier for dark days to overwhelm us, easier to feel discouraged and frustrated, when we become tired. We can lose sight of light on dark days and start to think there is no light there. It is easy for us to assume our light has abandoned us, never to return.

Our tiredness affects our ability to see light on the darkest days.

It is almost as if we forget what light looks like. We need to take time to catch our breath and remember what it is like to find light in the darkness. Ironically, closing our eyes can help us see light in the darkness.

We can experience our Winter Solstice as the day darkness finally swallows our light, or the day light begins to grow again.

How are we choosing to recognize and celebrate the Winter Solstice this year?

Where will we discover our light again in the darkness?

Finding Light on the Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice has had special meaning for me for my entire life. It has shaped my life and understanding since the day I was born. The first day of winter, December 22, is my birthday.

Daylight gradually melting into darkness each summer and fall reminds me we are moving closer to the Winter Solstice. During years which might be filled with struggles and challenges we still know the solstice is coming. As we reach a point when darkness seems ready to overwhelm us, we remember more light is c0ming.

Just when we might be giving up hope, when we might not make it to the end of the year, the Winter Solstice arrives for us.

As darkness threatens to overwhelm us, we are drawn into a time of magical days. In the short spread of just over a week we celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Some of us even celebrate a birthday!

The past two years have stretched and challenged us in unexpected ways. We have faced apocalyptic disease and death on a global scale. Some of us have experienced natural disasters including storms and floods, earthquakes and destructive fires.

It has been a struggle for us to continue taking one step after another. Some of us have lost people we love, and more of us will in the months ahead. There are days when we wonder whether this is all worthwhile. It seems it would be easier to simply give up and stay in bed.

We struggle to remember this is not the end. There is more light coming. The Winter Solstice reminds us darkness is not swallowing light, even if it feels like it is.

The light on our darkest days is spiritual life within us and the people around us.

Holding Tightly on the Winter Solstice

Some of us hold tightly onto the knot at the end of our rope, at the end of our hope. Our fingers are stiff and sore. Our arms shake from holding on so tightly for so long. Every fiber of who we believe we are is focused on not letting go.

We wait, seemingly beyond hope, for light in the darkness.

We are not be able to hold on much longer, even to save ourselves. There is only one thing remaining within our power. As the rope holding us safe begins slipping from our fingers, we pray.

Ours is not a prayer of fancy words or complicated ideas. We do not pray as we think we are supposed to, we pray as we need to pray. We pray beyond words, with whimpering, with screams. Our prayer gives voice to the fears terrorizing us, the pain putting us in agony. We pray as our hold fails and we feel ourselves falling.

As we pray and sob, and begin to fall, we start to glimpse light in the darkness.

Our prayer appears to light a candle in the darkness, but it is only part of the truth. We have been paying so much attention to holding on we have ignored the spiritual light within us. Have we been concentrating so much effort on the darkness we have ignored the light?

We begin to see light in new ways and realize we are not falling, but soaring.

Light on the Winter Solstice

Our light on the Winter Solstice is not the glimmer of a distant sun. Each of us becomes light in the darkness when we share the flame of one candle with ourselves and people around us.

We remember our experiences of finding light in the darkness and how it makes us feel. The memory takes shape within us and we shine our own light on our darkest day.

Light dances within us and we share the light with people around us. Darkness does not threaten to overwhelm us.

Rather than desperately seeking light in the vast expanse of darkness we recognize the light of spiritual life within us.

Light spreads to new parts of ourselves. We share the light we find with other people. Light grows in the darkness.

Spiritual life ignites light on the darkest day.

Where do we find light on the Winter Solstice?

How can we shine light in the dark of Winter Solstice?

[Image by storebukkebruse]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual director in Southern California. He is a recovering assistant district attorney and associate university professor, and is a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com and his email address is [email protected].

Blog

Spiritual Practices

Previous Post

December 16, 2021

Spiritual Direction: Tidings of Comfort & Joy

Next Post

December 29, 2021 Spiritual Direction: The Week at the End of the Year

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to Romans, what is the gift of God?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Salvation Eternal life in Christ Jesus The Holy Spirit Grace