One of the things I love about bmindful is our acceptance and interest in different opinions,cultures,religions ,beliefs and lives .It is a very caring place to share and so I thought I would make this thread .
As a pagan the solstice is a special time for me .I have copied this from here http://www.magickalmind.com/wintersolstice.htm
“ In modern neopaganism Yule is celebrated on the winter solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere circa December 21.
The word YULE means ‘wheel,. Yule is at the time when the wheel of the year is at its low point. Yet as the wheel turns, it will rise again Yule celebrations at the winter solstice predate Christianity.
We, all of us, are sometimes afraid of the darkness. The deepest hours of the night are sometimes metaphorically thought of as the “dark night of the soul,” the time where struggles and worries seem magnified; the time when people with depression are known for early (pre-dawn) awakening. We live through our own winter solstice, times when we perhaps feel that all the light is gone from our life, we wonder if the light will ever return. We might seem to be struggling hopelessly with a deep, dark problem—until the solution DAWNS on us. And more and more light shines on our path and the actions we know that we have to take. But even a popular song claims that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn!
Winter solstice may be a time of the year when our hearts and minds are directed inward. What can this state of affairs mean for us? We might look at the concepts of darkness and light. We have experienced the darkness in our lives—yet we have the capability to emerge into the light. We speak of ignorance as being “in the dark.” And only when we have been in the dark is the light the more dazzling. When we are struck by a new realization in our walk along our path, so we need the contrast of darkness to fully experience the light.
One possibility of this time around the winter solstice is to give ourselves a reality check. Take the spotlight and cast it around in our own dark spaces, in our own shadows—recognizing what is there. The shadow side we will always have, but our moving toward the light comes with our acceptance of our shadow. We can also take stock and see if there are any issues about which we choose to remain in the dark, issues where we do not want to shine the light on the facts. And in taking this stock of self and recognizing our choosing, we have also moved out of the darkness and into the light.
So, this time of the year, is a time for grounding and a time for stability. It is a time for foraging and hunting—not hunting animals, but hunting for what yours soul truly longs for. The hunting in this case is all inward. Just as plants or seeds or roots are now doing their inner work….our own inner work might be the sorting through our ideas, ideals, weighing our inner strengths-and weaknesses—and letting our true beliefs germinate—like the seeds and the roots of the plants.
We want to be nourishing our roots, our sense of who we are, and what do we want to be about? What are we trying to do here? What do we want our names to stand for? What do we want to work on? What steps do we need to take to keep our roots well nourished? “
The last couple of years I have emerged from my personal “dark night of the soul” and have felt as though I was floundering a bit in no mans land – as though there is a bridge between depression and joy which I couldn’t find .
As I looked deeper into paganism I realised in my soul that has always been my path ,I have felt this deep connection to everything in nature from being a little girl .It is not just liking being in a wood with all the wise old trees and the whispers of the wind,cuddling a bunny and feeling so at peace with her gentle spirit ,or walking barefoot on a beach collecting pretty shells .
It is a feeling that is soul deep of being at one with all of nature ,a knowing that as a daughter of our beautiful mother earth I have been given a gift so precious .
I have everything I need in and around me to fully embrace life as a pagan and that is the bridge I have been looking for .
With this winter solstice I’m moving into the light .
I would like to wish you all a very happy winter sostice and may you always have light in your hearts from a tiny flickering candlelight to a roaring log fire .
here is some beautiful music by an amazing composer called Adrian von Ziegler
circle of life
and a few other favourates
Celtic Women The voice
lovely video
