Solstice at the Stones and Sacred Wells
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Transcript of 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
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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!