Day 15: Ritual
Solstice Journey 2020
Day 15: December 18
This photo is one I took at Newgrange, one of the passage tombs at Brú na Bóinne in Ireland. In this ancient, magical place, the passage tomb was built over 5,000 years ago and positioned so that the passage and inner chamber are illuminated by the rising sun at the Winter Solstice. It is surrounded by large kerbstones, many of which are carved and feature spirals.
We are now very near the turning of the year. The Winter Solstice is Monday, and this is a wonderful time to plan how you would like to mark the day. Today I invite you to spend a little time creating a ritual that would be meaningful to you to mark Solstice in 2020 and welcome back the light. I encourage you to keep it simple – this time of year does not call for any added pressure! You may already have rituals that are meaningful, or you may want to create a new one.
There is no “right” way to mark the Solstice, but I do encourage you to pause and mark the moment. You may want to look back through the practices you have tried on this journey and use one or two that resonated with you. Some ideas to get you started: create a simple altar, bring in the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), bring light to the darkness with a fire or candlelight, walk a spiral, draw a spiral or cut one from paper, trace a spiral with your finger.
Because of the pandemic, Newgrange is closed to visitors and the usual handful of visitors chosen to observe the solstice in the chamber. Instead, they will live-stream from within the chamber. You can find out more and learn how you can watch here.