We celebrated the winter solstice on Thursday. The evening was curated by Chandana. He invited us to enter the main room in silence, where the light was low and some earthy, haunting music greeted us. 

Some of us brought an offering for the shrine, which was made as we came in. The shrine grew steadily brighter, to fit with the theme of ‘Light Returning’.

After practising the Metta Bhavana meditation in the first half of the evening, many of us brought a seasonally appropriate poem to share. A selection of these are below.

Karen

My poem was “Love the Dark” by James Crews. The poem reminds us of the comfort and safety that can be found in darkness. It’s not something to be afraid of. It can nourish us and give us chance to regroup and prepare, ready for us to embrace the light as it returns.

Prasiddhi

Mine was another poem by James Crews called Winter Morning about overcoming our habits through gratitude, even if it is just for the lingering scent of a tangerine on the fingers, long after you have finished peeling it.

Cathy

My poem was called The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper.

So the shortest day came, and the year died…

The poem tells us that as the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again.

It was great to celebrate the Winter Solstice together as a sangha. I was so moved by the poem that I bought an illustrated copy of the poem to cherish and read at every winter solstice.

Mary

My poem was In Celebration of the Winter Solstice by Stephanie Noble. For me, it celebrates the dark as a time of gathering, reflection and renewal, preparing us to burst forth with energy and delight in the Spring.

Paranayaka

Paranayaka and a few others even composed ashort poem.

To close the evening, we performed a simple ritual – the ‘Wiccan farewell verses’, which were led for us by Rachael.