Winter Solstice Traditions

Bright Blessings of the Winter Solstice Sun to you all!!!

There are a number of traditions that I have developed over the years for Winter Solstice.  In the past, our circle has engaged in an all night celebration ritual, where we set sacred space and then spend the evening baking bread, playing cards, telling stories, drinking with our spirits and deities, and generally celebrating the long night.  When the sun finally rises, we greet the dawn, with drums and singing and heavy eyes.  Then we crash and sleep through the day.

You say Savior, I say Sun King

I live in a row of old apartment buildings in Astoria, NY.  Just across the East River of Manhattan, my Queens apartment is relatively affordable and spacious.  The buildings butt up directly to one another, creating a corridor down our street and a continuous line of rooftops.  It was up on my roof (four stories up) where I had my winter solstice ritual this morning.

Karen Armstrong

As this transition has come into my life, a few of my friends have made recommendation for scholastic theology books that I might be interested in.  My good friend Sarah suggested that I look into Karen Armstrong, a writer in the field of comparative religion