Solstice
Time to plant seeds that will root in the darkness and germinate in the new year
I retired from public ritual some years ago, stepping away from some of the seasonal/wheel of the year observances I’d been steeped in for years.
This sabbatical has brought exploration and discovery. This year, for the first time in a while, I’m turning again to year-end rituals on the Solstice.
This morning, the morning of the shortest day of the year, I wiped down my doors with salt water. A fresh look at the coming year. And a new practice for me.
After that, I dove into this new-to-me thirteen wishes variation on year-end intention setting. This one derives from a German winter ritual (Rauhnächte).
The practice itself was simple:
I wrote 13 present-tense statements on 13 pieces of paper: “I have” and “I am,” not “I will.”
I crumbled each one of these 13 statements into a ball and dropped them into a bowl.
Starting tonight, when I light the menorah for the last time this year, I’ll pick one statement out of the bowl, and light it/shred it/bury it unread. By doing so I give the fulfillment and realization of each of these statements to the universe/the divine/the goddess. Not mine to do.
After 12 nights, the one that’s left is for me to read and to take on. Wonder which one will get returned to me?
What I like about this approach is the game of it. Thirteen audacious statements I’m inviting the divine to handle, and one will be mine to make manifest. Wonder which one it’ll be?
And you? How are you marking the end of the year and the return of the light?
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