Celebrate the Return of the Light on the Winter Solstice

In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. The winter solstice is a turning point when the days start to grow longer. This occurs December 20, 21, or 22, varying from year to year, dependent upon the elliptical path of the Earth around our sun. Technically the solstice marks the instant at which the Earth's axis stops tilting away from the sun and starts going back the other way. Solstice means "standing-still-sun." At winter solstice, the sun journeys farthest south in its orbital path and for the next three days it rises and sets at virtually the same place on the horizon, appearing to stand still, and then it slowly returns north.

This three day pause in the sun's movement is a time to reflect on what is no longer serving us and to let those things go. We are each given the opportunity to take a peek at what is happening on a heart and soul level. We can reflect on the year ending to see where we have erred and reform those beliefs, attitudes, and strategies no longer applicable to the New Year unfolding. It is also time to feel gratitude for all that has been received and accomplished throughout the past year. Such a fresh open-minded approach will broaden our perspective and start us out on the right track.

Ancient peoples in our northern climes regarded winter solstice as the pivotal time of year. It is a time of transition in the annual cycle when the old year ends and our journey into the New Year begins. Most cultures planned festivals and celebrations at or around the winter solstice to ensure that the sun would return. Rituals were designed to divert nature from the path toward eternal winter and oblivion to one directed toward light and prosperity. Winter solstice was an affirmation of the continuation of life; that the cyclical order of time and the cosmos will continue intact.

Many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas have their roots in winter solstice celebrations. In much of northern Europe people ignited Yule bonfires to give life and power to the sun. Lighted candles were often placed on the branches of evergreen trees, which symbolized survival and eternal life. These symbols of warmth and lasting life were lit to hasten the "old" sun's waning and the "new" sun's rebirth. People often tied apples to the branches of firs and oaks to remind themselves that summer would eventually return. People would "deck the halls" with holly, ivy, yew, and many other herbs and evergreens to honor the nature spirits and to bring good luck. In the British Isles, mistletoe was placed upon altars. Mistletoe's golden color was believed to store the power of the sun, especially when plucked at the solstice.

The winter solstice is a time to celebrate the return of the light after a period of darkness. In my own solstice celebration, I like to incorporate a sacred fire. Before the sun sets on the solstice, I will light a large candle, call the spirit of the sun into that flame and allow it to burn until morning, when his spirit has returned to the sky. On the winter solstice we are all praying, on some level, for the darkness to end. "Just return the light!" the ceremonies seem to say. As we celebrate the return of the light, we affirm the continuation of life at the very moment of dissolution. To be sure, dark days lie ahead. But contained within each is the promise of brighter tomorrows.

8 Core Beliefs of Shamanism

Shamanism is the most ancient and most enduring spiritual tradition known to humanity. It predates and constitutes the foundation of all known religions or religious philosophies. One could view shamanism as the universal spiritual wisdom inherent to all indigenous peoples. It originated among nomadic hunting and gathering societies. These ancient shamanic ways have withstood the tests of time, varying little from culture to culture. Over thousands of years of trial and error, primal peoples the world over developed the same basic principles and techniques of shamanic power and healing. A whole way of life evolved that was based on everything being in right relationship. At the heart of shamanism are the following core beliefs:

1. Everything is interrelated and interdependent. If one species suffers, all others are affected. The health and well-being of humanity is, therefore, dependent upon the overall health of the sentient web of life. The shamanic practitioner is sensitive to this sacred interrelationship and serves as a bridge, linking the human and natural realms. The practitioner's prayerful communion with the natural elements and powers preserves an orderly, harmonious universe.

2. The natural world has two aspects: ordinary everyday awareness, formed by our habitual behaviors, patterns of belief, social norms, and cultural conditioning, and a second non-ordinary awareness accessed through altered states, or trance, induced by shamanic practices such as repetitive drumming. In a non-ordinary state of consciousness, the universe can appear fluid and nonlinear, moral absolutes vanish, death is but a transition and life exists in a variety of forms. Ordinary reality is matter-oriented, while non-ordinary reality is spirit-oriented.

3. Everything is alive and has a spirit. Shamanism is a way of perceiving the nature of the universe in a way that incorporates the normally invisible world where the spirits of all material things dwell. Shamans have different terms and phrases for the unseen world, but most of them clearly imply that it is the realm where the spirits of the land, animals, ancestors, and other spiritual entities dwell. Spirit encompasses all the immaterial forms of life energy that surround us. We are woven together into a net of life energies that are all around us. These energies can appear to us in different forms, such as spirits of nature, animals, or ancestors. The spirit world is the web of life itself.

4. Shamanic practitioners can access other realms of reality. Practitioners employ methods for altering consciousness so that they can send their souls into non-ordinary reality. The act of sending one's soul into non-ordinary reality is called the soul flight or shamanic journey, and it allows the journeyer to view life and life's problems from a detached, spiritual perspective not easily achieved in a state of ordinary consciousness. One of the most universal methods for altering consciousness for this spirit journey is a persistent, mesmerizing drumbeat.

5. Non-ordinary reality is more real than ordinary reality. When a shamanic practitioner enters non-ordinary reality, it is to obtain clarity and understanding about something in the everyday world that is not understood (e.g., Why am I sick? Why did this misfortune happen to me? How can I bring healing to myself and others? What is my mission and purpose in life?). Consequently, that is why shamanic journeying is sometimes called "going to the source." And that makes non-ordinary reality more authentic or real.

6. There are three inner planes of consciousness: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. The three realms are linked together by a vertical axis that is commonly referred to as the cosmic axis or World Tree. The roots of the World Tree touch the Lower World. Its trunk is the Middle World and its branches hold up the Upper World. This central axis exists within each of us. Through the sound of the drum, which is invariably made of wood from the World Tree, the shamanic practitioner is transported to the axis within and conveyed from plane to plane.

7. The purpose of shamanic ritual is to engage the spirit world to effect specific changes in the physical world. The ordinary and non-ordinary worlds interact continuously, and a shamanic practitioner can gain knowledge about how to alter ordinary reality by taking direct action in the non-ordinary aspect of the world. From a shamanic perspective, all human experience is self-generated. Experience is shaped from within since the three realms or resonant fields that define our experience of reality exist within each of us. Each human being is a hologram of the universe. Essentially, we are the universe experiencing itself in human form.

8. Shamanism is based on the principle that innate wisdom and guidance can be accessed through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. The essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring, and developing the true self. Shamanism places emphasis on the individual, of breaking free and discovering your own uniqueness in order to bring something new back to the group. Shamanic practice heightens the ability of perception and enables you to see into the deeper realms of the self. Once connected with your inner self you can find help, healing, and a continual source of guidance. To practice shamanism is to reconnect with your deepest core values and your highest vision of who you are and why you are here.

Creative Commons photo of Mongol Darkhad shaman performing shamanic ritual by Munkhbayar.B.