By Lynda Young Kaffie
The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs at a specific point in time. Most people count the whole day as the December Solstice; however, the actual moment happens when the Sun is exactly over the Tropic of Capricorn.
This year, in Austin, Texas, the specific point in time when the Winter Solstice occurs will be Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 3:20 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST). In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year.
After a time of growing darkness, the Winter Solstice marks the “turning of the Sun” and days slowly begin to lengthen. In pre-Christian days, festivals and rites were held to mark the gradual return of the light.
While we may associate a sense of apprehension with the coming of the dark, there exists a hidden wholeness in the balance between the seeming opposites, light and dark. Often, we humans label light as “good” and dark as “bad”. And yet, in Genesis, when describing Creation it is written:
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day
from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for
days and years, …And God saw that it was good. And there was
evening and there was morning….”
Genesis 1:14, 18 b-19b
During this season of Advent, as we gather in the various Abbey groups, we are in the time of preparation for the return of the light. Our days are shortening and getting darker. A descent into the dark is a part of Advent – the Darkness of Winter and the Darkness of the World.
Engaging with the season, we might approach the essence of the idea of this year’s Adventide and Solstice with some open questions as a spiritual practice.
What represents light to you?
A candle?
Light through and open doorway or window?
A star shining in a dark sky?
A flame? A bonfire?
A moonlit night?
And what represents dark to you?
The velvety quiet of the early morning hours?
Burrowing under a warm blanket on a cold winter night?
The dark sky surrounding the sliver of a crescent moon?
Consider anything which might be meaningful or evoke a telling memory or thought for you – something which might deepen your experience of both the dark as well as the light.
Taking this practice a step further, The Abbey is offering an opportunity for us to gather together as a community. We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, December 22 from 10:00 – 11:00 am to hear the rhythms of contemplative Solstice readings followed by the gift of time with one another to reflect on what we have heard.
Join us to welcome both the dark as well as the light.
The dark around us, come.
Let us meet here together,
Members one of another,
Here in our holy room,
One household, high and low,
And all the earth shall sing.
– Wendell Berry
One Response
Love this. Thank you.