So I’ve decided to “come out” and admit that I celebrate the wheel of the year. This is as close as I get to religion. Today is the winter solstice, so this is my “offical” holiday of the holiday season. I am the only person I know who celebrates these days (solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints) without also worshipping any gods. Basically I take a spiritual sustenance of sorts from acknowledging the patterns that occur in our world. I know it sounds a lot like paganism but I don’t believe in any gods whatsoever.
Winter solstice is the festival of light - a celebration of the returning of the sun. I will probably go home this afternoon and light candles to symbolize the light returning to our world. I may burn some incense as a kind of reminder that transformation is everywhere in our world and can create and contain beauty even as it destroys. I will probably have a special dinner, a “feast” of sorts.
So, am I alone in this type of spirituality? I will never acknowledge any god or gods but I think that having a spiritual center is an important part of living a happy and complete life. I don’t practice witchcraft but I believe in karma. Sometimes I mimic pagan-like rituals but without the “gods” part - like making love in the open air on beltane (the midpoint between spring equinox and vernal solstice.) I do these things in celebration of life, death, dark and light. I believe these things shape our world and our lives.
Just wanted to share with you all. I’d like to get people’s opinions/input but if I’ve put this in the wrong forum, I’d appreciate it if a mod would move it to the correct place. So happy solstice to all dopers and may you have a good year.
Well, I don’t celebrate on any type of spiritual level, but believe me. . .it never slips by me.
I’m always aware that the days will start getting longer, that I’ll have more time for bike rides, that even though it’s dark when I wake up, unlike on November 21st, it’s going to start getting lighter, not darker.
Even though winter’s real teeth are still ahead, there’s always a good feeling being on the sweet side of the solstice.
If you’re the celebratin’ type, I can think of a lot dumber things to get worked up over.
Well, yes, it’s the solstice, and I suppose I could celebrate. But just to make sure, before I celebrate, I’m going to wait a few more days to make sure the days really will start getting longer.
Seriously, though, I do think this is a good time to celebrate, whether it’s in a spiritual or non-spiritual way. Astromical events, like other things in nature (of which we’re a part, no matter how hard we try to deny it), are things to pay attention to. They provide us with opportunities to reflect on our being, and the nature thereof.
The Ms. obsesses on winter soltice, starting in November. I have to remind her every year that there are still four more months of winter ahead of us, but she’s just relentlessly positive about things, dang it.
I always celebrate the passing of the seasons. I read somewhere once that the holidays need to be in winter, when things are darkest. I do know that in two months I will be walking home in the daylight.
My husband and I celebrate the solstices. Usually we don’t make a big deal. We open our Christmas presents a few days early. The summer solstice falls on or around my birthday, so we usually have a casual solstice party for friends. (This is a good way to dodge gifts, it turns out, 'cause it’s just a solstice party, see, not a birthday party!) The physics department I teach in now has solstice parties, too, but that’s 'cause we’re all big geeks.
For some reason I always end up too busy around the equinoxes to do anything, but sometimes I pass out candy in class. (This is pure bribery-by-sugar. I fully admit it. ) I acknowledge the cross-quarter days in class, too, because they’re fun to talk about.
My deep connection with the cycles of the seasons comes mainly from the fact that I live west of town on an east-west road. So driving in, I get to see where the Sun is in the east, and driving home I get to watch it set in the west, so I enjoy thinking about where it is on its journey on the ecliptic.
[Leondard Nimoy]And so, the cosmic dance continues . . .[/LN]
I celebrate the solstice too. I actually made a thread about that very subject earlier today. Link Don’t post there though. Let it die a happy death. Post anything about the solstice here. We don’t need two threads about the same thing.
