Sacred Life Sunday: Winter Solstice

"In the midst of darkness, light is born."
~Okelle (quoted on the zena moon yule candle)

Darkness gets a bad rap, but it's every bit as necessary and sacred to the whole of nature and the holiness of our lives as light. Seeds are planted in darkness. Babies grow in darkness. This year I celebrated the Winter Solstice in two very different, equally powerful ways.

The above photo is my Mom looking very priestessy leading her annual Solstice ceremony at the Women's Hearth, as a woman lights a candle and states her wish for the new year.

Years ago someone asked my Mom what kind of women come to the Hearth and my Mom replied, "The kind of women most people usually cross the street to avoid."

I love the women at the Hearth. We are all the same. We drink the same water, breathe the same air, feel the same pain, need the same things.

On Friday, more than a hundred women most people look away from:

• received a bag of Christmas presents
• were welcomed with dignity, love and appreciation
• had a warm, safe place to rest
• ate a turkey dinner with all the trimmings
• sang or listened to Christmas songs
• were given the chance to light a candle with their hope for 2008

Friendship, healing, safety, trust, help for others in need, a closer relationship to God, family reconciliation, freedom from addiction, love, supporting each other. We are so incredibly not different from one another. I'm grateful to be part of this world. (Meet some of the women who run the Hearth and check out Sister Theresa's un-nunlike T-shirt here! The woman who started the Hearth some of you already know -- Sister Cathy.)

Friday night I attended a pagan Solstice ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist Church with two friends and a couple hundred others. Fire, air, earth and water were called, directions named, candles lit, prayers uttered. I sat there, nestled between two womenfriends, listening to an all-female choir singing with the heartbeat of drumming about being held in the womb of Mother Earth, tears streaming down my face.

Wonder. Thankfulness. Awe.
I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
I am home. In Spokane . . . and in myself.

Blessings of the light and darkness to you -- and Merry Christmas!

Comments

[Patti]

Wishing you a peaceful christmas. Enjoy your celebrations with friends and family.

[Olivia]

What a beautiful and special holiday celebration, spiritual and meaningful, and with loved ones. I'm glad you're home, Carla, after an upheavalled (probably not a word) year. Love, O

[Cousin Christine]

Happy Christmas, Carla. I love you. Thanks for all you have given me in the past year - you light up my life literally and figuratively every single day, with no exceptions. What a gift you have made of yourself - TO yourself and to so many others. Hug Carlita today and listen for Santa tonight...I always do, even though I am many years old. It is a treat to my little girl inside self. Love you, Christine

[Beverly]

Happy Holidays Carla! Here's to 2008! May it be a blessed one for you! Love, Beverly

[Kate I]

Wishing you a peaceful and happy Christmas Carla and a New Year full of joy and love. Your celebrations sound so wonderful...and I'm happy too that you've found the comfort of 'home'.

[Kate I]

I also wanted to thank you for all you've given your blogging community with your Sacred Life 'venue'. It's been wonderful to have this sacred place to connect with a like minded spiritual community
Hugs!

[eileen (the dream)]

Much Joy, Carla!
So grateful to have connected with you this year! You are a soulful beautiful sober woman - full of goodness and light. The gathering at The Women's Hearth sounded wonderfully spiritual and full of grace. Lovely.

[Marilyn]

What a beautiful ceremony for those women. And what an important reminder for me (and a basic one of my early sobriety that I *NEED* to be reminded of TODAY)...to get out of my self-absorbed head...and to reach out to someone in need. Blessings to you this holiday season.

[storyteller]

As always, I feel uplifted by your sharing here, reminding us all of the true miracles of Christmas. May the joys of the season continue fill your heart, mind, & spirit and may 2008 bring peace and love.
Hugs and blessings,

[RubyShooZ]

Ah I wish I'd been able to attend the ceremony at the church. It sounds like just the thing that would help to heal me during this process I've been facing and living with. (breast cancer and just life in general)

I was raised a Unitarian and while I've not attended for many many years, I long to do so but our closest Unitarian church around here is about an hour away.

The older I am growing the more I feel the need to have women in my life and I've just not been in a space where I'm likely to meet any.

I was with y'all there in spirit I suppose and I thank you for sharing about your experience. Wishing you and your readers peace, love and understanding and a beautiful new year and many great days ahead.

Always love.

~ RubyShooZ ~

[Jon]

What a beautiful post... warmed the winter day - thank you!
Holiday Blessings... wishing you love, joy,health, abundance and laughter.
Jon :)

[Mama]

Carla, how great that you shared some of the ceremony at the Women's Hearth with others. I'm honored that I've been asked to lead the ceremony for so many years. The women there are family and for many of them, the party is the onlyt Christmas celebration they have. Blessings to all, Joyce (Mama)

[Angela]

What a beautiful post, Carla. Sometimes I miss all the varied events available in the "big city". Merry Christmas to you. I'm glad I've been able to get to know you a little this year. It's been a pleasure.

[daisies]

how beautiful :) i hope you are finding peace and beauty and magic ... xoxox