Seeing the events, relationships, and projects of the old year as seeds that have a natural death is a good way to enter this time. Our ancient Roman ancestors would have put it differently. They would have asked us if we would celebrate the festival of the Unconquered Sun or Sol Invictus on December 25. The early Christians incorporated the meaning of this festival through making it an occasion of which to celebrate the coming of Christ, the Light of the world. Like the builders of Stonehenge and other megaliths, the gothic engineers of the Middle Ages constructed the cathedral of Vezelay in France in such a way that the sun would make a set of footprints right down the middle of the aisle on precisely the 25th of December.
Winter Solstice can be a time of playfulness and laughter rooted in anticipation.
It is a time to trust that Nature will take her course and guide us through another cycle. Stories and songs of inspiration prepare us well for what is ahead. Giving things away symbolizes a clearing out of sorts. The generosity of spirit can either be done in an attitude of trust and extravagance or in fear that the new times ahead will not sustain us and be characterized by want. The winter giving season allows us to exercise the faith that despite all appearances there is an abundance of spirit.