FATHER SUN

and

MOTHER MOON

Half of our planet is always in darkness and half always in light. The southern hemisphere experiences its winter when the northern is having its summer. Our global home reflects a dualistic mechanism and through the interaction of the opposites we learn and grow. If we imagine the Earth's breath as the ebb and flow of the tides of light and darkness, we can see the patterns this breath makes as it condenses on the denser fabric of  our world. The most immediate manifestation is that of the four seasons and the procession of life from birth in the spring, transforming through summer and autumn , finally returning to winter's dark sleep of temporary death. There are specific times in the year when light and darkness are equal and other times when light or  darkness is predominant. The solstices and equinoxes have always been important times of ritual and festivity for cultures close to the Earth.  The festivals were times for identifying and dramatising the energies and events that characterized different stages of the year and through this collective experience and identification with the forces of nature a greater power of integration was released within the conciousness of the people. These were really ancient festivals of ecology in which people demonstrated their role in the dance of life and inner and outer cycles were brought together.

The Celtic year had eight festivals which marked the winter and summer solstices, the spring and autumn equinoxes and the four quarter days. The solstices and equinoxes were determined by the position of the sun, but the quarter days , by nature more fluid, were normally associated with the nearest full moon festival. The great wheel of the year had eight spokes as it turned.  I will focus here on only two, the beginning of the year and the ending of the year. Our year begins with YULETIDE, coming from the Nordic image of hjul, meaning " the wheel". This festival usually marks the beginning of the journey through the year. The winter slostice signifies the time of greatest darkness- the longest night of the year, when nature holds her breath. Out of that darkest night comes the new dawn and return of the sun. This is the festival of rebirth that guarentees life will continue. Rather than the darkness being the prison, it is in fact the womb of all life. The year ends with SAMHAIN or Fire of Peace. Life comes once more to rest as the seed for the new cycle is placed in the safe-keeping of the dark Earth. We all in our own way feel the pull of the heavens- from the simple act of sunbathing to the menstruation cycles of women and the movement of the tides caused by the moon. Our sense of identity is not dependent on how others see us or how we compare our outer form with thiers. It is a question of understanding our own cycles and seasons of growth.

She sleeps in the stones, Dreams in the plants, Stirs in the animals, And awakens in humanity.

Take a few steps back from the familiarity of our personal situations and allow a sense of wonder and majick to enter our lives.