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Choosing the perfect locally grown Douglas Fir, carrying it home with love and decorating the Christmas Tree.

Photos taken on December 07, 2013, in Toronto by John Zeus

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” – Anne Bradstreet

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In all it’s handsome darkness the Winter Solstice teaches you about the need for withdrawal as an essential part of renewal. The season requires you to honour it’s courage and respect it’s wisdom. As each night before the solstice grows longer and the air circling around you gets colder, the earth withdraws, sleeps and renews itself.

Some of you abominate winter. You struggle through the season’s bleakness. You tire of the endless dark and dreary skies and wish you can fast-forward to spring. Some of you rejoice in winter’s beauty. In the essential darkness you celebrate the Winter Solstice because it signals the return of light and warmth to the hemisphere, more and more each day.

The Winter Solstice begins the turn to greater daylight and the slow return of the sun. Our planet prepares to come forth from this time of darkness and withdrawal, into a season filled with light, hope and the coming of spring.

Related Song: Damh The Bard – Noon Of The Solstice
If you like stories about nature mythology and art, you may like: The Deer Man

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December Solstice

The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun.

Known as the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere, the December solstice marks the day of the year with the least hours of daylight. In the southern hemisphere the December solstice is known as the Summer Solstice and marks the longest day of the year.

Winter Solstice Dates 2013 & 2014

Northern Hemisphere: (North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa) – Winter Solstice Dates: December 21, 2013, at 17:11 UTC / December 21, 2014, at 23:03 UTC

Southern Hemisphere: (Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southern Africa) – Winter Solstice Dates: June 21, 2013, at 05:04 UTC / June 21, 2013, at 10:51 UTC

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A Blessed Yule

Yule began as an indigenous winter solstice festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples of ancient times. It was later absorbed into celebrations surrounding Christmas with Christianization.

The observance of Yule, the Winter Solstice was significant to our ancestors. It was a holy day when the sun god’s return meant spring was on its way, and with it, the birth of new animals and the planting of new crops.  Much of the folklore surrounding winter solstice rituals has to do with very basic symbols of agriculture and animal husbandry.

This song (video) wonderfully sums up the spirit and energy of the Winter Solstice: Damh The Bard – Noon Of The Solstice. Enjoy.

Written & Adapted by John Zeus | Primary Source: timeanddate.com, Video: YouTube, Images 1, 2 & 3: Google Images, Winter Tree photo by John Zeus

Music by ~ Damh The Bard – Noon Of The Solstice

Related Story: The Winter Solstice – Handsome Essential Darkness

Lyrics

In times long past
Lived a Man of green,
And his footsteps brought life wherever he’d been.
In the deepest wildwood
Was the place he was seen,
And the people did love
And protect him.
And they saw his face change,
With the turn of the Wheel
Of the Seasons,
They heard his voice sing.

(Chorus)
I’m the Horned God,
I’m the face in the trees,
I’m the breath of the wind that rustles the leaves,
I’m the Green Man
In the wildwood I roam,
Cernunnos, I’m Pan and I’m Herne.

I shall be as the Dark Holly King,
Darkness and cold
In my cloak I will bring,
And on Winter’s nights
To me you will sing,
Till the air around me starts changing,
And on the noon of the solstice
I’ll give up my crown,
To the Light
And the Mighty Oak King.

All Summer long
I shall rule just and fair,
Bring your crops to fruit
With the light that I share,
With fire and water,
From earth into air,
But the Wheel it keeps
Steadily turning.
And on the noon of the Solstice
I’ll give up my crown,
To the cold and the Dark Holly King.

T’is now modern times
And the Summer is here,
The Winter has gone
And the air it is clear,
On a fine day I walked
Through a woods I live near,
When a battle I spied
Through a clearing,
Two giants of leaves,
One light and one dark,
Even now the Wheel it is turning!

Source: YouTube

Christos Anesti, Kalo Pascha and a happy Orthodox Easter to all my friends celebrating.

Pascha is the Greek Orthodox Easter. In 2013, Greek and Eastern Orthodox Easter arrived later in the year and was welcomed by beautiful spring summer weather. Pascha observations started at the beginning of the week with Good Friday observed May 3rd and Easter Sunday celebrated May 5th. Kalo Pascha is Happy Easter in Greek. Greek Easter is a beautiful time of year. A great time to reflect on what is good in our world.

Paschal Light

These photos were taken in the early hours after midnight. We gathered for a small traditional meal at home after the saturday night Liturgy. We transported the lit candles home from church and lit an oil lamp that burns with olive oil. They call this flame “light of the resurrection”, It came from the alter of a Greek Orthodox church. I’m not the most religious person but I do love spirituality, tradition and heritage.

Enjoy this set taken in the kitchen where modern meets traditionalism. Peace and love to all of us.

Click on any thumbnail to open gallery and scroll through photos.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! Have a wonderful holiday! Gobble Gobble.

Many blessings…Remembering with thanks is what causes us to trust, to believe and to have hope.

Photos are of heritage breed turkeys.