Well here we are, at an apex in the Wheel of the Year, the Winter Solstice Alban Arthan the light of winter, the very light of Arthur is upon us.  As darkness becomes light, the shortest day of the year begins yet on the other side awaits the beginning of light, the hope of longer days rises in our souls, our spirits, our hearts.  Our bodies covered with darkness rise to greet the subtle anticipation of warmth, of growth, of newness.  We watch, feel, and smell the beginnings of newness.  In just a very short time this warm life force at the deepest parts of our inner selves knows believes, understands, darkness ends and yields to the radiant light.  Deep within our being we watch and feel the growth within us well up as the seeds of life begin to crack open deep inside the cold rich earth senses the energies emitting warmth from the depths of our very essence, enough so that need to sprout overcomes a desire to sleep.  

Nature herself blends with the world around us beaconing the flora and fauna to awaken to the new life knocking on the door of more refreshing enriching times on the horizon.  She reminds all that warmth begins to overwhelm cold and the darkness yields to light.  We hear the early wee sounds of nature awaken, now few, to the time coming when they shall be plentiful.  The limited smells of frigid air slowly yield to the magnetic aromas from the life enriched fertile earth beneath in anticipation of as darkness returning to brightness thanks to the rejuvenating light of Arthur.  The birds know it.  The deer, bear, squirrel, chipmunk, otter, and turtle know as well.  As do the stones, the sands, the river lakes, streams and oceans, they all know and understand.  Even the outwardly slumbering plants, though quiet to us, begin their journey of awakening to the powers of the sun.  Amazing, all live and emit energies, from animals to plants, from stones and sands to powerful seas and vibrant streams and creeks.  All Live and Have Life!  

Do we see, hear, feel, touch, and smell as they the rest of creation or have our busy lives dampened our senses of the awakening beauty from darkness to light?

(With Special Thanks To Dana O’Driscoll for her water color Winter Trees-Full Moon-Winter Solstice available at http://www.thedruidsgarden.com)

The earth, the plants, the animals, the insects, even the smallest of stones and crystals, even microbes, bow to this royal hope of lightness that returns to the natural world who embraces all, even us who are not above all things, but rather part of all creation.  We are the earth.  We are the plants.  We are the animals.  We are the insects.  We are the very microbes that wander in wonder as this new life beckons us to join with light of Arthur to be reborn in refreshed newness of life.

So friends, relatives, and all, let us celebrate this Winter Solstice, this Alban Arthan, this light of winter with radiant joy that touches all as we wander not lost from dark, but rather refreshed from within by the eternal light of hope.  We are the light just like all creation and creatures around us.  Let us smell, taste, touch, see, and hear all life singing with resounding joy that light is coming, that life is returning, the hope presses us forward to awaken the flourishing wonder of restored life.

The darkness is not our foe.  Darkness is our friend, here to remind us we have this time to look within seeking that inner light.  The inner light that tells us who we really are.  We have this life, this light within telling us, answering for us the age old question brought to mages of the past for millennia, why am I here?  What am I to do.  During the remaining long nights, I prayerfully implore all spirits to guide me to use the time well.  Honor it while seeking the inner light through introspection.  Before we know it, Imbolc will be upon us, followed by Spring’s Equinox and the Wheel of The Year will continue.  Perhaps we will have a better understanding of, why we are here, and what our true purpose is, who we really are.  

We are joy.  We are celebrants.  We are participants. We are untied families of life itself.  Find the time in our busy lives to stop and feel the wonder of warming richness, grasp it, yield to it, give way to its radiant being and in turn share with the other members of the earth.  As blood that flows through us and all living creatures to embrace the pulse of life that feeds our organs to maintain our life, take that same power and share it with all creation around us, declaring from the deep bowels within us, “Winter Solstice is here.  The Light is here. We are here.”  Join us with joy and shout it glee.  We are born anew, we are born refreshed, we who were born from darkness may share the radiant power of light This Winter Solstice.