The Sun Returns: A Winter Solstice Ritual

Winter solstice rituals traditionally celebrate the rebirth of the sun. In a safe place outdoors, build a bonfire and create a solstice altar to the east of it. Place a small cauldron with a candle in it on the altar, and surround it with mistletoe, ivy, and holly. Participants should also wear crowns woven from these evergreens. If it is too cold or snowy where you live, you can gather indoors and form a semicircle either around the fireplace or around the altar.

Begin the ritual by holding hands around the fire. Hum softly, gradually building the hum to a shout. This shout represents the cries of the Goddess giving birth once again to the sun, and to the new year. The ritual leader says:

    All bow to the East! Hail to the newborn Sun, and to the Great

    Goddess who has brought him forth!

Everyone bows to honor the Sun God and the Mother Goddess. The ritual leader chants:

    Brigid,

    Diana,

    Morgan,

    Cerridwen,

    Heaven’s Queen,

    by the light of this moon

    in this dark night,

    teach us the mystery of rebirth.

The ritual leader lights the candle in the cauldron while everyone else remains perfectly still. Now is the time when the Goddess will reveal herself privately to each participant. If you are outdoors, listen and look carefully for a sign. Traditional omens are a sudden wind, shooting stars, the screeching of an owl, or the appearance of a deer. Even if you are indoors by the fire, the Goddess will still make herself known in your heart. When the time feels right, the ritual leader says:

    Queen of the Stars,

    Queen of the Moon,

    Queen of the Earth,

    Bringer of Fire,

    the Great Mother gives birth to this new year

    and we are her witnesses.

Everyone shouts:

    Blessed be!

Pass the lit cauldron to each participant so they can speak a blessing for the new year and the newly reborn sun. Place the cauldron with the candle back on the altar. The ritual leader closes the ritual with this final expression of gratitude to the Goddess:

    Blessed be to the Mother Goddess.

    Thank you for the sun that gives us life

    without beginning and without end

    everlasting in eternity.

    this ritual is now done!

A toast to the new sun should take place with hot cider or mead and warm festive foods.

Spring Fertility Symbols

Easter has become more and more a secular holiday, with families celebrating with chocolates, eggs, and rabbits. The symbol of the egg inspires us with the knowledge that new life will be born. The rabbit as a symbol of fertility arises not only from its incredible powers of reproduction, but from its ancient association with the lunar goddess of fertility and transformation. Folklore tells of the eggs of spring being laid by a bird until Oestre, a Teutonic goddess associated with the spring season, changed the bird into a hare that laid eggs.

Many of us engaged in Easter egg hunts as children. You can create a ritual for adults designed to recapture that joyous celebratory event and incorporating the various symbols associated with rebirth and fertility to bless new endeavors.

Chiastolite—Crusader’s Stone

Chiastolite is an exceptional variety of andalusite mined in China, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. What sets chiastolite apart are the dark- colored clay and carbonaceous inclusions in the stone, which are usually black or brown. These inclusions line up symmetrically and often take the form of a cross, garnering the name “crusader’s stone.” The black specimens are called iron crosses.

Chiastolite is a mineral that assists with the mental faculties—critical thinking and analytic abilities. It is greatly valued as a creativity stone and is held dear for the way it aids in combining originality with practical thinking. This crystal will take a notion and give you the impetus to make the dream real. As is fitting for a crusader’s stone (think Knight Templar!), chiastolite will bring answers to mysteries. It is used by metaphysicians to support astral travel. It is also a symbol of transmutation, death, and rebirth; this is very much a stone of change. Healers believe it can reduce fever and even repair any material! This significant stone is held in immense regard, perhaps due to its cross marking, which makes it like no other rock in the world.

Unakite

Unakite is a stone of vision. this mottled pink stone from South Africa helps you to connect with humanity on a mass scale through unconditional love. Unakite will heal wounds of separation and abandonment and can create balance between the physical and emotions.

Unakite helps you live in the present and get out of the past. It is a heart healer. Unakite aids in the process of rebirthing and is also good for pregnant women—every kind of birthing. Here is a most wonderful aspect of unakite: It engenders self-love, which can attract and retain the love of others.