It is unfortunate that we so often define events and activities as either "sacred" or "secular". Sacred involves God, the Bible, the church, etc. The secular then is everything else. The American Indians, and I imagine aboriginal tribes throughout history, did not make this distinction. To the Indian everything is sacred. Everything is done in "a sacred manner." The Indian saw all of creation as a reflection of the Divine. There is nothing that they experienced with the five senses that was outside of the sphere of the sacred and the spiritual. In their dances the circle they made didn't just represent the center of the universe, but actually became the center of the universe. Although it's more difficult for them, this sacred manner is still true for many Indians today.
There is a celebration during December that most Christians either know nothing about or just choose to ignore . That celebration is the Winter Solstice. It's strange that pagans lay claim to this annual event more so than the adherents of any organized religion. Pagans very often choose not to celebrate Christmas because it is either too religious or too commercialized. In either case Christmas is just not something that they want to celebrate.. On the other hand these "pagans" sense the astounding significance of this solstice and participate in world-wide celebrations. For centuries before Christ the solstice was a time for much feasting and exchanging of gifts. Adornments during the feast over centuries included a Yule log, and holly and ivy. And they sang carols! During the feasting many people expressed forgiveness and shared their food with peasants.
The irony of what's pagan and what's not is that the Winter Solstice is how December 25th came to be in the first place. It's certainly, according to those who know these things, not the day Jesus was born. Many church leaders thought if they set the date of Christmas near the solstice then perhaps many pagans would abandon their ways and celebrate with the Christians. Another irony is that many Christians choose not to celebrate Christmas because they consider it to be pagan in its origin. And they would be right in that assumption.
So to recap, pagans have celebrated the Winter Solstice for centuries. Christians borrowed the dates and many of the celebrations and called it Christmas. Most pagans don't celebrate Christmas. Most Christians don't celebrate the solstice. Many Christians consider Christmas to be pagan and don't celebrate anything at all in December. So you might say that to most pagans Christmas is meaningless and the Winter Solstice is sacred. To most Christians, Christmas is sacred and the solstice is pagan. The solstice has been celebrated for hundreds of years. Christmas didn't become a recognized holiday until the mid-1800s.
This year the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will be at 11:49 ET on Monday, December 21st. This moment is simultaneously the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Therein is the mystery. The Winter Solstice is the exact moment that the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun. This is the darkest day of the year in our hemisphere. In the next instant the North Pole is tilting back toward the sun. The mystery of that moment, and thus all the fuss about it, is how do you quantify that moment? In the same instant the pole is furthest away and then moving back toward the sun. There is no instrument that can measure that moment. It's like Schrodinger's cat, it's both going and coming at the same time. That measure of time is infinitely small. If you found the smallest time measurement possible, it would be less than that. To extend the mystery even further, the exact opposite is happening in the Southern Hemisphere at the exact same moment.
So am I going to have a feast on the night of the 21st? Since it's between the feasts of Thanksgiving and Christmas, no I won't. Then how do I plan to celebrate? Unless I fall asleep, which is entirely possible, I plan to walk outside with a lighted candle. Then I plan to blow the candle out at precisely 11:49 pm. Or I could light the candle at precisely 11:49 pm. Either way I will be saying, "Something incredible is happening under my feet right now.There is a disturbance in the Force and I'm paying attention." I will be celebrating with millions who share that moment world-wide..
What I'm asking then of myself and of you is that we simply become solstice aware. I'm not asking you to jettison Christmas. Let's just notice and acknowledge the fact that something of a cosmic nature will happen on the night of December 21st that is important to a lot of people. This earth that we call home is hurtling through outer space and will make an imperceptible but significant shift. If not in awe, then we can at least just be aware.
The Mayan Indians had three men climb a 50 foot pole. While one beat a drum, the other two tied a rope around one foot and jumped. It they landed on their feet then the sun god was pleased and the days would get longer. In the first place I have the feeling the days got longer anyway. But in any case I'll stick with lighting a candle with both feet on the ground.
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