We’re not actually pagans at our house.
(Surprised?)
In fact, we think ourselves rather committed to all things Godly. But today, on this Winter Solstice, we have a little bit of a heathen celebration. Every year. Because, you know, this is an important day. It’s the shortest day of the year. Meaning (by logical extension – see if you can follow me) that tomorrow will be a little bit longer than today. There will be more theoretical sun time (even if it keeps snowing until our house is buried*). And days will continue to stretch a little longer every single day until Spring comes, and beyond.
And that feels good. Spring, I mean. And also longer days.
When I was in college, I took an American Folklore class, which was a perfect combination of cool and ridiculous. One day, our teacher (he was a grad student who always needed a haircut, and I regularly had to resist the urge to fix his tie) invited in a pair of witches to guest lecture.
They were weird, I’m not going to lie to you.
They explained Wicca business, and it was strange and earthy and slightly unwashed. But then they said this. “When we see the first crocus of Spring, we kneel down and say a prayer to Mother Earth, thanking her for the world’s rebirth.”
And I got simultaneous chills and shivers. Like, “Yes! I do that, too!” and also, “Wow. That is truly strange.” CLARIFICATION: I don’t pray to Mother Earth. If you do, right on. I’m partial to praying to God, myself, but I respect your right to go your own way. But I do say a little prayer of thanks when I see shoots and blooms popping up through the muddy springtime ground. I get wet knees and possibly a smudge of mud on my nose from exploring REALLY closely.
And it’s coming. Closer every day, starting today.
So we’ll celebrate with our tomato-basil soup and our homemade bread, and our shoveling and our slipping around. We’ll enjoy this last darkest day, and we’lllook forward to what is to come — today, this weekend, and several months in the future.
But if we go without showering for more than 24 hours, please send help.
*8.5 inches between last night and 6:0 a.m.
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