Winter Solstice | The heART of Ritual

The heART of Ritual

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Welcome to the MUSINGS room in our digital nest! Here you will find an extensive selection of articles, poetry, prose, videos, recipes, and tutorials that journey the natural cycles, seasons, elements, and archetypes in the Celtic Wheel of the Year, as well as our Irish indigenous festivals, folklore, and customs.

This is lovingly provided as a free community resource, however it is copyrighted content. As such, we respectfully ask that if you share this content outside of this dedicated space, either in whole, in part, or paraphrased, that you credit the author and source. Thank you.

The Light at the edge of the Woods

I chose the lamp post from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as today’s source of light primarily because it’s tied into many...

Mistletoe Myth & Lore

From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. Kissing under the...

The Longest Night

"The Longest Night" - a stop motion cut paper animation for the Winter Solstice. By Angie Pickman aka Rural Pearl.

WATCH: Newgrange Winter Solstice 2021 live stream

The annual Winter Solstice event at Newgrange in County Meath is going to be streamed virtually this year from Monday, December 20 to...

Irish Megaliths aligned with the Winter Solstice

The below list will of course continue to grow, but for now, here is a selection of Irish sacred sites with astronomical alignments on...

The origins of Santa?

Let’s take a trip to the snow-covered fields of Lapland and Siberia, where the legend of Santa Claus may have originated. Hundreds of...

The Winter Solstice and the Birth of Sol

We have almost arrived at the winter solstice, the moment when the most northern point of the earth is tilted furthest away from the...

European Winter Solstice costumes; a ritualistic expression of Shapeshifting and Protection

These images of ritual and ceremonies from old indigenous customs in Europe from around the winter solstice, show a time when we were...

The Deer Mother: Earth's Nurturing Epicenter of Life and Death

The animal mother is one of the most ancient images of birth-giving goddess, spanning continents, millennia, and cultures. Marija...

Winter Masks and Seasonal Rituals among the Iroquois

"False Faces, among the Iroquois, are personifications of mythical beings who live in wild and isolated regions, on the edge of the known...

Mothers Night: The Ancient Pagan Origins of Santa?

An ancient winter festival which stems from at least the Iron Age is Mothers Night or Modraniht. This celebration took place on what is...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 09 - Christmas Customs & Traditions

For this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon set out to take a critical look at traditional...

Seasonal Poetry & Prose: Exerpt from 'The Night Abraham Called to the Stars: Poems' by Robert Bly

'The candle is not lit To give light, but to testify to the night.' ~ Robert Bly, The Night Abraham Called to the Stars: Poems

Traditional Plants of the Winter Solstice

History shows that the seasonal botanicals gathered were those thriving in the landscape around us. For us here in Europe, symbolic...

Wreaths, Cycles, and the Winter Solstice

Wreaths: (From the Middle English wrethe, a twisted garland or ring of leaves and flowers) have been used ceremonially for centuries to...

Cuetlaxochitl, Poinsettia: a Gift of Rebirth and Light from Mexico

Along with tamales, buñuelos, and champurrado, many of us bring the beauty of the elegant Flor de Noche Buena into our homes signals the...

The Ancient Midwinter Deer Mother Goddess

Female reindeer are unique with regard to other deer species in that they grow and shed antlers. This attribute is part of the mythology...

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