“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” So we hear in a song. The retail stores are trying to cash in. The religious institutions are preparing for their celebrations. The kids can’t wait for the gifts while a lot of people are just hoping for some time off. A new year is right ahead of us. There is hope in the air, the idea of new possibilities. It all happens at the same time every year.
December is packed with holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Rohatsu, Lenaea, Shabe-Yalda, you name it. We cross the world and all religions, traditions and cultures of the world, whether modern or ancient, are all celebrating at the same time. It is easy for us to think that it is all centered on our own belief system and the way our own culture works. But if we expand our horizons a bit and notice what is happening all around the world and throughout human history, we will realize that what happens during this season goes beyond a lamp that was continuously lit for 8 straight days, a child that was born in a manger, or a prince sitting under a Bodhi tree.
Holidays are happening this time of the year because of one single event happening in nature. All peoples on earth have picked up on it and tried to explain its meaning. Even our own individual lives are ruled by it.
Every year, sometime around the 21st or 22nd day of December the sun stands still in the sky -- so explained the Romans. Nowadays we call it, the solstice -- when the earth’s axis begins to tilt toward the other side. Here on the northern hemisphere, where most religious traditions have grown, it is the winter solstice, when the sun is in its lowest position in the sky and begins its journey back to the top.
Ancient traditions soon begin to realize that this particular event was the beginning of a new life. The days would begin to grow longer and therefore, hope for better weather, a new crop and food, reemerged. Light had won its victory over darkness. And this was enough reason for much celebration.
Many centuries have passed since the first winter solstice celebration and with time we have embellished this feast in many different forms and have given it many different names. In the midst of our journey, we have sometimes forgotten its real meaning and have become more attached to our traditions than to a simple truth.
How are you celebrating this year? What victories are you to rejoice over? What hopes are you filling your heart with? What kind expectations do you have for the New Year? Do you have any specific project that you have postponed for sometime? Can you take this event in nature and use it to inspire and motivate you to take action now?
Yes, we always talk about New Year’s resolutions and they are soon forgotten by January 2nd. What are the actions you will take this year that will make your resolutions stick? What steps can you take now that will help you persist and continue to bring that extra light to your life?
Nature is beginning to renew itself. Are you ready to do the same? Are you ready for a new start? Let’s grab this opportunity and live the message nature is giving to us right now. Let us take this journey together.
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