The "Solstitial Yaw" and Leaning Toward Hope

Solstice Drive to St. Anthony Christopher Pratt 2008

So, will Christmas be cancelled this year? The simple answer is no, because our celebration of the birth of Christ is not dependent on coming together in buildings to sing carols, light candles, and hear the hear the story from Luke 2. Okay, all those things really matter, and I'm bummed that they won't this year because of another lock-down. 

We know that Jesus probably wasn't born at this time of the year anyway and that Easter would be a more accurate time for Christmas --- are you totally confused now? It's likely that the persecuted Christian minority in Rome celebrated the birth of the Son under the cover of celebration of the rebirth of the Sun around the Winter Solstice. 

Lots of cultures, from the ancient Romans, to the Druids, to Indigenous peoples around the world, acknowledge what can be a bleak day in the Northern Hemisphere as the beginning of something new, a rebirth. Why wouldn't we include ourselves in this as Christians? 

There was a thoughtful opinion piece in the Globe and Mail newspaper on Saturday on repairing our relationship with the Earth by James Maskalyk  and Dave Courchene. Maskalyk is an emergency room physician and author, while Courchene is the founder of the Turtle Lodge International Centre for Indigenous Education. 

In the article they say:

On December 21, as the Earth reaches equilibrium  and begins its solstistial yaw, we are all invited, Indigenous and those displaces from our traditional fire, and keep it burning throughout the day. A fireplace, a candle,. In its flame, the sun's light, the Earth's gifts, and our own spirit. It is the first step toward knowing our nature, and that of the planet, as not two, but one. 

I love this imagery, and have no qualms about combining this encouragement with my conviction that God-with-Us, born in a stable, is the Light of the World. On a gloomy weather day, with gloomy news on the horizon, I yaw toward hope for Turtle Island, and Christ's abundant life.  

                                           Newgrange Neolithic Chamber, Ireland, on the Solstice