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Written by: Kamran Mofid

Published: 16 December 2024

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A Poet’s Guide to a Rewarding and Joyous Festive Season

‘Christmas gives us the opportunity to be the best we can be.’

Combining Passion and Compassion with Purpose and Action 

Photo credit: BBC

Christmas is a story of hope

When Hope Lights Up The Darkness

Christmas is all about Camaraderie and Community, Family and Friends  

A Time to Weave a New and Hopeful Tapestry of Life 

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Written by: Kamran Mofid

Published: 07 December 2024

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First posted on 18 December 2020

Updated on 7 December 2024

“The night might seem endless, but dawn is surely near, and with it, the promise of light.”- Hafez, the Persian sage, poet and philosopher of love

The winter solstice is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. In the northern hemisphere this date falls in December every year. In 2024 the winter solstice will occur on Saturday 21 December.

‘This image, a composite of dozens of photographs taken by Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021 entrant György Soponyai, shows the changing arcs of the Sun throughout the year. The smallest arc at the bottom marks the winter solstice, and the largest one at the top the summer solstice. The band in the middle is the 'equinox', with roughly equal hours of day and night.’- Photo via Royal Museums Greenwich 

Welcome, Yule!

Happy Winter Solstice!

Photo:amazon

The Shortest Day 

'And so the Shortest Day came and the year died

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive.

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us — listen!

All the long echoes, sing the same delight,

This Shortest Day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And now so do we, here, now,

This year and every year. Welcome, Yule!'-Susan Cooper

‘The two great celestial milestones of the year, the Summer and Winter Solstices, are perhaps humanity’s most ancient ritual observances. People paused at these times to reflect upon the journey of life, with its trials, blessings, hopes and promise.’- Paul Winter*

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”- Annie Dillard 

'In a sense, Winter Solstice is a turning point in the battle of dark versus light.'

This is how the sunrise on Winter Solstice looked like in Newgrange in 2019. Photo: John Lalor/Via RTE

‘Celebrating Our Journey With the Sun’*

‘To live at all is miracle enough’

The Shortest Day calls us to hope beyond despair, as days get longer, lighter and warmer,

the return of colour and beauty lifts the spirits

Tuesday 21 December is the 2021 Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year for people living in the Northern hemisphere.

The Solstice —derived from the Latin solstitium meaning standing sun — marks the moment the sun shines at its most southern point.,

and for centuries the Solstice has been recognised as a time of celebration and rebirth.-Photo: Medium

‘The winter solstice, with the rebirth of the sun, offers a time for healing and hope, a time to celebrate community and relatedness,

and a time to honour the diversity and the unity of this great cornucopia of life on Earth.’- Yale Forum on Religion & Ecology

‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’― J.K.Rowling

‘If the last 200 years have been shaped by industrialization, materialism and disparity, may the coming era be characterized by regeneration, stewardship and sharing. Decades from now, we may look back on this year with new understanding – as a great pause that seeded deeper awareness and new capacities.’

I wish to mark and celebrate  the solstice by sharing a poem that says a great deal about our place on Earth.

Words That Inspire: ‘The Wild Geese’ by Wendell Berry, which paints a colorful image of Earth's bounty, inspiring the beloved poet and farmer to be thankful that all we need is around us.

Photo:pinterest

‘Horseback on Sunday morning,

harvest over, we taste persimmon

and wild grape, sharp sweet

of summer’s end. In time’s maze

over fall fields, we name names

that went west from here, names

that rest on graves. We open

a persimmon seed to find the tree

that stands in promise,

pale, in the seed’s marrow.

Geese appear high over us,

pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,

as in love or sleep, holds

them to their way, clear,

in the ancient faith: what we need

is here. And we pray, not

for new earth or heaven, but to be

quiet in heart, and in eye

clear. What we need is here.’

Yes, indeed. It is so very true: ‘What we need is here’.

In the last couple of years we all have faced and experienced unprecedented difficulties, challenges and uncertainties. But the year has also been laced and interwoven with inspiration and hope, resilience and kindness, when we all have discovered the power of the common good.

COVID-19 and its subsequent variants have shown us our vulnerabilities, as well as our strength and our humanity. It has also shown us that once and for all, we are all in it together. The year has also shown us that viruses and infections are borderless, as are love and kindness. 

 

Photo:AtmosFX

For many of us, the GCGI family, this year has been the year where we came together not in despair, but in hope. We connected with each other and we began to value the values of togetherness, love, and sharing more than ever before.

We came together at Dawn, in poetry and literature, and gathered together in Mother Nature, although all in virtual reality, but, nonetheless, we were together in spirit, as love knows no borders.

One thing that COVID-19 has taught me is that:

‘The most precious thing in life is life itself’

All in all, in the eloquent words of Mervyn Peake, we all discovered that indeed, ‘To Live is Miracle Enough.’

Painting by Simon Drew- PENGUINS TO LIVE AT ALL IS MIRACLE ENOUGH

‘To live at all is miracle enough.

The doom of nations is another thing.

Here in my hammering blood-pulse is my proof.

Let every painter paint and poet sing

And all the sons of music ply their trade;

Machines are weaker than a beetle’s wing.

Swung out of sunlight into cosmic shade,

Come what come may the imagination’s heart

Is constellation high and can’t be weighed.

Nor greed nor fear can tear our faith apart

When every heart-beat hammers out the proof

That life itself is miracle enough.’ -Mervyn Peake, To Live is Miracle Enough

…...

Whilst reading one of my favorite journals-KOSMOS- the following passage very much resonated with me, which I would like to share with you:

‘As you may know, a Great Conjunction occurs exactly at the solstice December 21st between the planets Saturn and Jupiter. Their light will appear to merge as a bright beacon on the southern horizon. In the northern hemisphere, many associate the return of light at the solstice with the celebrations of Yuletide, Christmas, Hanukkah, Soyal for the Hopi, Dong Zhi in China, and many others.

This particular planetary conjunction is said to be the start of a new 200-year cycle. We welcome the symbolism of renewal, rebirth and the return of light to the world.

If the last 200 years have been shaped by industrialization, materialism and disparity, may the coming era be characterized by regeneration, stewardship and sharing. Decades from now, we may look back on this year with new understanding – as a great pause that seeded deeper awareness and new capacities.

Truly, the present quality of time is like no other in our living memory. Yet, life evolved only once on Earth billions of years ago, and our ancestors passed through many portals of near extinction and rebirth. We are the collective inheritors of their wondrous resilience, skillfulness, and love.’- KOSMOS

Illustration by Sara Mulvanny

In conclusion, GCGI welcomes you wholeheartedly as we chronicle this continuing journey of Love&Hope, when we take actions in the interest of the common good. 

Annie and I are grateful to all those who have journeyed through this year with us, in various ways. Friendship, love, caring and solidarity are ever more precious in these uncertain times! Thank you for being who you are.

……

And now I wish to share with you something from the land of my birth, remembering my childhood

and the festivities around the longest night, the shortest day, Shab-e-Yalda.

Shab-e Yalda: When Light Shines and Where Goodness, Beauty and Wisdom Prevails

'The story of Yalda may be interpreted as a tale of courage and effort during darkness, a triumph

of light and human warmth that ultimately causes the spring to bloom in hearts.'

Shab-e-Yalda - an ancient winter solstice celebration that commemorates the triumph of Mithra

Ancient Persians believed that evil forces were dominant on the longest night of the year and that the next day

belonged to the Lord of Wisdom, Ahura Mazda.

‘Because Shab-e Yalda is the longest and darkest night, it has become to symbolise many things in Persian poetry; separation from a beloved one, loneliness and waiting. After Shab-e Yalda a transformation takes place - the waiting is over, light shines and goodness prevails.'

'The sight of you each morning is a New Year

Any night of your departure is the eve of Yalda' (Sa'adi)

'With all my pains, there is still the hope of recovery

Like the eve of Yalda, there will finally be an end' (Sa'adi)

Continue to read and be inspired: Happy Shab-e Yalda

……

Selected related reading from our archive:

The healing power of ‘Dawn’ at this time of coronavirus crisis

Finding sanctuary in poetry during lockdown

Embrace the Spirituality of the Autumn Equinox and Discover What it Means to be Human

On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher

Saving the Web of Life: The Time is now to Tune into Peace, Love and Wisdom with a Spiritual Revolution 

The Sweetness of Being Human: ‘We have all of us one human heart.’

What a blissful day it was visiting "The loveliest spot that man hath ever found"

The prophetic legacy of John Ruskin: A Man ahead of his time

“Now comes good sailing” whilst nature and simple living were his solace

Christmas in the time of COVID: Let Love and Kindness be Your Everlasting Gifts

......

May you find joy in the simple pleasures of life and may the light of the holiday season

fill your heart with the hope for a better world

“…there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” —Ecclesiastes 3:12

......

*‘Celebrating Our Journey With the Sun’ 

Paul Winter’s 42nd Annual Winter Solstice Celebration

For the past 40 years, Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice performances have brought people together to welcome the return of the sun and the birth of a new year. Set in the extraordinary acoustics and titanic dimensions of the world’s largest gothic cathedral, New York’s St. John the Divine, the event has grown into an extravaganza of music and dance, a contemporary celebration of renewal. This year will feature a unique version of the event, tailored to COVID times.

LEARN MORE AND WATCH THE WINTER SOLSTICE SPECIAL – “EVERYBODY UNDER THE SUN”

......

A must-read book

'This text gives meaning not just to Christmas, but to the whole winter season. Folklore expert John Matthews traces the history behind many of the sacred traditions of the holiday season and provides refreshing and practical suggestions for celebrating the winter solstice as a joyous, life-affirming, spritual festival. Matthews explores the surprising multicultural origins of Santa Claus, the Yule Log, carolling, mistletoe and the Christmas tree. Many of these are Pagan in origin: the winter solstice sees the rebirth of the year and the return of the sun and the sun god after the darkness of winter. The traditional meanings of the twelve days of Christmas are explored, and practical ways of celebrating each of them given. This intertwining of myth and religion partly explains the depth and significance of the Christmas seasonal celebrations. John Matthews brings myth and spiritual significance to life in this text. He revives old traditions and suggests new ones to help you celebrate the passing of the winter season and the coming of spring.'

But this Book HERE

Photo:amazon

‘In this seasonal treasure, Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper's beloved poem heralds the winter solstice, illuminated by Caldecott Honoree Carson Ellis's strikingly resonant illustrations.

So the shortest day came,

and the year died . . .

As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again. Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper's poem "The Shortest Day" captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before -- and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illustrated by Carson Ellis with a universality that spans the centuries, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!’

Buy this book HERE

See also

‘‘The Shortest Day: A Lyrical Illustrated Invitation to Presence with the Passage of Time, Our Ancient Relationship with the Sun, and the Cycles of Life’