Winter Solstice Spread

It's the shortest day and the longest night of year, Winter Solstice. My tradition is to honor the darkness for this 24 hour period. We will not switch on the lights during the day, and at night we will use candles. It's a night for rest and reflection in the quiet velvet of the dark.

Winter Solstice, for me, is not a celebration of the birth of the sun. The sun is not yet born. If you want to chase that metaphor, I suppose tonight is its conception, and its long gestation is the time between the day after Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. I celebrate its full fruition on Summer Solstice, not its decline, and make no mention of coming darkness. To do otherwise, to me, would be like mourning the impending death of a 21-year-old on their birthday. Makes no sense. And I don't spend Winter Solstice in anticipation of the light. It's darkness's turn, and I share in its time.

 Here is a spread  for Winter Solstice (inspired by one I found by Bodhran at Aeclectic Tarot).

                                                    ~~~~~~1~~~~~~
                                                    2~~~~~~~~~~~4
                                                    ~~~~~~3~~~~~~

1. On Winter Solstice, the night is very dark and deep, yet the blackness of the night sky is scattered with the beautiful stars, like small forgotten blessings.  What are my stars? What do I need to be grateful for that I've taken for granted?

2. "Solstice" roughly translates to "sun stands still." In what ways or in what areas should my energy stand still?  Where should I take things slower, what deserves more of my time?

3. At this time of year, the sun's rays have a low slant, as the sun never seems to hang very high in the sky.  In what direction is my intuition slanting?  What am I leaning toward, like the low rays of the sun?

4. After the Winter Solstice, the nights become shorter and the days become longer. What is growing stronger  in my life?

You could use a black stone in the centre of the spread, to represent the long night. You could use a black spread cloth and leave the middle blank, or put some clear quartz crystals there to represent stars. I don't think we should be afraid to revel in the night. Tonight of all nights is the time to do so.

Servants of the Light Tarot, Nowicki 1991

 My forgotten blessings lie in the Maker of Weapons, or King of Swords. In the Servants of the Light Tarot, which I will be drawing from all next week, the Swords suit is called Weapons, and the elemental association has been switched to fire. So we see the King of Swords forging his weapon with fire, but instead of a grubby shop, he is in his palace. The companion book tells the story of the card. The palace he stand in is the Temple of Fire, and the smith represents all mythical smiths -- Vulcan, Hephaestus, Wayland, Tubal Cain. Behind him stands the priestess of the Goddess, the Giver of Weapons (Queen of Swords) waiting to receive the finished sword so that she can give it to the User of Weapons (Knight of Swords). My forgotten blessings seem to me to be the power and talents that lie within me, my ability to change my actual reality, as the Forgemaster creates the sword from raw materials. And that these abilities are supported by a Higher Power that is ever present, waiting for me to finish so that they can be given to the world.

What deserves more attention from me is how much 'happily ever after' there is in my life. The Nine of Crescents, or 9 of Cups, is the 'wish' card, the fulfilment card. I do feel grateful for the comforts of my life, but I should take more time to contemplate the goodness around me. What dreams of my past am I now living in my present? What goals have I achieved? What progress have I made? What happiness has come to me through no real effort of my own? What has come to me through my own efforts? These things deserve more of my acknowledgement and gratitude.

My intuition slants me toward the force of concentrated will, the mastery of skills. The Magician in Servants of the Light is an Egyptian priest, standing outside a squared pyramid beneath a rose arbour. His table is one of the blocks used to build the pyramid. He has initiative and determination. He makes the idea the reality. He calls what is not into existence. I am not really surprised to see this card, even though the last several months have seen me in a somewhat vegetative state of stagnation. My intuition actually does slant me in this direction. It is my actions that belie this impulse. What would happen if I followed this inclination, rather than resisting it? Perhaps I need to be more specific about what I want manifested, instead of limping through life with a vague sense of yearning and overwhelmed by unease.

What grows in me is the cleverness of my approach toward my ambitions. The Keeper of Weapons is the Page of Swords, a youthful energy which is concerned with rallying behind causes, making clever arguments, and achieving success through them. The card shows Temple of Fire, and behind the Keeper of Swords sit the Maker in the middle, the Giver on the left, and the User on the right. Salamanders wrap themselves around the pillars on each side. I like that all the court figures are represented in the card, and also that the Page is the last of the courts. It makes sense. The Maker (King) has the power to make the hallow, the Giver (Queen) shares it with the User (Knight), who, when it's not in use, entrusts it to the Keeper (Page). I never thought of the Page being the court figure entrusted with safeguarding the hallow of each suit, but of course he is. That's his job! Perhaps this card points me toward planning, scheduling, and setting goals. Those are all very Swordsy things to do.


May the darkness envelop me tonight as a balm to my mind and spirit. May I take my ease in it, secure in the knowledge that the light will return in the morning.

Mantra: Om asatoma sat gamaya, tamasoma jyotir gamaya, mritorma amritam gamaya. (Lead us from the not-true to the true, from dread to joy, from the darkness to the light.)

Flower remedy: Olive (restore one from tiredness and exhaustion, refreshment of the mind and body)