The point of all of this is that to a prophet or visionary, the spiraling cycles of the heavens and the earth are important in gathering the information for his or her ‘seeing.’ Which leads me to briefly discuss my most favorite time, not season, of the year—the winter solstice, a celebratory time of comfort and joy, peace and love, good will towards all. A time to give of ones heart and spirit. A time of angels and a time together to remember what is truly important in life.

As we enter this season of compassion, love and the return of light, the ‘spear of truth,’ focus on the true meaning of this time of the year. It is a time when the earth and the ancestral cultures of the past honored the darkness but gave cheer and thanks for the return of light, the returning sun, and all that it meant spiritually, metaphorical and symbolically.

Historically and spiritually, this is the month (at the time of the winter solstice) of the birth of the light-bringers. These are the messengers of love and light—the hero-shamans that first brought the knowledge of the fire of the heavens, the knowledge of the light in the darkness, to all of humanity. These heroic messengers of light are born of the Virgin—the constellation Virgo. In the heavens Virgo is a Y-shaped group of stars resembling a cup that just happens to rise in the Eastern sky at this most spiritual time of the year. This is the mythic Holy Grail, the Cup of Light, the Bowl of Love that is Light—all the key to the metaphoric message of these virgin light-bringers—that the sun, the spiritual sun, is contained within all beings and all living things. This is the message that certain institutionalized religions do not want humanity to hear: that each one of us, like the light-bringers, is also a virginal vessel of love and light. No inborn sin here, just intrinsic love and light.

Thus, the winter solstice presents us with the opportunity to honor and to reveal (revelation—lifting the veil) this prime mystery of life. This is the time to honor these heroic messengers and to pay homage to the metaphoric moment of their ‘virgin birth’ (based on the positioning of the constellation Virgo not on an actual physical birth—the actual birth of the prophets and messengers such as Jesus was late summer, early fall under the astrological sign of the Virgin-Virgo). In addition, it is the occasion to celebrate the gift of fire and the return of the Light foretelling the truth of eternal love and life. And it is the heavens and the earth’s way of presenting humanity with a most basic and powerful spiritual teaching, which is that no matter how ‘dark’ one’s life seems to be the return of/to the light is guaranteed and ever-present.

The ancient winter solstice, which was celebrated on December 25, signified the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus). At this point in the year the days grow longer and light re-enters the world. This solstice celebration is permanently rooted in both the fabric of the natural world and the core essence of human nature!

But, It was not until the middle of the fourth century that Christmas came to be accepted as a Christian festival and even today, many people are un-enlightened to the roots of Christmas and all of it’s trappings, such as the Christmas Tree. This symbol of the Tree of Life began with the ancient shamans and the Indo-European spiritual practice of cutting down a living tree and erecting it within the home or community center at the time of the ‘dark,’ the Winter Solstice. This was in celebration of the return of the Sun (Son) and to symbolize regeneration and new life.

However even pre-dating this time, during the dawn of humanity, we find the roots of the Tree of Life as well as one of the earliest myths—the “theft of fire” and the reality of humankind’s first attempt at controlling nature through knowledge. In short order the earliest religious guide and leaders, the shamans, having received this great gift of spiritual power and knowledge—fire, realized that nature could not really be controlled, but could only be harmonized, through a partnership of the people and the great Earth Mother. In a ritual and ceremony of forgiveness for the “theft of fire” (think of a lightening struck tree), the shaman would select the ‘proper’ tree, decorate it with gifts and, with the community looking on, set it on fire. And thus, the shaman became recognized as the “flameman” or “keeper of the fire.” Of course this yearly ceremony would take place on the longest night of the year. This Tree of Fire, or Tree of Knowledge, was accordingly the earliest form of our Christmas Tree.

Today, you and I are the recipients of this great legacy—one of fire, spiritual knowledge, and the realization that humanity is in partnership (not a stewardship) with nature. On the other hand, you may ask yourself how some organized religions have accepted this gift of the first priests, the shamans:

“It seems highly peculiar that, unlike several other religions, the Judeo-Christian religion chose to portray the gift of fire, light, and knowledge as evil. The Lightening-Serpent, Loki, Prometheus, and Lucifer should have been seen as man’s friends, but instead were portrayed as Satanic opponents of God, while humanity was called sinful for trying to gain knowledge. This was typical of monopolistic ancient priesthoods, which tried to keep outsiders from competing in matters of power and knowledge. They required a safe-and-obedient status quo, and tried to destroy all (even men like Jesus of Nazareth) who encouraged people to think creatively and independently, autonomous of the control of Synod or Curia.” (When Santa was a Shaman, Tony van Renterghem)

During this holiday season, please remember your freedom to think for yourself, your gift of creativity and never loss sight of the goodness of all—the divinity that is in all things. And as you are decorating your Tree of Fire and Knowledge, bless the heavens and the earth and all on it, and give thanks to your ancestors, the elder ones that had the courage and vision to ‘see.’

Winter Solstice 2005