This ritual was written for a non-Pagan community and was intended to serve as both a celebration of the Sabbat and a method through which to educate our community. There may be certain aspects of a traditional ritual that are "missing" while there may be other aspects which seems inappropriately present. What's missing is missing for a reason, and what's present is present for a reason.

Altar; Altar cloth; Quarter candles (4); white source candle for the Circle of Light; Goddess candle; God candle; Altar decorations (a nice holiday wreath, some fresh cut holly, maybe some bobbles, ornaments, or other trim to hang around the edges of the altar); Matches; Candle snuffer; White taper candles (enough for each participant); Tealight holders filled with enough sand to hold taper candles (enough for each participant); Order of Service (again, one for each participant).

Our Winter Solstice Circle is a festival of carols. We will be singing various holiday carols, which have been adapted for our celebration, throughout the ritual. We'll be singing a cappella, but you all know the melodies and the words are printed in your order of service. In order to encourage the rebith of the Sun, sing them loud, as if your life depended on it; it may very well if the Sun does not return. Now, as we extinguish the lights, we'll begin.

The Solstice Dream ¹

It is just before sunrise on a cold December day some three thousand years before the birth of Christ. For those crowded at the heart of the mound that is Bru na Boinne, surrounded by complete darkness, it must seem as though the light has been banished forever. Suddenly, a tiny sliver of golden sunlight strikes the stone slab at the back of the chamber.

Slowly it widens... and climbs upward, illuminating a number of mysterious carvings - circles and spirals and zigzag patterns. For the people crouched in the center of An Liamh Grainne, every symbol has meaning. But by far the greatest significance is the return of the sun itself. The light that enters the dark womb of the earth brings with it the promise of warmth and life to come.

Join with me in singing O Holy Light, to the tune of "O Holy Night", as we cast our circle of light. I know it's dark, but do the best you can.

In the name of the Solstice Sun
And in the spirit of this Yuletide season,
Blessed be this time, which is not a time,
And this place, which is not a place,
And we who dwell within as well as without.

As the circle of light unites us,
So may it protect and guide us.

Blessed be. Amen.

Please step forward and place your circle candles in the holders on the altar.

Let us call to the Quarters by singing Come, O Spirits, to the tune of "Deck the Halls".

Join with me now in the Invocation by singing O Come, God and Goddess, to the tune of "O Come, All Ye Faithful".

There is a moment of silence that occurs every year, somewhere between the setting of the sun on Midwinter's Eve and its anticipated rise on Midwinter's Day. If we listen to, and become one with, the silence, it can bring a peaceful stillness to our hearts, whoever and wherever we may be. The moment is unlike any other; it offers the promise of new beginnings, the blank page of a new year, and it holds the breathless expectancy of the sun's rebirth as we wait for that beloved figure to re-enter our lives. ²

"Solstice" is derived from the Latin "sol stetit" and literally translates as "sun stands still." ³ In this time of darkness, it does, indeed, seem that the sun is standing still, as it doesn't appear to move from it's rising and setting points along the horizon. It's as if the Sun is contemplating what to do next. "Shall I continue in the path of my total demise, or should I revert my course and return to my beloved Earth with all of my splendor?" The Sun stops and ponders. And we wait.

(Brief pause.)

And so we gather together in the darkest time of the year to encourage the return of the light. We gather together in community to celebrate the anticipated rebirth of the Sun. We gather together with peace in our thoughts and a song of joy in our hearts. Let us join our voices together as we sing our Solstice version of Joy to the World!

Printed on the back page of your order of service is A Litany For The Winter Solstice. The litany focuses on the gifts that the world grants to us during this Solstice season, for which we sing blessings and praise. I'd like for the litany to continue for as long as it can, with as many things as we can think of, so once we're finished with that which has been printed, feel free to announce that which means the most to you. Please recite that which has been italicized.

I encourage all of you to think about what your own gift to the world will be in the coming solar year as you pass through the dark gate and experience the return of the light.

I wish for you all to be open to receiving all of the wonders and blessings that this holiday season has to offer. And on Solstice morn, may you greet the Sun with peace in your thoughts and a song in your heart. Remember, sing loud and sing clear; your life may very well depend on it!,

¹ The Solstic Dream (© 1998 John & Caitlín Matthews) modified from its appearance on pg. 11 of THE WINTER SOLSTICE: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by John Matthews with contributions by Caitlín Matthews, published by the Theosophical Publishing House, a department of the Theosophical Society in America, ISBN 0-8356-0769-0.

² (© 1998 John & Caitlín Matthews) modified from its appearance on pg. 6 of THE WINTER SOLSTICE: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by John Matthews with contributions by Caitlín Matthews, published by the Theosophical Publishing House, a department of the Theosophical Society in America, ISBN 0-8356-0769-0.

³ (© 1998 John & Caitlín Matthews) modified from its appearance on pg. 15 of THE WINTER SOLSTICE: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by John Matthews with contributions by Caitlín Matthews, published by the Theosophical Publishing House, a department of the Theosophical Society in America, ISBN 0-8356-0769-0.

⁴ A Litany For The Winter Solstice (© 1998 John & Caitlín Matthews) modified from its appearance on pg. 45 of THE WINTER SOLSTICE: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by John Matthews with contributions by Caitlín Matthews, published by the Theosophical Publishing House, a department of the Theosophical Society in America, ISBN 0-8356-0769-0.