From Darkness to Light - 22 Days of Winter Solstice

December 1st marks the first day of a 22 day cycle which comes to a zenith called Winter Solstice - the shortest day and the longest night of the year - at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Here is the official Wiki excerpt/rundown of this annual phenomena:

The winter solstice (or hibernal solstice), also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. It occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere this is the June solstice.

The ReGenesis tribe has a long tradition of celebrating this season by lighting one candle each day beginning December 1st and by the time official Winter Solstice happens there are 21 candles blazing. It is the season of long nights and by lighting candles and/or having a fire we bring light and warmth to our hearths.

There are many traditions for this season and it is a good time to get creative and invent your own special ceremonies as well. One our favorites is honoring the Four Kingdoms through stories and art:

Kingdom of Elements & Minerals (Fire-Earth-Water-Air)
Kingdom of Plants & Trees
Kingdom of Animals (Mammals, Fish, Birds, Insects, Humans)
Kingdom of Cosmos (Stars, Planets, Universe)

Each Kingdom is honored for 5 days and the the 21st day there is a feast and celebration of the 'Return of the LIght' - on the 22nd day there is a special of day setting intentions for the coming spring because the days begin to get longer even though the season of 'winter' is officially upon us.

Today began with a beautiful first snow on the ground here at ReGenesis ground zero - we were happy we had finished mulching the garden beds just the day before!