Winter Solstice Reflections: Honouring the Longest Night and the Return of the Light

Winter Solstice Blessings for the Darkest Time of the Year

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year, a sacred turning point in the seasonal cycle. The trees have shed their leaves, standing stripped and skeletal against the sky. All visible signs of life have retreated below ground, withdrawn into roots, seeds, and buds, slumbering until they are awoken by the growing light. Frozen in time, the land lies barren and still. Barely rising above the horizon, the Sun sends only a few pale, hesitant rays of light — more a promise than a presence. The birds have left on their long journeys to milder climes, their songs replaced by silence. The Earth has entered its deep hibernation, holding its breath.

At the Winter Solstice, the Light is Reborn

This season can feel stark, even unforgiving. The darkness is long, the cold persistent, and the days seem reluctant to begin. And yet, it is precisely at this moment — at the very depth of the dark — that we find cause to rejoice. For deep within the Earth, unseen and protected, a tiny spark of light is born. Fragile as a newborn in its crib, the sun-saviour god returns, not in triumph, but in vulnerability. The light does not blaze; it flickers. It asks for patience, trust, and care.

We stand on the threshold of a new cycle, not yet certain how it will unfold, not yet sure whether this tender beginning will thrive. And yet, where there is life, there is hope. The Winter Solstice reminds us that renewal does not arrive with noise or certainty, but quietly — almost imperceptibly — in the darkest hour.

In the old days, the twelve days of Christmas marked a liminal time: a pause between what has been and what is yet to come. The veil between the worlds was believed to be at its thinnest, and spirits could pass through more easily. The same is true of the days surrounding the Summer Solstice, when light reaches its zenith before beginning its slow decline. These moments are thresholds, times outside ordinary time. Otherworldly beings, ancestral presences, and forgotten memories wander among the living, reminding us that reality is layered, and that we are never as separate as we imagine.

Sacred Plants associated with the Winter Solstice and  Christmas:

Follow the links to the Encyclopaedia entry to learn more:

Frankincense (Boswellia spp.)
Traditionally burned as sacred incense, frankincense is associated with prayer, purification, and the rising of light from darkness. Its resin connects the earthly and the divine, making it a powerful Winter Solstice ally.

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
A plant of grief, healing, and protection, myrrh reminds us that darkness is not absence, but depth. It accompanies rites of mourning, transition, and rebirth.

Fir (Abies spp.)
Evergreen through the darkest months, fir symbolises endurance, continuity, and life that persists beneath the snow.

Mistletoe (Viscum album)
Sacred to the Druids, mistletoe grows between worlds — neither rooted in earth nor fully of the sky — embodying liminality and renewal.

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Evergreen and thorny, holly is a guardian of the dark season. Its bright red berries are the original Christmas-tree baubles, glowing bright in the monochrome landscape and offering nourishment to overwintering birds.

Winter Solstice Reflections

The Winter Solstice is, above all, a time of reflection. A time to sit with memory, to honour what has been, and to acknowledge both loss and growth. We are called to turn inward, to listen more deeply, and to take stock of the year that is drawing to a close. Not every year is gentle. Not every journey is easy. There may have been grief, uncertainty, or exhaustion along the way. Yet even in difficult years, there are moments of kindness, connection, and resilience to be grateful for — small lights that sustained us through the pain.

In the quiet space of the Winter Solstice, we reflect on gratitude: on love given and received, on care extended to others and, perhaps, finally to ourselves. We remember the importance of being there for one another — of showing up, even imperfectly, in a world that so often asks too much. We allow ourselves to dream, gently and without pressure, about our hopes for the year ahead. Not grand resolutions, perhaps, but intentions: how to live more truthfully, more compassionately, and more in tune with what truly matters.

Winter Solstice – A Turning Point on the Wheel of Time

The Winter Solstice marks a turning point. Though the cold may deepen and winter still lies ahead, the light has begun its return. Each day from now on carries a little more brightness than the last. The promise of a new dawn is already woven into the dark.

may your light shine bright.

Count your blessings and celebrate hope. The Wheel of Time is turning, as it always does. The light is returning — quietly but surely. Let us cherish and protect this tiny flame of hope, tending it with care. And when its fire grows stronger, life will once more stir, rise, and return to the Earth.