Winter Solstice – What is it, meaning in various religions and rituals

O Winter Solstice occurs in the month of June, in the Southern Hemisphere, and in the month of December, in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the change from autumn to winter.

Since at the winter solstice the Sun is perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer, we have the longest night of the year and the first day of winter. Learn more about this phenomenon.

What is a solstice?

The solstice represents the beginning of the most radical seasons, that is, the hottest season (summer) and the coldest season (winter).

The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year between June 20 and 21 in the Southern Hemisphere and December 20 and 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

The summer solstice takes place between December 20 and 21 in the Southern Hemisphere and June 20 and 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Why does the winter solstice occur?

The winter solstice happens due to the rotation and translation of the planet Earth. This is what makes the solar distribution uneven for the two hemispheres.

Because of these movements, one side of the planet receives more light than the other over a period of 182 days.

Thus, the winter solstice begins when the Sun reaches the furthest distance from the equator, and thus the shortest day of the year occurs.

Winter Solstice – Spiritual Meaning

The winter solstice has so many spiritual meanings that make it so much more than the longest night or shortest day of the year.

It is believed that many pagan religions used the winter solstice for rituals of worshiping the gods.

According to the belief, autumn arrived bringing the height of cold and darkness to the world. However, on the day of the winter solstice, the light starts to come back as the days get a little longer.

Thus, many people believe that the date has a powerful energy of regeneration, renewal and self-reflection.

Want to make better use of that energy? Take a few minutes on the day of the winter solstice and look inside yourself. Focus on your desires.

Then look at the goals you’ve set for the year, see if they still make sense and if you’ve been doing everything you can to achieve them.

If they no longer make sense, set new goals. The solstice is closely linked to a personal awakening.

Winter Solstice in Shamanism

In shamanism, different ceremonies are performed on the day of the winter solstice. In some tribes, people give the shaman valuable gifts to formalize a request.

Among the gifts are food, skins, firewood, coin, copper, or even care.

Shamanic people believe that after the winter solstice, the things we try to hide in darkness begin to be revealed.

This time, for shamanism, is a time to forgive our mistakes so that we can free ourselves from suffering. It’s a chance to start over.

Winter Solstice in Paganism

In paganism, the winter solstice was known as Yule. It was a celebration of the energy of the Moon, considered a goddess by this belief.

It was believed that on the day of the winter solstice the Moon gave birth to the Sun.

For paganism, the winter solstice was also considered a time of reflection.

To this day, many people offer prayers at Yule. One of the rituals is to say a different prayer each day, offering it to the goddess, for 12 days.

Other people set up an altar to celebrate the arrival of the new season.

winter solstice ritual

Several religions believe that the night of the winter solstice is the most powerful. Thus, spells, prayers and rituals are very common during this day of entry into a new season.

Check out a ritual that is commonly performed on the winter solstice to attract luck and money.

Ingredients

• 1 sprig of pine;
• 1 stick of incense;
• 1 sun stone crystal;
• 4 red candles;
• 1 small mirror;
• 1 paper;
• 1 green ink pen.

Preparation

To perform this ritual, everything must be done outdoors, on a balcony or next to the window. This is because it needs to absorb the rays of the Moon and the Sun.

After finding the ideal place to do it, arrange the 4 red candles so that they form a square.

Place the mirror in the middle of them and, on top, the Pedra do Sol crystal. Take a match and light the candles and the incense stick.

Then pass the pine branch over each of the candles, clockwise. Afterwards, place the branch over the crystal.

Take the paper and write on it, with the green ink pen, your wishes for this next phase that is about to start in your life.

Once you’re done, fold the paper into 4 parts and place it over the mirror, under the crystal.

It is necessary that this altar stays exactly the way it is for 24 hours. Candles and incense cannot go out, you have to keep them lit until the end.

The crystal, the mirror, the pine branch and your requests must receive the energy of the Moon and the Sun, transferring all this luck to you.

The next day, at the same time, you can dismantle the altar. Keep the crystal and pine branch in a bag and hide it in a secret place in your room.

Bury the paper on which you wrote your requests in a plant pot that you like. If you prefer, you can also place it under a tree or in a garden. Candle and incense leftovers can be thrown away.

Want to learn how to make your own winter solstice ritual? take the course “Creating your ritual”. In it, you will learn:

• Basic concepts of magic;
• Magic energy sources;
• Ethics in the practice of magic;
• Magical correspondences;
• How to structure rituals;
• baths;
• Tips;
• spells.

Plus, when you buy the course, you get:

In the video below, specialist Brendan explains better how the course works.