Alban Arthan, and Christmas Novena - Day Seven

I continue my solstice celebration today with Alban Arthan, the Celtic and Druidic name for the Winter Solstice; it's Welsh for Light of Winter.

The Winter Solstice was never a one day festival - three days seems to be the minimum. The sun appears to stand still for three days, then days begin to noticeably increase in length (and we all sigh in relief). 

Alban Arthan is a celebration of the strengthening sun, and the central theme is renewal; we leave the past behind and greet the new. The world is undergoing constant change and we must change and adjust, too, in order to be able to survive.

"All things which come into being must first be born. Even as creation was borne by the great Mother of the universe, so too must we be born of the spirit to become spirit. The winter solstice is a celebration of being ‘born again’—not of flesh, but of the spirit. It’s a celebration of the birth of the spiritual Son, the Christ, within a person’s consciousness in the process of awakening.” 

From The Path of the Spiritual Sun: Celebrating the Solstices & Equinoxes by Belsebuub (Mark Pritchard)

Agenda today:

1. Druid peace prayer 

2. Prayer journal queries

3. Read a novena

4. Winter nature tray

5. Write a mission haiku

1. Druid peace prayer:

Deep within the still center of my being, may I find peace.

Quietly, within the silence of this grove, may I share peace.

Gently, within the greater circle of humankind, may I radiate peace.

—The Druid’s Prayer for Peace

2. Prayer journal queries:

This week of advent my focus is the Guiding Light of God. My idea of God is Creation, Light, Love, and Mystery.

• Creation is the cycle of life, death, and rebirth; I remember and acknowledge the gift.
• Light is the healing balm of Truth; when held in Light, all shadow is washed clear.
• Love is the way of care and kindness that both mends and pummels us.
• Mystery is the wordless and unknowable, that I don't need to understand.

I keep a prayer journal, which is a way to speak to my Inner Guide. This week I will spend a little longer each morning in quiet prayer. Today I will ask and answer these queries:

What is being born again, in and through and as me? 

What is awakening in me? How can I help to shape it?

What divine child or gift am I ready to bring into our world?

3. Read a novena:
I've been reading this Creation Novena from the Indian Catholic Matters site:

Day 7: A Prayer for the Climate

Creator God, we give thanks for the climate. Thank You for the interplay of land, water, and heat that gives rise to the weather patterns. Thank You for the complexity and beauty of all Your systems on Earth.

Thank You for the exquisite balance that has cradled humanity. Thank You for the steady predictability of rain and heat that has for centuries allowed us to grow crops, husband livestock, and thrive.

As we wreak havoc on Your climate, especially through our insistent burning of fossil fuels, give us wisdom.

Help us find our rightful place in the great fabric of Your creation.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

4. Winter Nature Tray:

I put together a nature tray for my grandson this fall, but I haven't gathered one yet for winter, and today seems like a good time!

Nature trays or tables are a place to celebrate the changing seasons, and the natural cycle of the year. We enjoy two parts: Collection and observation. 

My toddler loves to collect nature objects - sticks, leaves, pinecones, rocks - not all beautiful, but who am I to judge? Our nature tray is a display of his collection with some additions from me. Eventually our walks will help him to sharpen his observation of what goes on in nature, and he will become more discerning about what to collect.

Observation is rather ceremonial - we visit the tray when he is here, light the candles and touch or play with the objects, but they live on the tray.

Supplies: Tray or low table, cloth (I used white for winter), candle or two, natural objects (pinecones, nut shell, lichen, crystal, and evergreens for winter), appropriate seasonal figures (Santa, a snowman, animals)

5: Write a Mission Haiku:

Stephen Covey says, “The first principle of ethical power is Purpose. By purpose, I don't mean your objective or intention - something toward which you are always striving. Purpose is something bigger. It is the picture you have of yourself-the kind of person you want to be or the kind of life you want to lead.”

Purpose and mission statements are popular with organizations, but they are also useful for individuals. I'm using Purpose to mean your overarching idea of who you are and what you want to contribute, and Missions as your various big projects or directions in life.

Today I'm going to begin to choose one or two missions or projects for the next year, to examine closer. I find it useful and fun to write my missions as haiku. A poem has a unique ability of getting to the core of a Truth. You might be surprised by what surfaces in this process, so give it a try!

1. Start by ranking your missions in life: If you discovered today that you had just six months to live, what would you focus on? How would you rank your goals by priority so that they would be accomplished before you die? 

2. Which project or goal has risen or is rising to the top right now? (If it's something new and vague, you don't have to commit to it just yet, but go ahead and explore it.) Write a brief, evocative sentence or two describing this top mission in life, and the significant issues that surround it.

"Advocate for the earth, and model a lifestyle that honors the earth, because the natural world is sacred, and needs protection from our greed."

3. List the most exciting or pleasing verbs that describe what you want to do with this mission.

Nurture, Witness, Remember, Enlighten, Listen, Champion...

4. Next, list some of your core values that go with your top mission.

Integrity, Simplicity, Witness, Unity with Nature

5. Turn these sentences, verbs, and values into a haiku, an unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (or you could try a Cinquain, which is five lines, with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2 syllables), that gets to the core of your mission, and gives you a framework for your actions.

Listen 

and remember;

Creation is sacred;

Live in unity, champion,

Witness.