Alban Arthan

Alban Arthan is 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.

From A Druid Way: "One link between the objective and the subjective is awen, inspiration, the flow of spirit, which lets us evoke in others an echo of our original experience. Let the echo be strong enough, let our understanding of this thing called being human, and our skill in working with it, run equal to the task, and music, image, voice, story, object of craft can all serve to unite us in the experience of mystery. An echo from outside awakens a resonance within us." 

Agenda today:

1. Read a novena

2. Druid peace prayer 

3. Prayer journal queries

4. Make a wheel of my year

1. 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.

2. 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

3. Prayer journal queries:

This week of advent my focus is the Guiding Light of God. I keep a prayer journal, which is a way to speak to my Inner Guide. Today I 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?

4. Make a wheel of the year:

Druids follow what they call the Wheel of the Year, which traditionally includes the solstices, equinoxes, and cross quarter days, and was developed in Great Britain from older agricultural holidays from Europe. Modern-day Druids acknowledge that this Wheel might not fit every ecosystem, and adaptations of the wheel of the year have been created by druids all over the world, unique to their ecosystems.

Even within a temperate ecosystem, seasons and years may vary, with different bloom times for trees and plants; a warm and early spring equals a growing season with early flowering and fruiting. For me to create a representative Wheel of My Year, I must observe both the progress of the sun across the sky, and how the season manifests upon the earth where I live.

I've decided to begin to draft a Wheel of my Year, adding my own eco-regional sacred observances - not just the cycle of the seasons, but other events of nature that are meaningful for me, such as the final leaf-fall of my hawthorn trees, which happened this week. I think it will take a few years of observation to fine-tune.