Prayer For The Winter Solstice

Ho Great Spirit, Great Mystery, Creator,
Mother Goddess, Father God, Nameless One
who has been forever and will be forever.

We open our hearts and send our voice to you with thankfulness for the Medicine Gifts of the Winter, the time of going to "The Looks Within Place", like the great bear who retreats into the back of the cave to hibernate. Our Mother Earth as well, retreats into her womb deep below the depths into darkness where we can not see what she is doing. She takes the bodies of the fallen leaves from autumn and with her great alchemical powers down there in her depths she converts their energy into food for the life that will come forth in the births of springtime.

But for now Creator, the outer light is dim, Father Sun is far away, the days are short, the nights long. Help us all to honor this time of going within to our own darkness, to our own depths, into the back of our caves to nurture the mysterious growth forces within us to get the "down time" they need for their re-birth. Help us to do this with the power of the south, the power of faith and trust, surrendering into your mystery of this time when things are slowed down, when the rains, cold and snow come from the north to cleanse and purify and bring needed waters to our sacred Mother the Earth.

Help us to listen to the dreaming you send into us during these long winter months, to the feelings, the visions. Help us to find the light that is at the center of our being, guarded by our fears, shadow and death. Help us to be strong in facing these ones, doing the work that is now the time for us to do in relationship to them, so that we may gain entrance and connect with those gifts you place within us all at the core of our essence--inner peace, unconditional love, healing light, deeper wisdom. Help us to mine these gems by nurturing our connection to them, learning from them, and lastly, Great Spirit, help us to use this time to see and appreciate all the gifts of our lives, and also to remember those who are less fortunate than we. Thank you Great Spirit for your wisdom that gives us this winter time of introspection. With your help and guidance, may we use it well. May it be so.

Image by Mark Wagner