Winter Solstice Ritual, celebrating the returning sun

The morning sun flares bright over a snowy hillside, radiating beams of light past and through a frost-covered branch in the foreground.

Date: December 20, 2020 3:00 pm

Three Cranes Grove invites you to join us for a celebration of the winter solstice, honoring the returning sun and all the many gods and spirits associated with it.

3:00 — Zoom meeting begins
3:15 — Pre-ritual briefing
3:30 — Ritual begins

This rite will be held virtually, using Zoom to bring us together. We invite all participants to participate at their home shrines if they have them, or in the shrine of their heart if they do not.

What you absolutely need:

  • a computer, tablet, or phone with an Internet connection
  • a beverage (of any sort): we’ll be blessing the Waters of Life with the blessings we receive, and each person’s beverage will receive those blessings.

Other things you may want, but are not required:

  • A copy of the ritual script if you’d like to follow along.
  • Paper and pencil, or other drawing supplies, for our group sigilcraft working
  • Representations of the ADF Hallows: the Fire, the Well, and the Tree — our sacred centers, which we will join together. These can be actual bowls of water, candles, and a pillar or sculpture of a tree, or drawings, or anything else that allow you to focus upon the mythic Hallows.
  • Offerings for the spirits. As is customary in Three Cranes rituals, there will be time for the folk to give offerings to the spirits that are dear to them, and to the returning sun and its spirits.

How to use Zoom:

  • If you already know about Zoom you just need this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/337362382?pwd=VE9nU1FDWDZRMHMrUjA2WUFCdlIyQT09
  • New folks, you basically just need to click the link. If you’ve never Zoomed before, there’ll be a quick app download, but then you’re basically set!
  • You are more than welcome to turn on your video so we can all see each other’s faces in community, but the meeting’s set to have all participants muted, to avoid overwhelming background noise. Unless you’re asked to unmute, we ask you to leave your mic muted.
  • There’s a chat function in Zoom, and you’re very welcome to use it, both to participate in a textual way, and as a troubleshooting venue. For troubleshooting, we’ll have a couple tech folks there, though they may also be performing ritual parts — we’ll do our best!
  • Chat isn’t open by default. On a computer click “Chat” at the bottom of the Zoom window to display it. On mobile, click “Participants,” then click “Chat.”

Header image: “winter morning” by Philipp Medicus via Flickr. License: CC BY-NC 2.0. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/95253607@N07/15370350474>

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