Spiritual Naturalists Celebrate Winter Solstice 2016

In 2016, Spiritual Naturalists from everywhere, and from a variety of traditions and practices, celebrated from Winter Solstice to Christmas. Many of us expressed that celebration together online by sending in pictures and warm wishes. Here are some of those who sent in their own. If you would still like to submit your holiday messages, please feel free to comment below!

Michelle L. LeBlanc

Wishing all my Spiritual Naturalist friends a very warm and Happy Winter Solstice! Lets continue to join together and encourage one another towards the spreading of love, compassion, reason, and kindness…not only to our family, friends, and neighbors, but also to the strangers we meet from day to day…for that is a big part of what SNS is all about!

Steven Bielak

Hello and Happiest Greetings for Joy and Love
Sharing a post from FB of Natures gift in our Yule log

Amazing set of events to attain this magnificent gift

from a tree on the side of the house that was over growing.

Now comes warmth and Love.

Thank you very much for allowing me to share here with you.

Take care and have the Happiest of Holidays!

Pete McLeod

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”
– Albus Dumbledore

Brigitta Cuadros

This is the War and peace Nebula – I like to just call it the Peace Nebula and wish peace for our tiny existence and remind everyone, in this perspective, we are but Star Dust. “It’s snowing in space! Well, not really — but astronomers are calling this colorful nebula a “winter wonderland.” With that frosty blue hue and flurries of stars speckled across cosmic clouds, this wintry nebula is simply stunning.

This cloud of cosmic gas and dust is NGC 6357, also known as the War and Peace Nebula — a nickname that stems from its shape, which some say resembles a dove on one side and a skull on the other. It resides about 5,500 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Scorpius.

Festive colors in the image are a combination of several different observations made from 2004 to 2016 by two of NASA’s space telescopes, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope; the now-defunct German Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT); and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope’s SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey (SSS).”

Lindsey Hg

Wishes of joy, peace and hope for the world. Even in the darkest nights, may we find hope, innocence and love in slivers of light. May it shine upon those present in our lives and in our hearts.

Susan Wallace

A perfect sky balance this year’s Solstice morning. My grandson was born during the eclipse of a full Solstice moon, 6 years ago. <3

Ruby Whalen

Happy Solstice!

Angela Williams

Joy and bliss for all!

Rebecca Hicks Henderson

Peace on Earth Goodwill Towards Men

Molly Remer

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be well.

Nicki Younker Oria

Our Winter Solstice union

Bobbi Jameson

Lavern Johntson

Jean Roth

Oscar Perrusquia

Judy Sarlo Ray

Josh Schipper

B. T. Newberg and Rachel Westhoff

The wheel turns, a new year dawns. May it be full of life and love!

Ben Dy

Happy December Solstice everyone! Sending you light and warmth from the Southern Hemisphere!

Tamara Hauze

May your inner light shine bright and clear as our Mother tips herself toward the Sun reminding us of our potential and magnificence!!

Anne Schneck

Wishing you all blessings of abundant love, today and always! Love and light to all!!!!!

Terry Kinder

Peace and contentment to all who travel the path of enlightenment.

Bryan Parker

Merry Saturnalia!

George Herrendeen

Blessed Be!!

Thank you to everyone who sent in their well-wishes and pics. We are so happy you are a part of our community and wish you a happy new year! If you would still like to add your words, please feel free to comment below.

About Winter Solstice

Being a community of spiritual naturalists from many different traditions, the Spiritual Naturalist Society values many different holidays and special times of the year, designed to help us focus on, and remember our values. For practical purposes, we have chosen to highlight each of the 4 solstices and equinoxes throughout the year. We connect these times to a natural occurrence to remind us of our connection to the rest of Nature. But during these times, we also honor all of the celebrations shared during these seasons by our many traditions.

The Winter Solstice is a time of year among the most celebrated. It makes sense that we share the warmth and love of friends and family in the spirit of generosity during the coldest time of the year. Astronomically, the Winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, thanks to our swaying axial tilt. It happens in the northern hemisphere in December, and the Southern in June.

The Winter Solstice has been an important part of human cultures since ancient times. Born out of the practical need to mark the seasonal cycles, the significance of the event found its way into metaphor and myth, denoting renewal, new beginnings, and rebirth. You can learn about the history and current celebrations associated with this season in this Wikipedia article (LINK).