Deaf Pagan Crossroads

Come, my readers… and join me here in the Crossroads as we celebrate the Winter Solstice. Come pull up a chair and warm yourself by the fire as we prepare to be visited by the various characters who represent the rich and glorious medley that is Midwinter.

THE SUN IN THE GREENWOOD

written by

John and Caitlin Matthews

Saint Nicholas:

We are met here in the still pint of the turning year, in a space between the worlds, at the heart of the greenwood, where the Midwinter sun reigns in splendor, to celebrate the Solstice mysteries. I hold in my hands a bag of good things, the largesse of the year, gifts for the giving, this Solstice tide.

Saint Lucy:

We welcome all who come here with glad hearts to celebrate the passing of the old year and the birth of the new, the turning of the wheel one notch further, the re-enactment of the age-old mystery of the sun in the greenwood, the eternal battle for the year’s renewal. I carry upon my head the crown of candles, to crown your endeavors with the Midwinter light.

Saint Thomas:

We call upon all here present this day to enter the time before time, when we shared the earth with gods and spirits and spoke the languages of bird and beast, when we danced on the greensward and sang the songs of creation and remembering. I hold the spear that finds the deepest darkness and releases the living light of wisdom.

Saint Stephen:

Back through the years, across the bridge of time, we call out to the rulers of the four courts of Winter to come forth and to join us in this celebration. Come, bright lords and ladies; creatures of fur and feather, horn and hide; come bird and beast, come sun and star; come rainbow and come green dancing tree and bright shining flower. I carry away the stone of all that burdens your hearts this Wintertime, that you may be able to receive the gift of joy.

The Four Saints Together:

Here at the gateway of the year, We strive to make good cheer. In our revels shall joy abound, And sorrow be cast underground.

Saint Lucy:

Who stands in the East, in the Court of the Yew?

The Wren

The yew, that most ancient of trees, stands guard in the eastern quarter. I am the wren, the king of all birds, who dies every year but comes back again, who flies so high that I can see all seekers on the path of the heart’s wisdom.

Modron:

Modron am I, also called by some the mother of all living. I sought my son, taken from me when scarcely three nights old, throughout the length and breadth of the land. Now I seek the bright blessing of the newborn sun, when all that is immanent is seeded in the heart and in the head, and the promise of the old year bears fruit at last. I am the mother who welcomes all her children to her hearth and who teaches them the wisdom of the heart.

Mabon:

Mabon am I, whom my mother sought and whom heroes and creatures, working together, found and set free. I am the young sun who rises with the morning and who shines down my light through the new day. At night I journey in other lands, leaving my task to my cousin the moon. I am the watcher at the gates of dawn, who guides and guards the way of those who seek the greater light, who look to the new sun for inspiration and courage. Now I represent the New Year, whose bright rays reach out to all created things in the still moment between the old year and the new.

Saint Thomas:

Who stands in the South in the Court of Ivy?

The Horse:

The ivy that hangs by the door opens the way between the worlds. I am the horse who can carry you across the threshold and into the Otherworld itself. Worshipped for my speed and grace, I have been with you from the oldest time. Remembered as the Mari Llwyd, my riddles challenge all who seek the wisdom of the ancient ways. I call upon the Lord and Lady of this court to name themselves.

Green Lady:

The Green Lady am I, queen of the wildwood and of all growing things. I stand in the place of the star, where the light rises to illuminate those who seek the wisdom of the bright ones who sing all together to welcome in the newborn year. In my train come all those who wander the pathless ways of the forest and who seek the strength of the earth. I challenge all comers to face their hidden fears and go beyond them.

The Green Knight

I am the Green Knight, the lord of the beasts, the terrible challenger who came to the court of King Arthur on Christmas Eve to bring a draft of Winter into that place. Of all who seek the way through the woods, I ask that they acknowledge the wisdom of the animals, and that if they answer my challenge they should do so in the spirit of the errant knight, who goes in search of adventure and who expects nothing save what fate brings. I challenge all who walk this path to meet with me in the green chapel, and there discover what they will.

Saint Stephen:

Who stands in the West in the Court of Mistletoe?

The Deer:

Honored by the druids, the mistletoe, oldest of the sacred plants, offers the deep dreaming way into the waters of the west. The deer am I, who runs beside Herne the Hunter at the rising of the morn. My antlers brush the stars and my cloven hooves have walked the roadways of the Underworld from the start of time. My cousins, the reindeer, draw the sleigh of the old wise man Santa Claus.

Elen:

Elen of the ways I am named. I keep the paths between the many worlds and wind the strands of time and place around the souls of those who travel on these ancient tracks. Those who seek the wisdom of the spirit, who are drawn thither by their dreams, must first encounter me at the gates of Solstice. Then, if they pass the tests I set before them, they may proceed, deeper and yet deeper into the mystery of the Winter harvest.

Herne:

Herne the Hunter am I. I have run through the deepest and darkest places in the forest from the beginning of time, and I have danced in the morning and the evening on this old green earth. My antlers are my living crown, and my shining gaze can pierce the depths of the night and the heart of thought. When my horn is blown, all the creatures of the earth answer and gather close by my feet. To all who venture in the court of mistletoe I offer this challenge: come, dance with me and run with me, and feel the thunder of the blood in your heart and in your head.

Saint Nicholas:

Who stands in the North, in the Court of Holly?

The Bear:

Holly bears the berry, red as any blood, and thorns to pierce the souls of men who seek the Winter mystery, that runs deep as time itself. I am bear. I have walked the uplands and the heartlands of this earth since time immemorial, and I know the hearts of men as well as I know my own. In the caves of time and space I lie and dream, and in my dreams I hear the song of Winter. Ice and snow wrap up the earth in bands of iron; yet beneath beats the steady heart of creation, just as it beats in the hearts of all who set forth in search of the solstice revels. I call upon the Lady and Lord of this court to name themselves.

Mother Carey:

Mother Carey am I, also known as Holle, she who keeps the old stories you love to tell. When I shake my pillow the snow falls, and I ride the wild winds of change and forgetting. I can turn your dreams inside out or upside down, or gather you under the wings of my stormy petrel and send you forth in search of fresh wisdom along the wind’s keen ridge. Whenever you see or hear me you will know that wonder is near – the wonder of Winter’s darkness and the light it hides inside.

Father Christmas:

As many names have I had as months in the year: Old Saint Nick, Sinta Claus, Old Sir Christmas, Woden, Saint Nicholas… but mostly I am known simply as Santa. I first climbed the great tree when mankind slept in caves, bringing back gifts from the Otherworld. Later I became the bringer of jollity, the bearer of the wassail bowl, the leader of the merry dance from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night. You all know me, and in your hearts you still believe. Remember, when you see me next I’ll have a blessing for each of you, and a gift for the new year to be.

The Saints:

Now the Solstice Courts are established.

Saint Lucy:

The sun rises in the Court of Yew.

Saint Thomas:

The star shines over the Court of Ivy.

Saint Stephen:

The moon shines over the Court of Mistletoe.

Saint Nicholas:

The earth abides in the Court of Holly.

Everyone:

The Courts of the Greenwood are established. Let the Winter Games begin!

Set your teeth the wind to face. Beat the snow down, trod the frost,

All is gained when all is lost!

Father Christmas:

I reach into my sack – a sack that has no bottom and holds gifts for everyone – and pull forth a story… a jest that tells of Midwinter and the mystery of the turning year.

Now enter the Mummers, who perform their play and their traditional Morris Dance in celebration of the season. At the end they sing their closing song to the Spirits of Solstice at the Four Courts.

Father Christmas:

We have heard the story, seen the dance, sung the song! Now is the time for gifting. Gifts I have for everyone, and from them everyone shall learn and grow. But the greatest gift of all is the gift of the old year to the new, the gift of peace and the mystery of true giving. Let us now celebrate and honor the newborn year… and let some of us reveal ourselves in other guises!

The Wren:

In the east the year is young. It is known as the Mabon, the mother’s own dear son. Let all who would, come forward. There are gifts to be given and blessings to share.

While Modron and her son Mabon remain sitting, the representatives from the other courts come forward, to offer up their gifts to the young sun. Gifts include sprigs of holly, ivy, and mistletoe – the three sacred plants of Yule – each a token of the power of the green earth soon to be reborn.

Father Christmas:

Thus is the New Year honored. But the gifting is not yet done. All who have come on this long road to the turning of the year shall receive a gift and a blessing. First the blessing. Let all who would, come now to the Mabon and the Modron.

All the participants of this ritual, and all the readers of Deaf Pagan Crossroads, come forward one by one and approach the Mother and the Son to receive a blessing for the new year.

Modron and Mabon:

May all who come here in the spirit of peace and goodwill find life, love, and laughter for the new year. Blessings to all here at the Crossroads.

Father Christmas:

You have received the gifts of the Mabon and the Modron. Now it is time to receive a gift from me!

Father Christmas proceeds to give out gifts to all the Crossroads readers.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL US WHAT GIFT YOU RECEIVED FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS, IF YOU SO DESIRE!

Mother Carey:

Good people all, let us now complete our celebration of the Solstice with merriment and the passing of the Wassail Bowl!

Father Christmas and Mother Carey bring forth the Wassail Bowl, a large punchbowl filled with wassail, a delicious alcoholic drink served at the Solstice. The Solstice Spirits from the Four Courts come forward and bless the bowl, and then it is ladled into cups and passed around to all of the readers to enjoy.

Father Christmas:

I bid each and every one of you to all depart in merriment and joy! May the New Year bring you all your hopes and wishes, and may King Sinta Claus bring you all you desire on Christmas Day in the morning! Wassail! Wassail! Noel! A blessing to you and yours!

YULETIDE BLESSINGS ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE

AND

SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL