Winter Solstice | Re-Vision Radio ToS

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Neopagan Wheel of Year with Winter Solstice

The Astronomy of the Winter Solstice

This year, 2023, the Winter Solstice occurs on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:27 pm PST; 9:27 pm CST; 10:27 pm EST; Friday, December 22, 3:27 UTC.

The Winter Solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year, making it the “shortest day” of the year. After the Winter Solstice is reached, the days begin to once again grow longer and longer until the Summer Solstice—the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Although the Winter Solstice means the start of the Winter season, it also means the return of more sunlight, which seems somewhat paradoxical. The Winter Solstice marks the official beginning of “astronomical winter” (as opposed to “meteorological winter,” which starts about three weeks prior to the solstice).

At the December solstice, Earth is positioned so the sun stays below the North Pole’s horizon. As seen from the latitude 23 1/2 degrees south of the equator, at the imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun shines directly overhead at noon. This is as far south as the sun ever gets, and all locations south of the equator have day lengths greater than 12 hours. The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere marks the 24-hour period with the fewest daylight hours of the year. That is why it is known as the shortest day of the year, or the longest night of the year. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you can notice the late dawns and early sunsets and the low arc of the sun across the sky each day. You might notice how low the sun appears in the sky at local noon. Around the time of the December solstice, it’s the longest noontime shadow of the year. The Winter Solstice is “the first day of Capricorn.” The Sun in Capricorn represents a new beginning of life force and resurrection from the dead of winter and a new initiatory power and strength as the days begin to increase in length. The present winter season in North America begins on the December 2023 Winter Solstice and ends on the March 2024 Vernal Equinox.

Celestial Dynamics of the Winter Solstice: The Seasons

Celestial Dynamics of the Winter Solstice: Earth's Axial Tilt & Procession of Equinoxes

Celestial Dynamics of the Winter Solstice: Sun-Earth Aphelion & Perihelion

Celestial Dynamics of the Winter Solstice: Earth's Orbital Path

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For "The Astronomy of the Earth’s Orbital Dynamics for the Winter Solstice," click on pdf file icon

Thematic Images for the Winter Solstice

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Winter Solstice Blessings

Thematic Images for the Return of the Sun King on the Winter Solstice

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Welcoming Back the Sun for Winter Solstice or Yule: The Sun King

The ancient pagans knew that the Winter Solstice was the longest night of the year ("Solstice Night") and that it meant the sun was beginning its long journey back towards earth. It was a time of celebration and rejoicing in the knowledge that soon the warm days of spring would return and the dormant earth would come back to life. It was out of the darkest night that the "Sun King" was reborn.

“The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.” – Joseph Campbell.

Here Comes The Sun (Doyle)

Thematic Images for the Neopagan Winter Solstice

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Northern traditional peoples and contemporary Neopagans celebrate the Winter Solstice as "Midwinter's Day" (the shortest day and longest night) and the entire midwinter season as "Yule".

At the Winter Solstice on Midwinter's Day, around four and a half minutes after sunrise, the rising sun shines down the "roof-box" (a specially contrived opening directly above the main entrance) directly along the long Neolithic passage graves of Newgrange (at County Meath, Ireland), illuminating the inner chamber and revealing the carvings inside, notably the triple spiral on the front wall of the chamber. This illumination lasts for approximately 17 minutes. As the room gets flooded with sunlight, it signaled that the days would start to get longer again. (When the monument was constructed, however, the first light would have occurred at sunrise in the form of a very narrow beam bisecting the chamber. Today the first light enters about four minutes after sunrise, but calculations based on the precession of the Earth show that 5,000 years ago, first light would have entered exactly at sunrise.) Newgrange predates the astronomical structures of Stonehenge by 1,000 years and as such may be the oldest astronomically orientated structure in the world.

The giant stones of the Neolithic monument (at Wiltshire, England) of Stonehenge, aligned to the movements of the sun, have marked the time of the Winter Solstice for some 3,000 years. The stones were shaped and set up to frame at least two important events in the annual solar cycle: the midwinter sunset at the Winter Solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the Summer Solstice. Stonehenge is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the Winter Solstice sunset (opposed to Newgrange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise, and the Goseck Circle, which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise). It is thought that the Winter Solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge than the Summer Solstice. At Stonehenge, to this day, crowds of people, mostly Neopagans, arrive early on the solstice morning to watch the sun rise ("here comes the sun"). At the solstice sunset, it appears to set framed between the arches of the monument signifying the midwinter sunset.

Stonehenge

Newgrange

For article about Winter Solstice celebration at Stonehenge, click here

For article about Winter Solstice gathering at Newgrange, click here

Thematic Images for Stonehenge

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Thematic Images for Newgrange

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The Newgrange Triple Spiral

The triple spiral was an integral symbol in ancient Celtic religion and spirituality. The symbol appears on several Celtic artifacts and sacred sites, most notably at Newgrange in Ireland. While the precise religious significance of the triple spiral to the ancient Celts remains a subject of debate, it’s generally agreed that it had spiritual connotations. It might have symbolized the three realms (earth, sky, sea), the stages of life (birth, death, rebirth), or the triple aspects of the divine feminine.

The triple spiral or the three swirl symbol is essentially another interpretation of the triskelion (derived from the Greek word “triskeles,” translating to “three-legged”). It refers to the version with three spirals joined at the center. This variant is often linked to the Celts’ pre-Christian era, prominently featuring in their megalithic art, such as the famous entrance stone at Newgrange in Ireland, a passage tomb built around 3200 BC. Scholars and cultural historians have interpreted each spiral in the triple spiral symbol differently. Some suggest it represents three Celtic worlds: the spiritual world, the present world, and the celestial world. Others propose that it denotes the three stages of life: birth, death, and rebirth. In Celtic culture, the triskele is a powerful symbol, often linked to the triadic nature of the Celtic belief system. The Celtic spiral of life is a central theme in Celtic art and symbolism, and it directly relates to the triskelion. This spiral is often considered a symbol of the life-death-rebirth cycle, eternal life, or the sun. It’s also thought to represent key triads in the Celtic perspective—land, sea, and sky; mind, body, and spirit; or the Celtic goddess as the maiden, mother, and crone. While many of these interpretations involve speculation, it’s clear that the Celtic triskele is a symbol of important three-part concepts or entities, such as the “Triple Goddess" of Celtic mythology.

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Thematic Images for Winter Solstice Ceremonies

At the Winter Solstice, Neopagans (Neo-Druids, Wiccans, etc.) gather at the famous megalithic stone circle of Stonehenge to celebrate the sunrise at the shortest day of the year –- an event claimed to be more important on the pagan calendar than the Summer Solstice, because it marks the "rebirth of the Sun" for the New Year.