Happy Solstice 2018

***These are copies of postings to our ADF folks, of a home devotional system one can do on the Twelve Days of Yule.  There are ideas for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. I'll try to keep up with this throughout, but as it is a busy season for everyone, I may have to double up!***

t’s ALMOST that time again, for the 3CG Solstice-A-Long!  As with last year, we have devotionals for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 

The solstice itself is days away, but I wanted to at least put this out there so folks can prepare and get their ideas going for the wave of druidic energy circumnavigating the world continuously for 12 days!  The entire devotional can be seen as a ritual, with movement into sacred space and honoring an “otherworldly guide” at the start and then also at the end. 

As with year’s past this is a guide and a guide only. Feel free to adjust to suit your own ecosystem, climate, and especially pantheon preferences.  This was originally developed with a Norse pantheon, HOWEVER, it can be easily Celtified, Hellenized, Romanized, Vedicized, etc.  As always, I ask that if you do that, please send it along so I can include it for next time.   

For those new to this, I have based it somewhat on Matthews’ book “The Winter Solstice” (wherein they develop a 12 Days of Christmas devotional framework), bits of relevant mythology, and my own UPG, but that UPG has been useful for several years now, and maybe can achieve the goal of being UGG (Unverifiable Group Gnosis).  

All that is REALLY needed to participate is you. But having a candle to light each night or day (or twelve different candles) is nice, and if you have children, maybe they can help you light it.  A horn or chalice for a drink to toast the spirit of each night, and a bowl for any offerings is helpful as well.  It is also kind of nice to add a different symbol to the altar every night, and while I will give suggestions for that (and for some offerings), it’s not necessary. Follow your own heart and intuition.  

What follows is a rough list, and please do ask questions.  I will post the longer description of each “theme,” but there’s no reason we can’t discuss here.  As I said, the winter solstice schedule has worked well for a while now, but again, feel free to adjust as needed.  I did the Summer solstice schedule this June, and it went pretty well, so we’ll keep doing it! 

This year’s schedule: 

Night	Winter Solstice	Summer Solstice
1 12/20	Disablot (Night vigil)	Disablot
2 12/21	Sunna (Stick break 5:23 pm, EST)	Sunna (Day vigil)
3 12/22	Winter wanderer	Green man
4 12/23	Nature spirits	Nature spirits
5 12/24	Alfablot, housewights	Alfablot, housewights
6 12/25	Child of light	champion/hero
7 12/26	Feast of Fools	Games of Skill/Luck; purification
8 12/27	Winter and snow	Rain and storm
9 12/28	Evergreen	Herbs and healing
10 12/29	Hearth	Grain/harvest
11 12/30	Boar (abundance) otherworld	Stag (integrity) otherworld
12 12/31	Twelfth Night	Twelfth Day