The Winter Solstice
The days have grown shorter and shorter, the nights longer and longer - we all probably wish we could hibernate. But. There is hope, for round about the 21 December; we reach a pivotal point in the year. We reach the Winter Solstice. After this, the sun will no longer decline in his passage across the skies, he will instead begin to increase in power as the wheel of the year turns and we head once more into the warmth and light.
Having been reduced to the very lowest point of his power, the sun is reborn, just as our Goddess now gives birth to her son, who heralds the return of the light to the world.
The period of time leading up to the winter solstice, is a very important one. It is a time of darkness, but just as a baby develops in the darkness of the womb, or a seed germinates underground, so we must use this time for planning and considering, and preparing to be ready to emerge out into the light of spring.