Tonight is Mother's Night

 It all comes down to the Mother and her Child. The story is told over and over around the world in various ways, but it always comes back to the Mother and her child. Even in Christian mythos the reference is to "round yon virgin, mother and child."

Who is this Christ Child born of the virgin mother, Mary, at the winter solstice—the time of the year’s longest night? It is Child of Promise: Light born from the Darkness, Manifestation born from the Unmanifest, Life born from the Void—the Void which is not empty, but rather, full of potentialities.  This child is the light of renewed life, who is born into the death and darkness of winter.

And who is the Mother who gives birth to the child? She is the Mare (pronounced: mah-ray, or mah-ree), Mari, the dark and vast bitter sea of space - the Virgin Mother Void from which all things are born. The correlate on earth is the ancient sea (Latin: mare) from which all life came forth - life-forms as numerous as the stars in the sky or the grains of salt in the that same primordial sea.

Early images of the Nativity depict Mary as the Mother of the Son of Light. 

On this night we reconnect with the eternal truth of beginnings - of light emerging from darkness, of life being birthed into being. And on this Solstice Eve night we honor First Mother, as we remember how she gave birth to light, and thus to the universe, and all that is.

The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"), because at the solstices, the Sun's declination appears to "stand still"; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's daily path (as seen from Earth) pauses at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction.

Just before dawn tomorrow (local time) comes the moment of solstice - of the sun standing still - the three day pause before movement seemingly begins again on Christmas Day, when the Child of Light and Promise has fully emerged and life starts anew. We celebrate the fact that now is Horus is born from Isis, Adonis from Myrrha, Mithras from Anahita the Immaculate One, and Jesus from the Virgin Mary.

The moment of stillness - Silent Night

On Christmas Eve a special quiet is with us. There is a special energy to this night. This silent night is a doorway into the heart of reflection in all of us. Christmas Eve, there is an opportunity to discover the source of all the giving and receiving. If we can go beyond the rush of the season and especially the rush of our own thoughts, there is a mystery to discover that can change our lives for the holidays, perhaps into the New Year, and much longer.

The Christmas stories are all about miraculous events that came out of a night of profound silence. We all know the stories, but do we know the silence from which the stories emerged? Finding time for silence can lead us to an inner silence where the peace and light at the source of the season can be with us. Even if we don't see it because of cloudy skies, we know that the Christmas Star,  last seen 800 years ago, will shine tonight. NASA says the conjunction will appear “spectacular” with a normal telescope or even the naked eye. Let's hope they capture some images for those of us not fortunate enough to witness it for ourselves.

This year, it will be more difficult to find that moment of stillness. There is so much that occupies our thoughts; the anxiety about Covid-19 and the seemingly never-ending round of Lockdowns; the promise of hope with the new vaccines, followed by renewed anxiety as the virus mutates. 

With all the activity, if we can find the opportunity to just be, moments of stillness can be moments of perfect food, feeding some place inside  us that only silence can nourish. Sitting with a fire late at night, the star-filled sky, or watching the sunrise, the sweetness of silence can fill our body and fulfill a part of us that is longing. Snow, wind, rain, nature in its many voices, the music of silence can open and inspire us. In the silence on Christmas Eve is a spirit of giving, unique to this night among all others. There is a stillness that shelters us. This quiet can be our own personal doorway into the heart of simple peace. And simple peace can be a path into new life and new hope for the year ahead, as we emerge from the fear of pandemic into the year of vaccination and new hope. 

This merging of the old and the new takes place tonight, in the spirit of the Winter Solstice, in the still moment of silence that celebrates the merging of the Dark Mother of Yule with the return of the Sun God, and the Mother of the Son of God who brings light to the world.

For me, the new year is one in which I will learn to merge the two version of me. One is the me that was half of a couple. 

My on-line screen persona of Hesadevil encapsulates her.

Hesadevil was confident, adventurous, fun-loving and caring. She strove to experience new things, increase her understanding of the world and all its wonder. At her side was her rock and safe haven -Eamonn.

The other me is the solo traveller. One who is feeling her way in the world relying only on herself. close family, and a few dear friends.

Ukelady has emerged as capable and strong. Building on all that has gone before, while tentatively feeling the way ahead through the fits and starts of the pandemic and the worryingly late resolution of the terms of Berxit Brexit. At her side is the faithful terrier, Alf. 

I wish all that you hope for comes into being in the new year of hope and the return of the light to our lives.

Apologies for the use of both pagan and Christian Myths to help explain where I have reached and how I hope to move onwards.