Vernal Equinox (Spring Equinox)

      As the name implies, The Equinox is a time of balance and harmony — for night and day are of equal length.  As a signal for the beginning of Spring, it is a time for the renewal of life.   The cold lifeless ice of Winter melts, rivers swell with the water of life, the fields are verdant once again, and the seeds which have slept in the earth burst forth into blooms of flowers, as the warmth of the sun initiates the urge for life to renew itself. 

      In very ancient times the tribes people of Europe honored Ostera or Eastre celebrating the Goddess of Spring who held an egg in her hand and whose hair was adorned with the flowers of Spring as she stood upon the green earth. 

      Our consciousness instinctively recognizes the profound forces of Nature at work in the eternal cycle of life—death— rebirth, and we seek to unite ourself with the dynamic flow of the universe.  Traditionally, the resurrection of the Earth becomes entwined in the resurrection story of Jesus as the Church recasts the symbols and significance of the Spring Goddess in Christian terms.   Thus the egg — a symbol of fertility, becomes a symbol of new life in the Resurrected Jesus.   Rabbits, which were ritually unclean for the Jews but sacred to the Spring Goddess, became symbols of purity and new life.   The observance of the rising sun on the Equinox is translated to the Sunrise Service of Easter morning.  

      In the liturgy, we celebrate the original intent of this holiday — that is to unite ourselves to the rebirth of the earth in Spring.  In doing this we are encouraged to express our gratitude for the gift of life, as well as to bring our lives into harmony with the earth as it expresses its balance.

Summer Solstice

      Celebrating the longest period of light in the yearly cycle, The Mid-Summer Holiday is marked by the Summer Solstice.  On this day, the hours of daylight are greater than any other day of the year.  The sun is at its zenith -- triumphant over the hours of darkness.  This has always been a time of rejoicing and the celebration of the fertility of the earth and its people.  Bonfires were built and people danced around them far into the night, and it is said that on this night fairies and spirits roam freely.  Part of the old ritual included bathing in dew or fresh running water.  

      Eventually absorbed by the Christian Church, the feast is celebrated on June 24 as the feast of St. John, yet in many places the lighting of bonfires is still incorporating as part of the observance.  

      Midsummer is also seen as a special season for love and friendship.  To this day June is one the most popular months for weddings.  An ancient form of the exchange of rings practiced during modern nuptials is derived from the ceremony of Handfasting.  In this beautifully symbolic act, the hands of the betrothed were tied together as a pledge of continued love, commitment and friendship.  This is where the saying “tying the knot” in connection with weddings originated.

      In this Service, the Handfasting is taken as an opportunity to renew our vows of love and friendship with all for the year ahead.  

Autumnal Equinox

      The Autumn Equinox is a dramatic and powerful period in the cycle of the earth.  It is a time of balance and harmony — for night and day are of equal length.  From this night forward, the sun begins to wane and darkness becomes the dominant element.  As such, it is a signal to prepare for winter.  Bountious Nature now brings orchard and field into fullness for the ingathering of the supply by which life is maintained.  That which the harvest brings must be laid in store for the months in which the earth will sleep.  

      In ancient times many otherwise diverse peoples and cultures celebrated this time in honor of various gods and goddesses of the harvest.  Recognizing the intrinsic forces of Nature at work in the eternal cycle of life—death— rebirth, human consciousness seeks to unite itself with the dynamic flow of the universe of which it is a vital aspect.  Through this the original “Thanksgiving” feasts were enjoyed in a concelebration of the wealth of the harvest and the approaching dark void of winter.  In all her majesty and awesome power Nature is at once Mother and Crone ... the eternal dichotomy of the Godess!  The abundance of life is balanced by the shadow of impending death.

      In the liturgy for this day, we celebrate this time of balance as we ritually weave into our lives those things which we desire.  Here we will also bind ourselves with the cord of life which shall sustain us through the approaching time of darkness.

Winter Solstice

      Since deepest antiquity people have celebrated the Winter Solstice in an effort to encourage the Great Mother to give birth once more to the Sun King,.  As the Winter Solstice marked the longest period of darkness in the yearly cycle, they longed for the return of the sun with its life giving light and warmth.  

      In the years following the conversion to Christianity, it seemed only natural for Christians to reinterpret the meaning of the birth of the sun by the Great Mother in terms of the birth of the “Son King” by the virgin Mother — even though there was no evidence in scripture that Jesus was born at this time of year.  

      While this move served the Christian Church in its program of evangelism, it also aided in disconnecting Western culture from the earth. No longer would its people celebrate the rebirth of the sun — rather, they would celebrate only those events in the life of Christ and the Christian Church which the Church chose and sanctioned.  

      In this liturgy, we focus on celebrating the original intent of this day — that is, the rebirth of the sun and the coming of light and warmth after winter’s time of darkness.  In doing this we are encouraged to express our gratitude for the gift of the sun, as well as to bring our lives into harmony with the earth — to live synchronously with its life and seasons.  More than this, looking at the earth through the eyes of liturgy, we see the earth as it was meant to be seen — a sacred gift of God.