My ceremony with Winter Solstice Active Prayer #4

My Ceremony with Winter Solstice!
​3:30am I wake up naturally on 22nd Dec 2015 few hours before dawn. I had work to do before our sun's return.  Time to make my offerings for the emerging ceremony of such an important event:
The sun...Our Sun is returning after 6 months of descent!  

Delicious pancakes were wished and cooked for the beings of Fire, of Earth, of Water and of Air, as offerings. 7 pancakes ready at 4:30am.  Time to gather all need for ceremony, leave the house and meet the river Dart. She is one of my greatest love, a friend, a guide, a teacher…since 2000….when I had a magical gallery in Dartmouth called river d'ART (an other story for an other time) and then in 2002 when we initiated a community project called River d"ART Project when we planted 1000 oak trees by Blackness Point near the water of the river - to creatively respond to the deforestation, the runoff from farms waste and the impact on the beings living in the water.

Anyhow let's come back to the Winter Solstice that started by the same beautiful river Dart (where oaks grow!). 

alter making to welcome Solstice dawn...

As I made the pancakes I wrote down all beliefs, fears, illusions that did not serve my becoming a GiveAway, a disciple…of service to Life and all Beings on Earth.
I kept writing….fears…lots of fears appeared on the paper.  A sense of lightness entered me as I transferred the inner invisible world to one of lines... making sense.  The sheet would be burnt before the sun appeared.

I drove to the river at 5:30am, walked in the deep darkness…widening my capacity to feel the land, touch the trees, slowed down my foot steps…becoming the forest so not to be catapulted…such a sensual and almost erotic experience :-)

As I reached the water, I asked permission to touch her, to wash my face in her... to be her.
I fed, praised and called my ancestors. I prayed for them to show up, to be by my side…'there is work to do' I said.  Time to show up!  I keep feeding you on my alter so you stop eating me.  I call you to life, we need you!!

I tried to burn all that I wanted to let go off but rain was so strong, fire could not come.  I shredded the paper in 1000  stars that landed on the flowing water on her way to the sea, transforming all that was not serving life into fertiliser. 

Light was slowly arriving I had to arrive to the closest sea shore going East: Paignton!
I parked by the Harbour

Paignton Harbour

First Sunrise on Winter Solstice…welcome back!

East I am coming to greet you!  I was energised by being part of an event happening all over the UK and one we have creatively participated in for 1000's of years as human nation: to reflect, to burn what is of no use for the well being of Life and to greet the sun's return on Winter Solstice.

It was a strong ceremony…part of my daily Active Prayers and living Life as a Ceremony.

Much love to you all
xx
Azul