I sit typing this two days before the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere which we refer to as Alban Arthan. It is also the time that Druids refer to as “The Time of No Time” when the tipping of the earth stops and it appears that for three days the sun stays still in the sky and then the earth continues its cyclical journey and begins to ever so slowly tip back and the days grow longer. This annual cycle is part of what regulates my life as a Druid living in this remote location immersed in the cycles of nature.

Those of you that regularly read these posts will be familiar with the way in which I use nakedness as a ritual to support my engagement with all that is around me.

Throughout the year I rise at about 6.45am each day and walk 100m or so up my garden to where I bathe in the wild highland burn that is part of this property. When it is cold and dark this takes an effort of will and the other morning after a night of heavy rain I walked into the kitchen and glanced at the LCD display of my weather station and saw that the external temperature was 6ºC. I fully expected to step out into a cloudy morning with light drizzle. As I stepped off the steps into the darkness of the winter morning I was aware that the sky was a panoply of stars.

Cassiopeia shone brightly low to the north horizon and Ursa Major swirled around directly above, looking to the East, Venus was heralding the sunrise which was still 90 minutes away. It caused such rush of joy and awe it was overwhelming. As I entered the cold embrace of the water the stars glowed through the tracery of branches overhead and looking down they shimmered in the black surface of the water. Such a moment of magic only came about because I had pushed beyond the limits of the logical mind which wanted to stay in my warm and cosy bed and instead embraced the vulnerability of life.

So at this time I wish you a blessed Solstice, Christmas and New Year

I wonder do you sometimes step outside of the limits of your own comfort? What gifts do you receive?