Longest Night Vigil

[dubhlainn]

Many people have found value in holding vigil though the night around the winter solstice. Some people prefer to greet the rising sun on the actual solstice day but for myself I have for the past several years preferred to stay up on the longest night, the night of the Winter Solstice, and greet the sun on the next day when the light begins to

Comments

[sweet_thyme]

Absolutely beautiful.

[dubhlainn]

thanks!

I wasn't planning to do the vigil, honestly....but

[fire_is_born]

It seems the Kindred had other plans. I found myself unable to fall asleep the whole night. I tried everything, but until I had seen those first few rays of light and welcomed back the Sun, I was wide awake. AFTER greeting the Sun, however, I was finally able to sleep.

I'm very tired today...but then again, I'm always happy to receive a message from the gods!

Yuletide blessings, Euandros

Re: I wasn't planning to do the vigil, honestly....but

[dubhlainn]

Sometimes the best laid plans huh?

Blessings to you as well.

[athenamsb]

What a fabulous night! I attended chat from work (she states fr the benefit of those not in attendance), and it was so nice to have the company. Work on a holiday can be somewhat of a downer, and I was disappointed that I wasn't able to take the night off, but sharing our thoughts, memories and sometimes deeper feelings was just what I needed. It was inspiring and spiritually fulfilling.

Thanks, Jamie!
M

[dubhlainn]

Yes it was! Thanks for joining us!

[alfrecht]

Depending upon where one is in Ireland, different megalithic monuments are aligned to different things (obviously!); the best-known one local to my area (Co. Cork) when I lived there was Drombeg stone circle in West Cork, near Roscarberry. Interestingly, the circle is aligned to the sunset on Winter Solstice, not sunrise...which I think might possibly reflect exactly what you're saying here, i.e. here we go into the difficulty, and so let's do our best to get through it. (Though, there's also that whole thing of a day starting not with sunrise, but sunset, in the Irish context...!?!)

[dubhlainn]

Yes, and doesn't/didn't Newgrange align with the rising sun of the Solstice Morning? (I know the alignment has drifted slightly over the years due to something well over my head). I have heard of people who start at Newgrange and then travel to another site for sundown on Solstice day ... maybe Dromberg?

To be honest, this practice of holding vigil through the Longest Night is one of those very "Neo" my Neopagan practice. I have been doing this since before I consider myself a Pagan at all. It is still a bit satisfying to know that many of the ancient cultures did "something" this time of year.

Oh and, so the idea of the day starting at sunrise in an Irish context is true? I have always heard that but never explored if it was a real thing or just one of "those" stories.

[seamus_mcnasty]

this is good stuff, this is "the work" we talked about at Summerlands...just keep doing the work and life will continue to open up for you by friend - piety is a strong drug!