Liturgy for a Winter Solstice communal gathering

Liturgy for a Winter Solstice communal gathering

[Rooted in Neopagan realism and inspired by Chesterton’s Fence and the parable of the lamp. It honours the turning of the year, the sacredness of the real, and the wisdom of tradition.]

Rooted in the Dark: A Winter Solstice Liturgy

For circle, hearth, or grove. Designed for spoken participation, with pauses, candles, and shared silence.

Opening Sound
A bell, chime, or drumbeat. Then silence.

Leader:
We gather on the longest night,
Not to escape the dark,
But to dwell in it—
To honour the Earth, the turning, and the truth.

All:
We are here. We are real. We are rooted.

Lighting the Lamp
A central candle is lit. Others may follow.

Leader:
This lamp was lit before we arrived.
Not to waste oil,
But to mark a threshold.
We do not put it out
Until we know why it was lit.

All:
We honour the flame.
We remember the reason.
We keep the light.

Reading: The Fence and the Flame

Reader:
A fence stands in the forest.
A stranger says, “Tear it down.”
But the wise one says,
“First, ask why it was built.
Then, if you still must,
Take it down with care.”

A lamp burns in the night.
A wanderer says, “Put it out.”
But the elder says,
“First, ask who lit it,
And what it guards.”

All:
We do not tear down what we do not understand.
We do not extinguish what we have not yet seen.

Reflection (spoken or silent)

Leader:

Let us speak aloud—or hold in silence—
What truths we are tempted to discard,
What traditions we are tempted to forget,
What boundaries we are tempted to cross
Without knowing what they protect.

(A moment’s silence.)

Grounding

Leader:
Place your hand on the Earth, or your heart.
Feel the cold. Feel the weight.
This is not a dream.
This is the world.
And it is sacred.

All:
We are not illusions.
We are breath and bone.
We are part of the turning.

Renewal

Leader:
As the sun stands still,
We do not rush.
We listen.
We remember.
We root ourselves in what is real.

All:
We will not discard the old
Until we understand its soul.
We will not fear the new
If it grows from truth.

Closing Invocation

All:
O Sun that returns,
O Earth that endures,
O Spirit that stirs in the frost—
Keep us rooted in what is real.
Let us walk with open eyes,
And speak with voices that honour the world.
Let the light return,
Not to erase the dark,
But to reveal its depth.
So mote it be.