Solstice Fire Ritual: Calling in Darkness and Newness, Endings and Beginnings

Solstice Fire Ritual: Calling In Darkness and Newness, Endings and Beginnings to

be

shared

from

collectively

wherever

at

4:23pm —

December

21,

you

are

on 2020

What you will need: a

candle,

lighter

or

matches,

and

5-10

minutes

Opening the Circle We

gather

day

of

and

the

as

the

winter

slowly

in

the

longest

start

to

sun

burn

nurture

ourselves

intentions

We

invite

you

what

as

to

we

again.

needs

ignite

candles,

order

to

open

aloud

to

yourself,

us

of

and

this

in

a

what

do

make

in

as

the

season

of

the

need

for

your

shortest

is

of

to

time

2020

in

first

day

to

honor

write

it

sunlight

days

take

ends

year

As

we

You

to

to and

to

ahead.

and

prepare

release

2021?

will

stock,

(!),

darkness,

the

and

in

‘official’

of

the

candle-lighting year.

growth

heart,

a

light

new

new

the

generative

ritual

for

--

tomorrow,

year

growing

short

you

the

Solstice

go

the

room

it

Solstice

Beginning

The

to

intention

hold

Winter

hemisphere,

welcome

join

breaths

this

darkness.

through

collective our

of

lengthen

and

on

northern

night

release

set

sets

3 to

from can

2020 speak

in it

down...

Candle Lighting We

begin

love

who

whose

lighting

we

lives

trauma

We

by

are

carceral

remember

especially We

light

power, are

been

and

hard

this

even

lost

send

when

with

from, due

this

those

to

flame

who

police

we

are

remember

those

incarcerated,

brutality,

those

who

whom

holidays

those carry

care

For

to

we

to

those

remind

are

those in us

for

the that

physically

Longest we

are

distant.

the

Night

of

connected

We

are

are

grief in

love

resilient

I

love

than and But

you

the

shapes

It

lets

a I

dark and

people,

great

all

Rainer

I

limits

the

am

born

--

--

the

world

to

rest.

shadows,

everything:

creatures

just

as

they

and

me,

are.

imagine

presence

believe

--

that

embraces

nations

me

whom

more

flame

excludes the

of

in

the

Maria

stirring

night.

Rilke

beside

me.

the

circle

it

loss. and

and

Poem darkness,

an

and

survivors.

You,

we

violence....etc.

time.

candle

—

candle…

separated

have

from

a

illuminates

we

in

Finding our Breath We

ground

ourselves

bodies‌We ground. your

Bring

nose

deep can

can

and

a

this

loosen

our

attention

on

the

each

your

circle

drop

mouth‌

with

chest

a

or

of

our

movement

through

together,

hand

virtual

jaws,

to

exhaling

breaths

place

in

people

and

shoulders, of

your

We

will

communal

in

feel

breath,

move

our

our

own

feet

inhaling

through

intention.

If

3

on

the

through

slow,

you

want

you

belly.

Collective Breaths with Intentions [adapted

from

Sofia

Campos

Ancestral

Resistance:

in

Offerings

and

Practices]

Breath One The

first

breath

honors

all

circle,

on

that this

is

for

you

are

Earth,

take

this

breath

give

and

purpose

you.

to

--

in

Your your

this

remind

being

spirit,

life.

your

your

You

ourselves

and

are that

resilience.

light,

your

loved. we

And

are

This

breath

presence

in

this

you

are

needed.

sacred,

full

of

We

gifts

to

practice.

Together, we breathe: Everyone take a and long exhale together

to

deep inhale . . .

Breath Two This

second

survivors.

breath

This

connection gaining

is

breath

between

strength

For

the

hope

We

take

this

for

and

we

our

is

for

this

us,

the

energy

ability

sustain

breath

family

to

by

freedom

circle.

and

For

that

power.

being

honor

of

in

fighters,

each

passes For

collective

for

the

For

through

the

community

our

other.

warriors,

and

power,

in

the

each

darkness

one

and

the

struggle

beauty

lovers,

and

of

us,

light.

together. love.

Together, we breathe: Everyone take a deep inhale . . . and long exhale together

Breath Three This

third

elements endings and

and of

and

future

final

fire,

beginnings.

--

for

reminds

us

us.

breath

This

breath

ground,

that

our

we is

is

wind, This

and

breath

ancestors

are

also

part for

of

and a

criminalized.

Because

people

fight

with.

can take

we

feel this

for

because breath

and

they

to

give

honor

us

all

is

The

who

this

For the

that is

holds the

spirits

to

to

us.

we

for

can’t

rise

abundance

and

of

from

come.

neither

is

For

season

our

This

stand

For

present

breath

nor

ends

with

detained,

people.

always

around

the winter.

past,

beings

incarcerated,

breath

people

this

that

generations

strength

of

for

legacy

everyone

surveilled,

Earth water.

see here

and

The but

who

today.

within

us,

we

We

Together, we breathe: Everyone take a deep inhale . . . long exhale together lifting

us

up,

today

and

always.

Closing In

these

May

long

this

nights

season

of

winter

A

time

to

burn

A

time

to

transform.

May

you

And

the

know hope

away

the of

ahead,

what

beauty

new

may

be is

a no

of

you

time

the

let

and

go

nurtured.

and

release.

needed.

luminous

darkness.

awakening.

I

candles

cannot

How But

the

light it

will.

That

it

works

the

Long Or

enfolds

ages

arrive

You

"How

chicagotorturejustice.org

comes,

its

deepest

it

did

The

ready.]

does.

it

Though

when

you

That

That

from

tell

that

Into

excerpt

held

to

longer

[Extinguish

--

be

in

not

dark

you,

may

in

way

seem

coming a

shape

foresee.

Light

Comes"

by

Jan

Richardson