Celebration of Light

Long ago, there were only ten months in the calendar, then at the end of each year, there were 61 extra days.  The Roman emperor decided that there should be two months added to the calendar and the extra days would be divided among them.  Each of the other ten months already had a name, but these new months needed a name. The emperor was very religious and thought first of the gods that should be honored.  One of these gods was named Janus. He was a god with two faces, one facing the future and one facing the past. And so, the month Januarius was named after Janus. It is a time for us to look both to the past and to the future.  

This is a story we tell the elementary children, as they study time.  As they study the relationship between the earth and the sun, they also learn that January is a month of duality, in another way:  In the northern hemisphere, it is usually the coldest month, while in the southern hemisphere, it is usually the hottest month.  

This is the time of year we think about those dualities—past and future, cold and heat.  Winter solstice also provides a time to think about another duality—light and dark.  

As we prepare for the Celebration of Light tomorrow, I remember how much I learned researching for our first celebration last year.  Specifically, that the Pagan tradition of honoring the longest night isn’t just about celebrating the return of the sun, but about honoring the need for our bodies to rest, to be still, and to experience darkness.

It has been in the still nights that I have been reflecting on our community’s year, full of both brightness and darkness.  It started with Christy joining our community, which was so full of joy and surprise. A few months later, though, one of the mothers of an Orange Room child passed away and that time was so difficult for so many of us, but especially the guide who had grown close to her.  The same community that had rallied to welcome Christy now surrounded Hana, in her grief, and supported the child’s family. More has happened than can be listed here. But these two events represent the utter highs and lows of the year. They represent who we are.  

In the dark and in the light, we stood together, we allowed room for not only the joys and sorrows, but for the individual, particular expressions of those joys and sorrows.  At times when it was uncomfortable and trying to show up, we did. And we stayed.  

Tomorrow, as we are lighting candles representing worldwide rituals celebrating light, I will be remembering this year as the year we solidified our community.   We are not just the light, we also are what comes before and after.   

—Jen Stoll, Owner & Director