Five winter solstice practices that honor the dark time of year — and Earth's rhythms
LOS ANGELES — Once again we have entered the time of the winter solstice — when daylight is scarce and the creeping darkness seems to whisper: Slow down. Turn inward. Fortify yourself against the long, cold night ahead.
Although shrouded in myths, the winter solstice is a physical event that occurs this year on Dec. 21. It is the day when the North Pole reaches its farthest tilt away from the sun, resulting in the shortest period of daylight of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, followed by the longest night. It is also the day when the sun reaches its lowest maximum point in the sky. In Los Angeles the sun will rise at 6:55 a.m. and set at 4:47 p.m.
On the other side of the world, the Southern Hemisphere experiences its summer solstice on the same day, a sage reminder that on this planet at least, the time of greatest darkness is also the time of greatest light.
"The winter is the summer, the summer is the winter — these things exist at the same time and are not exclusionary," said Maja D'Aoust, a writer, artist and metaphysical practitioner who goes by the name Witch of the Dawn.
Throughout the ages, the winter solstice has been understood
