The Winter Sleep Moon goes dark today at 6:32pm. Tomorrow, the Midwinter Moon is a thin crescent in the evening sky. In my part of the world, sunset is as early as it’s going to be. At the end of this week, the sun will set a minute later than it does today. The change from increasing darkness to increasing light, the point in time that the Romans named the solstice, happens in less than a fortnight. However, for all intents and purposes, during this entire moon cycle, day length will not noticeably change and the sun will not move much on the horizon.
In my part of the world during this moon cycle, the sun will halt its apparent journey south and will turn north. The Midwinter Moon will be full on St Stephen’s Day. The latest sunrises will end on Epiphany. And the Midwinter Moon will go dark a couple days after Distaff Day. The Wolf Moon is ushered in on 12 January.
For me, this is a slack time. Similarly, in most cultures with a winter season, work is set aside and there are celebrations around the winter solstice. This is only partly because there is much less necessary work that can be done in the winter — even things that are possible because they are largely indoor tasks, like spinning and weaving, are traditionally paused for the holy days. This time of Midwinter is set aside as sacred, a time out of time, a time of endings, a time of waiting to begin time anew. Mundane routine grinds to a halt while the sun stands still. Order is turned on its head. There are few rules that are not broken in the Midwinter revels. It is the holiday, the holy days, a time to be merry.
What is happening in your part of the world during this moon cycle? Does this solstice usher in the growing light or increasing darkness? Does your part of the world see much change in day length, or do you have a year-long solstice? What is the weather doing? What are the other living beings around you doing? Are there flowers? Is there rain? Does the sun rise at all? What do cultures native to your region do with this time?
These are all things that go into making a calendar that you can embody, a time you can live in your own place. This coming lunation is the Midwinter Moon for me. There is a definite winter season in my part of the world and it is now. The days are short and cold. There is little food that isn’t stored up from the harvest; it is a time to conserve energy. Most beings besides silly modern humans are resting, waiting for the sun to return.
But this is not the Midwinter Moon for everybody. It is not even winter for many, if not most, Earthlings. The only global constant is that the moon is dark today at 6:32pm.
Moderns have spread their midwinter holidays everywhere, regardless of the season. You are certainly free to celebrate if you will. But know what you are celebrating. And celebrate in ways that make sense of your part of the world. For me, it is time to end the contracting half of the year and begin expanding. You may not know what I am talking about… That is the way it should be.
You name the time. You choose what to do with the time. You live the time in the ways that are good for your place. What moon is this for you?
Our Lady of Guadalupe
12 December is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and Mexican people wherever they live. Our Lady is Mary, but she is also a pastiche of many native deities, and she came to humans through, not a rich and powerful white man, but a brown-skinned peasant named Juan Diego. The miracle of her appearance to one who needed hope, the flowers that bloomed at her touch despite the season, the image of the gentle but powerful mestizo mother of god — her story resonates and inspires all of us.
Tomie dePaola created one of the most touching and most beautiful narratives of Our Lady’s story: The Lady of Guadalupe (Holiday House, 1980), the perfect bedtime story for today.
Tomie also created a story about the poinsettia, a flower that has become associated with the Lady of Guadalupe. This “weed” — a rather large mountain spurge — sets gorgeous red “blooms” around Midwinter. What we call a flower is actually the top leaves of the plant. When these terminal leaves are exposed to at least 14 hours of darkness every day for about six weeks, they turn colors just like autumn leaves on trees (sadly, they then also fall off, just like deciduous tree leaves). Most of the potted poinsettias you see for sale everywhere in December are forced to bloom in controlled settings. But natural blooming can only take place in the middle of winter. It seems like a miracle when all the tall green weeds put out blazing red stars for Navidad. Tomie’s story, The Legend of the Poinsettia (Puffin Books, 1997), perfectly captures the wonder and magic. I recently found a YouTube channel, Tu e Yo, dedicated to reading together. They did a video of Tomie’s book that is bound to make you smile. I think Tomie would have loved it also. And I am sure the Lady has given it her blessing!
©Elizabeth Anker 2023
By My Solitary Hearth 
Our sun rose at 4:57 and will set at 19:17 this evening; the temperature continues to increase, with our warmest temperatures experienced during February – March. The expectation of Christmas is in the air – interestingly enough I read that more money appears to be spent on food this year than on expensive gifts. My son visiting us from Scotland is gift enough for me! This is when construction workers have their annual holiday; when inlanders make a beeline for the coastal areas – and coastal people drive inland to enjoy wildlife reserves and visit family and friends on farms. All the schools and universities have closed for the summer break too. Schools re-open in January for the start of the new academic year and universities re-open in February.
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I like to call this moon/time of year the Long Nights Moon. I only get to see the sun on the weekend and through my workplace windows. I bike to work in the dark and bike home in the dark. To cheer myself (and others) up about the dark, I have multi-color flashing wheel lights on my bike so I’m like my own rolling parade. I get so many people calling out to me about how they love the lights which gives me that much more of a boost in spirit.
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