Winter Solstice Gathering on Zoom
Sunday December 20, 5:00–7:00 pm Pacific Time
Winter Solstice zoom (the “door” will open at 4:45 pm; program at 5:00).
FREE to all.
Please join us for Living Earth’s 23rd annual Winter Solstice Celebration! As the dark settles here in Oregon, special guests will bring music, poetry, and spoken word to connect with all of us, in spite of this year’s distances. The format will be new due to the pandemic, but it will hold the magic and warmth of a wide community connected by loving intention. In the chat and gallery, we’ll see old friends, familiar faces, and new friends as the circle grows.
On Sunday Dec. 20, we’ll gather just hours before the celestial dance leads Earth past the year’s darkest moment toward the increase of light. Being on Zoom, we’ll start early to include folks across the country. The actual moment of solstice will be 2:02 am on the West Coast.
This year, December 22 marks the first anniversary of the passing of Ram Dass, our beloved teacher and revered older brother. So our gathering will celebrate his unquenchable spirit and bow to the miracles of love and the grueling changes the past year has brought to the world in so many ways.
Rameshwar Das, Ram Dass’s longtime friend and coauthor, will join us from New York to read from Ram Dass’s final memoir, Being Ram Dass, and reflect on the spiritual path he has traveled since meeting Ram Dass some 50 years ago. (Being Ram Dass is available for pre-order and will be released Jan. 12, 2021.)
Kavita MacMillan will lead us in simple call-and-response songs we can hum or sing along with from our homes.
Benjy Wertheimer will offer a beautiful composition on his beloved esraj;
Margaret Ann Jones of Women of All Colors builds simple, one-to-one bridges between hearts as critical work in dismantling racism; she’ll share some stories and poetry.
Valerie Craigwell White of Lewis & Clark College will offer poetry and reflection that shines light on all that we are, and love, and can be.
Winter Solstice Zoom Link (open at 4:45).
The zoom is free and friends are welcome.
Here are your parts … 2 simple things ways to actively participate:
- Have a candle lit wherever you are. At a given moment, we’ll all hold our candles up to our cameras for all to see.
- Your favorite cup of tea or glass of wine, or something to nibble while we’re all together. And maybe you’ll lend your heart by singing or humming along with Kavita’s music.
- We welcome you to write in the chat list. With mics muted, we can hear from each other about 2020 that way, too. You can write a word or two or paragraphs of what 2020 has brought that you will LET GO (whatever that means for you) as we pass this peak of darkness. And you can also note your INTENTIONS: all that you long for, or that you intend to strengthen within yourself, your actions or your community, and how can nurture those seeds. The chat will be open throughout.
Here on Earth, we endlessly circle the sun like dervishes forever circling the Beloved. With poetry, candle ritual, spoken word and music, we’ll share the magic of the season and transform the fading remains of 2020 into fertile soil to nourish our seed-intentions for the coming year.
The Winter Solstice Zoom link
will open at 4:45, Sunday Dec. 20.
The program will run from 5:00 pm until about 7:00. Arrive when you can, the door is always open, and free. Please join us in this joyful, potent moment as the Earth hovers on cusp between dark and light.
Our Winter Solstice Gatherings always support Living Earth’s community aid programs. Our programs have changed this year due to the pandemic, but we’re still serving people on the streets, providing mutual aid support for communities of color and for the Warm Springs tribes.
To keep this work going, please visit our donation page.
