Episode 414 - Solstice and the Tree of Life

Living Myth

Michael Meade

Transformation, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Genius, Education, Myth, Soul, Culture

4.9 • 944 Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2024

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this winter solstice episode, Michael Meade states at the beginning: “This is not just the dark time of the year, but increasingly dark times for everyone, especially for those who care for the souls of other people and for the well-being of the earth we all live on.” He goes on to describe how ancient symbols and practices at the Winter Solstice served as a reminder of the cosmological connection between the human soul and the hidden unity of life.

Symbols have the power to bring the mind and the heart together and connect us to the deepest truths of life. A Christmas tree can stand for the Tree of Life, as it represents both the still point at the center and the power of life to change and renew itself. Simply lighting a single candle in the midst of darkness can be a reminder of the eternal process of renewal and restoration that is an essential, yet easily forgotten aspect of all of life.

Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can hear Michael Meade live by joining his free online Solstice ritual “In This Darkness Singing” on Friday, December 20.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Living Myth podcast with Michael Mead,
0:12.0	where this shifting changing world is looked at from a mythic perspective.
0:17.0	On this winter solstice episode, Mead states at the beginning, this is not just the dark time of the year, but increasingly dark times for everyone, especially for those who care for the souls of other people and for the well-being of the earth we all live on.
0:35.3	He goes on to describe how ancient symbols and practices at the winter solstice
0:39.8	served as a reminder of the cosmological connection between the human soul and the hidden
0:46.0	unity of life. This has been a dark year, yet, despite all the increasing divides in the world,
0:53.9	we were all secretly connected, and we
0:56.5	are each a part of the living substance of creation.
1:00.5	Solstice coming at the darkest time of the year is a reminder of this cosmological connection
1:06.6	between the human soul and the hidden unity of life. The time of winter solstice has come round again, as the sun reaches its extreme border and the light of day seems about to be swallowed by the sea of night.
1:35.9	The word solstice simply means sun stands still, as if the warmth and radiance of life itself hangs in the balance at critical
1:47.3	points in the course of planetary existence. Traditional cultures around the world imagined
1:55.7	that the midwinter sun needed conscious help from people in order to avoid being devoured by the expanse
2:03.8	of darkness that nips at the edges of life. For each soul harbors an inner sun, a deep and giving
2:12.2	self that is also a light found inside the darkness. The solstice represents a cosmological condition that reflects
2:22.6	a human capacity to assist in the renewal of life, both despite and because of the darkness
2:30.7	that so often gathers all around us. This is not just the dark time of the year,
2:38.4	but increasingly dark times for everyone, and especially for those who care for the souls of
2:45.4	other people and for the well-being of the earth we all live on.
2:56.6	Denying the dangers of climate change and the damage done by economic disparity,
3:02.9	whether out of ignorance or blind self-interest, adds to the darkness of the world.
3:12.2	But just as solstice marks the return of light from the extremes of darkness, in these dark and uncertain times, there can be a great value in imagining a bit of star in each person's soul,
	...

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