Ep. 204 : Winter Solstice

“Fire to ease the birthpangs of the Sun.”

“Wither, wither, black flowering night. May your dark juices bleed, burn up like a pool on the summer plain, shrivel like a stain upon sand, dwindle to a basalt pebble, tiny as a slow-worms eye is. Vanish, to nothing.”

Here we are again, in the deepest of the doom season, yet with light on the way. The rebirth of the Sun. A time for our seasonal celestial celebrations with stories, food and fire. Celebrations to beat back the cold. The winter solstice is such a special time for me these days. I used to get so depressed in the Winter, feeling like all was dead and empty, but through ongoing relationship building with the land I live on, I am coming to know that the wild heart of the Earth still beats, no matter the long night of the season.

The past couple of years have been wrought and wrenched by sickness and isolation. Many celebrations have broke down, broke up, or been cancelled. Yet as with the solstice, new ritual is born in the dark gestation times.
And still, personal rituals observing the solstice continue even if the public rituals cannot. This show, the Winter Solstice broadcast is one of my favourite ways to use this platform, by honouring the creators who came before me and rebroadcasting their work. This the fourth? year that I get to play this radio play by Alison Mcleay, which was originally broadcast on BBC Scotland Saturday December 21st, 1985 at 10:30pm. I was two years old when this originally aired, and though my local CBC channel would sometimes play the BBC Wold News throughout the night, I don’t know if this would’ve been aired. With the voices of Michael Elder, Diana Olsson and Paul Young and producer Patrick Rayner. Pour some tea, tuck yourself in, and listen close to the story of the Winter Solstice.

To learn more :

Alison Mcleay obituary
Alison Mcleay bio
Micheal Elder details
Diana Olsson
Paul Young
Patrick Rayner