'Tis the Season

At this time of year, as the hours of daylight grow progressively less in the Northern Hemisphere, western religions (especially Christian) burst forth in lavish displays of belief that a one-time soul-saving event occurred just for them. In truth, that which is being celebrated is the celestial panorama and the season that has set the pace of life on Earth for many thousands of years

Astrological elements are the basis for most scriptural stories. For example, the seasonal change occurring with the winter solstice signals a time of new beginnings. That is the meaning behind the word solstice, which comes from the Latin solstium, from sol, meaning Sun, and sistere, past participle of stit, meaning "to stand." The illusion that the Sun moves periodically southward and northward is caused by the Earth's axial tilt as it orbits the Sun. For life in the Northern Hemisphere the Sun appears to reach its most southern point on December 21, and appears to remain stationary for three day's time, after which it appears to move northward again--on December 25.1 In pre-Christian Rome the 25th of this month was known as Natalis Solis Invict, meaning "birthday of the Sun."

With the approach of winter, the star Mizram (in Canis Major) rises upon the eastern horizon. The name Mizram is said to mean "The Announcer," for it precedes the arrival of the star Sirius, seeming to announce the greater light to come--just like the biblical John the Baptist is portrayed as announcing the coming of Jesus.

The month leading into the solstice carried great significance in ancient cultures, and it is from the Pagan study of astronomical movements that the observance of Advent was incorporated into Catholic formality--which allows four Sundays to make ready for the light (personified as Jesus) to come back in glory.

In Judaism, the festival of Hanukkah, meaning "dedication" (to light), is observed within the same seasonal period of the winter solstice, being celebrated from the 25th of Kislev to the first of Tebet of the Jewish calendar.

On the surface the connection of the Muslim fast of Ramadan to the winter solstice is less obvious--due to Mohammad's (or his scribe's) misunderstanding of Jewish/Christian myths that allowed for ceremonial observances of the winter solstice period. The Muslim celebration of Laylat-al-Qadr, meaning the "Night of Power," is held on the evening of the 27th day of the ninth month of the Muslim year. Although not as obviously related to recognition of the light phenomenon at the winter solstice, the fasting and rites are in reference of the feeble light after which light increases.

1 These points are covered in greater detail in my book The Celestial Scriptures; Keys to the Suppressed Wisdom of the Ancients. ISBN: 0-595-20913-0. Available through Barnes & Noble: Amazon: Borders, etc.