Winter Solstice
In the Northern hemisphere, one of the most powerful religious myths tells the story of a son of God born from a virgin at the end of December (according to the Gregorian calendar), worshipped by three kings who had followed a star coming from the East. He is a teacher at 12 years old, and receives baptism at 30 before he starts his ministry as the saviour of the world. He has 12 disciples and performs miracles. He finally dies on the cross and stays in the tomb for 3 days before he revives and ascends to the heavens. This solar myth did not only give birth to a well-known religion. In Egypt, 5000-yearold hieroglyphs tell us that god Horus was born from virgin Isis around the end of December. His birth was marked by the arrival of a star in the East. Three kings had followed this star to locate the new-born Saviour, and to give him presents. He was already a teacher at 12, he received baptism at 30, and then, he started his reign. Horus had 12 disciples with whom he travelled about and performed miracles, such as healing the sick and walking on water. He was known under various names: “the Truth”, “the Light”, “God’s Anointed Son”, the “Good Shepard”, the “Lamb of God”, etc. Betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for 3 days, and then, he resurrected.

Horus is not the sole “pagan god” having those characteristics. You can find the same mythical personage under different names in other cultures: Atys in Phrygia, Krishna in India, Dionysos in Greece, Mythra in Persia, Odin in Scandinavia, Baal in Phenicia, Indra in Tibet, Adad in Assyria, Quetzalcoatl in Mexico, Ixion and Quirinus in Rome, Prometheus in Caucasus… and others, all of them born from a virgin in December, located by a star in the East and three kings, baptised at 30, followed by 12 disciples, and performing miracles… before they died on the cross, stayed 3 days in the grave, and resurrected. And this is also the story of Jesus-Christ. What is this all about? Let us look at what occurs in the sky, in December, in the Northern hemisphere, amongst the stars, the constellations, and the Zodiacal signs. A star appears in the East, it is Sirius, the brightest. In the moment of Solstice, it aligns with 3 stars in Orion’s Belt, which since ancient times were called “the three kings”.The line that goes through those 4 stars points to the place on the horizon where the Sun is about to rise. The “virgin” who gives birth is the Constellation of the Virgin.The days are the shortest in the year. We are cold, there is less and less light. The Sun, which was heading South, seems to stop in its course for three days; and at that moment, it stands close to the Constellation of the Southern Cross – the Sun is dying on the cross ! Then, it moves one degree North again: it is resurrected! It is time to be happy and celebrate, as the days will become longer, there will be more heat and light, and Springtime will come. The 12 disciples are the 12 c o n s t e l l a t i o n s through which the Sun goes all along the year, bringing renewal, flowers and fruits, and crops. This solar myth, which founded most of the religions of our planet, is explained with more details in the Zeitgeist web site http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
The date of December 25 was imposed for the needs of a calendar, firstly religious then market-oriented, which no longer respected cosmic facts. The true Solstice day varies every year. Ancient people had means to precisely determine the day and hour of this event: for instance, in Celtic mounts, the inner chamber only receives the rays of the Sun when they are directed at a specific angle on the Solstice morning.
This year, the Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere will occur on December 21, 2012, at 17:11, Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC or GMT). In the Southern hemisphere, this day corresponds to the Summer Solstice, a moment when days are the longest because of the 23°5 declination of the Earth’s axis. In all cultures, the Winter Solstice was an opportunity for celebration and rituals – Yule, Lenaea, Saturnalia, etc. – which are now forgotten or hidden behind the Christmas and New Year holidays.
But the most important thing is to find again the sacred meaning of this rebirthing of the Light, and of the Solar Son who takes a new start on his path of return to his Father.