Winter Solstice Dec. 21, 2024
Years ago, after I was ordained as a minister, I chanced to conduct a memorial that was located at Rivera Family Funeral Home’s beautiful Kiva Chapel. Staff were of course in attendance at the memorial, and shortly thereafter I began to get calls from them, asking if I could conduct memorials for some of the families they were serving. I became the go-to minister to conduct interfaith services for families whose loved one was not religious but wanted a meaningful ceremony, or who perhaps was somewhat religious or spiritual but not connected to a church, temple or other religious institution. This journey has proved to be deeply meaningful to me. When I create and conduct a memorial for a family, I am always aware that I am performing a service that can make a huge difference in how they process and come to grips with their loss. It is enormously gratifying to me. As a result of doing memorials at Rivera for these many years, I have developed friendships with the staff there, particularly the director, Paul Vigil, and have become involved in other events held at Rivera, including the annual Holiday Remembrance and the twice-yearly solstice celebration, which takes advantage of the specially-designed chapel space and is truly a spiritual experience for everyone who attends (see pictures!). Below I’ve pasted the brief talk I presented at this year’s Dec. 21 Winter Solstice Celebration, along with some pictures I took.
Thank you for being here today, to share this special time and space with your community. This beautiful room, the Kiva Chapel, exists because of the vision of the funeral home’s former owner, Tim Rivera, and his collaboration on its design with Santa Fe architect Jon Dick. Every summer and winter solstice, the funeral home opens the chapel so that we can all experience the dance of the light in this extraordinary space. It’s just one way that the people here at Rivera serve our community.
Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For many ancient peoples, this time of year was no doubt frightening; it was cold, and dark, with few hours to forage for food, and little of it available in any case. But some ancient peoples understood the seasons and the movement of the earth and the stars very well; the people who lived at Chaco Canyon west of here leaned two giant sandstone slabs against a cliff and carved two spiral forms into them. They arranged the slabs precisely so that on the solstices and equinoxes, the light of the sun creates “daggers” that appear to pierce or frame the spirals. These people understood far better than most of us today the significance of sunlight on our lives.
Today we humans are just as dependent on the sun as were our forebears. And some of us feel, very powerfully, the shift of light, the contraction of daytime, that on the December solstice heralds the arrival winter but also the return of the light, the expansion of time the sun shines each day. For many of us, like the ancient people, the short days leading up to the solstice are times of quietude and inward focus. Then as December wanes, we celebrate the returning light through religious and spiritual ceremonies. All winter holidays are celebrations of light—such as the Hannukah festival of lights, the Star of Bethlehem that illuminated the birth of the Christ child, the seven candles of Kwanza that symbolize the principles for proper living.
Yet without the darkness we wouldn’t recognize or appreciate the light. This is true not just in a concrete sense, but in the development of our lives. Sometimes our lives seem dark; everything seems hopeless; sadness and anxiety overwhelm us. And then one day we awaken to the light again. Whatever has seemed so impossible, so sad, so hard to handle, eases up, and we begin to feel the light of hope again.
Today we can allow ourselves to feel and appreciate the darkness. It is out of darkness that new life is born; seeds germinate in the dark earth; babies grow in the darkness of their mother’s wombs. The darkness of this day reminds us of the light to come.
Whatever has been happening in your lives, may this shortest day herald the return of the light, the expansion of hope, the promise of a new year filled with love, laughter, and joy for you and those you love.
Feel free to sit quietly, pray or meditate, stand in the light, or just enjoy the beauty of this space today.
Thank you again for being here.
The solstice events at Rivera are free and open to the community. A very brief talk (like the one above) is given, but no religious service is conducted. It’s very informal. Please come!
