Part Two: Winter Solstice Prayer Meditation

SOUTH GUARDIAN:

I am the South, the place of mid-day, ruled by the element of Fire. I am the passion and laughter of life. Keeper of Earth's fertility. Guardian of all that walks and crawls on the Earth. I hold the gift of fertile Earth from whence your crops come forth. I am the blessing of children, the keeper of truth and innocence. I am the season of Summer.

Can you remember the Summer? The fruit sets upon the vines and the branches of the trees. The herds fatten on the thick grass of the upper pastures. Young animals scamper and play under the watchful eyes of the older animals. The young birds learn to fly. Your own children take shade under the glorious leaf canopy of the trees. The Earth leans nearest the Sun, radiant in her beauty. The Sun, strong and hot, is at the peak of His power. And the light exceeds the darkness. Did you think it would last forever? The Wheel turns!

(Mary Marsh, 1994 Link contains the solstice ritual.)