Around the
world today, people are celebrating a forgotten, ancient celebration that marks
the shortest day of the year. People who have returned to pagan rituals and
beliefs, or have shed hard core religions for something more environmentally
spiritual, are dancing around Stonehenge as I write. The more I think about it the more I kind of
like the idea of having an environmental “religion”. After all, I worship nature
every day! It would be different from paganism – something more in keeping with
the times - no flowing robes or sacrificial offerings. I like the idea of the
outdoors being my church, the flora and fauna my congregation, the sound of
birds singing and creeks flowing, my hymns. Solstice is Latin for “sun stands
still”, marking a day when the sun is closest to the earth. Tomorrow, much to
my delight, the days will begin getting longer as I look forward to spring. I
can’t think of a better time to celebrate than that. Ancient civilizations had
it right!
Today also marks the day the Mayan long count calendar ends, and many
believe that this, according to ancient Mayans, may signal the dawn of a new
era. I hope so, and I hope it’s a better one. Environmental destruction, global
warming, plagues, famine, drought, flooding, overpopulation, extreme weather,
war, disease, financial collapse, species extinctions, terrorism, and mass
shootings of little children. All of these things are too common in the news,
and all, preventable. Eventually, human civilization will be wiped out by one
apocalyptic event or another. Mother earth, however, will always be here -
evolving her landscapes, spinning, sputtering and being - just as she has for
billions of years. One could argue that earth created us, and potentially, has
the power to destroy us. Could the planet itself be “God”? Maybe not, but if
I’m going to worship anything, earth is it, and it seems just as fitting to me
to celebrate planetary cycles as anything else.