From the bright colours of the Autumnal Equinox to the tiny budding green of Imbolc, this is my favourite turning of Life’s Wheel.
It is the time when most of our spiritual celebrations are set into days that are filled with change and chaos by Nature.
The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere marks the strongest event in the year for almost all religions world-wide. Folk around the world celebrate the unity of Humanity with the Divine in some form or other. To join ourselves with the Divine, we make extra efforts to keep compassion and kindness close at hand. We think of things to give to our family and friends that are needed to bring them happiness. We take time to act in ways that comfort those who are hurting. We share our resources, food and drink with those we care about.
Even though I am Pagan, I try to hold some of the spiritual ethics from my Episcopalian upbringing. Growing up, I loved the music of the season. There was a classic, antiquated sound that brought to mind my ancestry of England on my mother’s side. I would picture the snow, Victorian towns, beautiful clothing, with all the trappings of a Dickensian Christmas.
One of the songs I loved most haunted my subconscious musical mind. It had a melody of old, almost medieval, and most of the lyrics matched an ancient feeling of connectedness with the land and Nature. But many versions had different words and I felt something was missing or changed. Once I became Pagan and learned the imagery of the Lord and Lady, I realized what I was missing in this song. The Holly King was there, but the Ivy Queen was gone. I took the liberty of that time honoured tradition to change the lyrics to fit the need, and recorded a version that I felt much more equal and truer to my Pagan heart.
As Heather Alexander, I had the pleasure of working with author Irene Radford and her series entitled “Merlin’s Descendants”. Irene coined a phrase that stuck with me up through this day: “A spell is nothing but a prayer”. In her five-book series, she employed the interplay of Celtic Christianity and Paganism as they learned to co-exist, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes not.
I wrote a piece for the album that goes with her books that reflected the same idea. Latin Imagery and Magical Elements with different melodies combine into one melody that calls and answers itself. It makes comparisons of oneness and harmony. I later re-recorded it for my winter album, pulling out some of the tracking of Heather’s voice and replacing it with my new voice as Alexander James Adams.
It occurred to me during this that not only had I united Christianity and Paganism in strong harmony, but now I was doing the same with my old self and my new. Much to say, this song was the most emotionally challenging thing for me to do at that time. There was a shock of something I could not quite identify that hit me every time I spoke in unity with myself. It was like I was finally at “One-ment” with myself. It was a feeling that I had previously never dreamed possible.
That moment of Oneness is what I strive for now with everyone and everything I meet. In Perfect Truth, we are all one. We are all united as Creatures in this world. We are much better served comparing our sameness rather than flexing our differences. This season is about forgiveness which is not reserved for Christians alone. Yes, there have been horrid injustices done in the past, but we all need to stop rehashing the old deeds and act with new ones, recognizing that while that things were misappropriated to serve a different dogma, the fact is we now have similar ideals between us and that should bring us more peace than conflict.
In the Northern Hemisphere during December, we have great opportunity to co-exist as Pagans with our Christian friends. As they celebrate the birth of Christ, a babe that brings redemption to Mankind, we have the birth of the Sun, the Light that brings rebirth to the Land.
Using the feminine perspective that I was gifted at the time, I wanted to write a song that reflected both these concepts, allowing both of my friends, Christian or Pagan, to sing along with me, together. I wanted the classic sound of tall gothic churches and ancient, simple imagery. I wanted to give it a feeling of unity that inspired the concept to come together and honour an event that resets the world, giving us all the opportunity to do better than we had done before, inspired by a new Light to guide our choices.
The longing for that classic style of holiday carol never leaves me. As a singer/songwriter I miss the harmonies, chord progressions and melodic effects that church bells and choirs use to sing their praises to a Deity that I no longer excusively resound with. Now, when I wish to write music that honours my Pagan idolatry, I go back to the musical roots that lifted my heart and soul, and gave me a more hopeful perspective for the world around me. As I said, in Perfect Truth, we are not so different in what we all hold sacred. A Divine Light that guides, protects and inspires us to become as it is: warming, nurturing of comfort and safety, supporting in all the struggles that affect us and those we love.
It is my wish to leave our Pagan community a decent sized collection of music that lifts the heart, clears the head, and emboldens us all to rise above the chaos of destruction and inspire us to be the builders of a new community where all are free to be unique in their Divinity, and still united in respect and honour as one with all the Realm around us.
It remains my one wish that we, as Creatures of Humanity, will evolve beyond our fearful minds and empower our hearts instead. It is not our design to immediately run from that which is different. A strong mind will stop, watch, listen and learn more of what it is looking at before making a choice to fight, run or dare approach in curious resonance. If we do more of this, that curious resonance that we seek will be found and what was once an unlikely partnership can become a sound bond of trust and cooperation resulting in a strength of intent that overpowers any single design. When we are united, we are stronger than one.
At this time in the dark of winter, I wish you all the Brightest Light of Solstice. May you find harmony within yourselves and so with others so that together, we will never thirst and never hunger.
Blessed Solstice and Happy Holidays to All! Gods Bless Us, Everyone!
For many more posts about the Yule Sabbat and pagan music for the season, please check out our Winter Solstice page, where they are all gathered together, as well as our Spotify list of pagan music for Yule.
For more information about Alexander James Adams, including his collected articles here on Pagan Song, his bio, and links to Alec’s sites on the web, check out Alexander James Adams’ page on Pagan Song.
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Blessed Solstice to you!
And to you, my friend!