Winter Solstice Sunrise and Yuletide Changes

Winter Solstice Sunrise is the first chant that I ever wrote before I wrote any songs. Sometime in 1981 (I was 19 or 20 years old) I started realizing that I could write music and not just reproduce it (I had been singing and playing music since I was a child) when I was asked by my coven to come up with a chant for our winter solstice ritual that we were planning to do.

The ritual was a bit more involved than usual. We chose a “mountain,” which folks out west would call a “hill,” and arrived at pre-dawn to climb up the path and reach the summit by dawn and my chant would be sung to the rising sun to welcome in the first morning of the lengthening days. It didn’t actually work out to plan. I look back at the amusing things that happened (now it’s amusing… not so much then).

We were carrying wax/candle type torches which dripped wax on our clothing and cloaks, we heard gunshots in the distance and worried that we might be mistaken for deer, it was really cold and we were all shivering and had to stop and participate in extra long guided meditations about 5 times (seemed like every few feet), and then arrived late for a dawn summit of the “mountain” (hill).

Even with all the mishegaas, it was memorable and really beautiful when we chanted in the dawn and looked over the forested mountain in the misty morning.

Often, when KIVA performs this chant we either come up to the stage playing and singing the chant or we do a guided meditation for the audience so they can experience a more idealized version of the ritual of ‘chanting up the sun’ with Winter Solstice Sunrise.

I recorded Winter Solstice Sunrise on my album, The Healing Art, for the first time in 1990 and KIVA released a different version on our Yuletide album ©2014 with a beautiful and haunting tin whistle melody by Brooke Parkhurst that sets the stage for this most recent recording of the chant. This is also my first picture video that I put together for KIVA.

Winter Solstice Sunrise

We are the earth
We are the womb
Come rising sun
Lead us from the tomb
By Ariana Lightningstorm- ©1990 Updated in 2014

Here’s a link to my YouTube “picture video” of Winter Solstice Sunrise. Enjoy!

Yuletide Changes

I wrote Yuletide changes during the time between fall and winter, the first line of the song came to me while I was driving and fall leaves were blowing around in the wind. The year was around 1986-87. I was still in the band, Pomegranate, and writing several songs of increasing complexity like Aphrodite’s Flowers and The Basin. I was working with Diana McFadden who played guitar and cello to work out the instrumental parts and Yuletide changes became a duet between guitar and voice.

In Yuletide Changes I wrote about my connection to the season and the spiritual energies moving through winter.

When I put together my first album, KIVA – The Healing Art, Winter Solstice Sunrise and Yuletide Changes were the first two songs of the album. In Yuletide, released in 2014, I did the same thing with the reboot of both songs. Yuletide was updated in 2013. The poem at the beginning and end of this song evoke the feeling that fall into winter brings up for me each year.

The Sun has been so far away
The nights are getting colder
Bright leaves in the wind did play
Our children getting older

Winter your cold breath does shine upon our souls so brightly
The frost and leaves and cold night wind is elegant and sprightly

The breath of snow, the days of grey, the winter killing nightly
I always wished my days away to see the sun shine brightly

Yuletide sun starts it’s journey back, some say young sun king burning
And it will be a long time on this track burdened deeply with our yearning

Winter snow covers all, Dark Lady has returned and her creatures slumber deeply

Winter Lord dances among bleached bones of the trees
Singing in a high wind screaming voice, making the heart cold freeze

At Yuletide we celebrate to bring back the sun’s power
To give our hearts warmth through the night – Winter’s darkest hour

Burn Yuletide log against our fears, to brighten our short days
To honor all our ancestors in keeping of their ways.

For we give the hope to all that spring will once again be
And the hope that is born on Solstice eve will fill our hearts with glee

Celebrate together and give our gifts of cheer
And know that soon a new spring will be here

The Sun has been so far away
The nights are getting colder
Bright leaves on the wind did play
Our children getting older
©Ariana Lightningstorm – Updated 8/30/13

This is the 2^nd Winter Solstice “picture video” that I released on YouTube December 22, 2020.

Enjoy & Welcome Yule!

Ariana Lightningstorm Winter, 2022

For more information about Ariana, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to KIVA’s and Ariana’s sites on the web, check out Ariana’s page on Pagan Song.

This post is part of a series by Ariana with posts about her songs for Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, all with beautiful picture videos for you to enjoy. Check them all out!

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