bjgreen
By Betsy J. Green
At 6:30 this morning, some 20 people sat silently in the dark on the steps of Old Mission Santa Barbara. Some meditated; others quietly observed the apricot glow around the islands on the horizon. The only sound was the faint burbling of the centuries-old fountain.
We were all waiting for the sun – today is Winter Solstice. Around the world, people were waiting for the sun. And through the centuries, people have been waiting for the sun on this date. It’s something that unites all of us – now and in the past.
Today is the shortest day of the year. After today, the days will be a little bit longer and a little bit lighter – day by day. That’s something to be thankful for in these dark times.
By John Palminteri
The “Time of Illumination” on the Winter Solstice morning at the Santa Barbara Old Mission creates a special sunrise flare through the doors, into the holy water and brings light to the dark church. At dawn today, those who knew of this, quietly arrived. It was outside and the holy water was covered, but the moment remained traditionally special. Father Larry Gosselin said the mass on a fold out table. A clear sky was just one of the blessings.
Odd that this ceremony is at an institution that coopted the ancient recognition of this demonstration of the physical laws of the universe and substituted myth in its place.