Solstices. Crisalis .

asked for light, love and healing energy and with all her might send it through Thomas’s feet, his lymphatic lines and lymphatic nodes, which were both full of cancer, up to his head.

      After fifteen minutes she felt she couldn’t take any more, she had to stop. She stroked down to his feet and finished in laying her hands on the stone floor. She concentrated on letting all the energy that didn’t belong to her flow into the floor. When she opened her eyes Thomas was looking at her. He smiled and there was a small light in his eyes. Charlotte swallowed and when she began to speak she didn’t know where the words came from, but it was her voice that said,

      'Thomas, whether you live or die is not decided by the physicians in the hospital. Perhaps they can’t even influence at all whether you live or die. You and you alone decide to live or die. It is probably not your conscious ego that makes this decision, but certainly your inner self. You have to decide, you have to want to live and you have to fight for it.'

      Thomas looked at her wide-eyed but the former doubts had vanished from his eyes.

      'You must demand to be given the other medication, no matter how expensive it is. It’s your life that’s at stake. Refuse to take the medicine you’ve been given so far.'

      'Yes,' Thomas answered, and continued with increasing enthusiasm, 'I’ll ask the young assistant physician again. He’s already talked to me about it. I think he wanted to change my medication anyway, but of course he wasn’t allowed to make that decision on his own.'

      'But he will be able to tell you the correct name and the dose you ought to be given, which will enable you to make a definite demand!'

      Suddenly there was an atmosphere of hope in the room. 'And what’s more, you should consult my own healer, Barbara. She’s taught me, and she’ll be able to help you and treat you better than I ever could. I think your disease is beyond my abilities. I can only give you what I’ve given you today. I can’t do any more.'

      Thomas seemed to understand. He was going to stay in his flat for a while longer after Charlotte left. He wanted to enjoy the feelings he had experienced and to strengthen them before he returned to the hospital and its oppressive atmosphere.

      'Call me if you need my support, and call Barbara first thing tomorrow morning.'

      Charlotte left convinced that a miracle had just taken place. Her whole body was filled with a warm sensation and she felt a deep thankfulness. As she went back through the park, the blackbird was still singing. Charlotte knew that she had not healed Thomas, but she had triggered something in him. Now he would seek ways to get well and perhaps he would find healing. Suddenly she realised that perhaps his life had just been saved and a bright joyful laugh bubbled up in her throat.

      Winter Solstice

      21 December

      Earth is sleeping

      ∞Darkness∞

      ∞We light a candle in the dark∞

      ∞to heal and to love∞

      ∞May love and healing grow, when the days become longer∞

       Long nights, short days. The season of darkness. We fight the cold and hold our own against the damp darkness, cold rain or fog. Sometimes we can’t accept the fact that darkness is setting in sooner every day, and we are robbed of daylight. Society as a whole is subject to apparently pointless and aimless, stressful activity as if the end of the year marks the end of everything. Is this heightened activity perhaps some kind of way of escaping the darkness? We flood our towns with lights, decoration and music and keep wondering why the darkness still remains cold in us.

      The winter solstice. This ritual is not about extinguishing darkness with light and candles, but about honouring the longest night and darkness, the darkness in us. Darkness is not simply void, cold and threatening. Darkness and night consist of many different dimensions, all of which are going to be looked into tonight. Only if there is darkness will there be light. From darkness we can gather hope, if we manage to feel the darkness and respect it. Based on this acceptance, we can now light a candle, a light for healing and love. The more we accept darkness, the more candles we will be able to light for ourselves and for others.

      From this day onwards the light is coming back, and daylight will last a little longer every day. We cannot really notice it yet, we can’t see it, but we know the days are continually getting longer. Our healing can grow in just the same way, our love for all beings, if we feed it enough.

      Ritual for winter solstice: We form a circle. The room is dark or we draw the curtains and darken the room once everyone has taken her place in the circle. The centre point is one large candle. Everyone has brought three candles, which have been arranged to form an inner circle. We start by meditating about darkness: darkness in nature, darkness in us. What does darkness feel like if we try to feel it? It is possible to conduct this first part outside in the dark. Then we return to the warm room.

      Everyone now lights their three candles: the first for a place on earth that needs love and healing, the second will be dedicated to a person, an animal or a plant in need of healing and the third candle is lit for ourselves. If you like, you can name your wishes aloud. Finally the large candle is lit: May all living creatures of this earth find healing and love.

      And again there has to be a festive meal and celebrations after the ritual…

      Position of Solstice in the Annual Cycle: Samhain sent us into the season of darkness. We met and honoured our ancestors, but also suffering, illness and death. This day we have reached the mid-point of the dark season, and we honour darkness. If today we can bring love, joy and healing into our world with our candles, we are laying the foundations for the returning sun at Candlemas to give a bright light to our visions, which we will use to make plans and colour our future brightly.