Pen & ink, colored pencils on paper ©2016 Joan Waters. 

December 21st~Today is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the shortest day of the year. The solstice (from the Latin ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘sun-stopping’) occurs at 3:44 am MST in Phoenix, Arizona, (use this link to find the local time of the solstice in your location, plus lots of other interesting information about solstices and equinoxes).

The daylight hours will lengthen from this point until the March Equinox, when day and night are nearly equal in length. Lights, feasting and festivals around the world celebrate this turning of the sun, the return of the light. As we mark this time of year, we celebrate connections with each other and with our Earth. Prepare for light, growth, and unexpected gifts which may surprise. (Incidentally, in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the Summer Solstice.)

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