We have turned the year

In Wintering: the Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May describes a Winter Solstice gathering at Stonehenge. At the moment the sun crested the horizon, the crowd exchanged warm greetings, saying to one another, “We have turned the year.” This is a reference to the Eightfold Wheel of Life, which, in Druid and Pagan traditions, honors solar and lunar cycles and the patterns that connect all life.

It begins and ends with Yule, or Winter Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere in 2022, this happens at 4:48 PM ET on Wednesday, December 21.

We have turned the year, indeed. I love the way this phrase celebrates both the active energy of our endeavors and the inevitable, ineffable cycle of life.

Happy solstice to all who celebrate! Bring on the light.

Related: Don’t fight the winter.

Now THAT'S a solstice sunrise! 🌄 As we welcomed the coming of light, Stonehenge was glistening with frost and bathed in gold. Happy Winter Solstice!

Dont worry if you missed it, you can watch the sunrise from home! ➡️ https://t.co/pBcgETB3Qm

📍Stonehenge, Wiltshire pic.twitter.com/KLsvb5CfIg
— English Heritage (@EnglishHeritage) December 23, 2021

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the sunset and sunrise for #WinterSolstice from #Stonehenge safe from home - over a million of you! A bit of cloud didn't stop this beautiful way to start to the shortest day of the year. Wishing health and happiness this Winter Solstice. pic.twitter.com/zAvh8HoZRl
— Stonehenge (@EH_Stonehenge) December 21, 2020

In Ireland, there's a passage tomb older than Stonehenge and the Giza Pyramids, called Newgrange.

About 5200 years old, the central passage is aligned so, on the winter solstice, the Sun shines directly into the centre of the tomb.

Welcoming the New Year.

Happy #WinterSolstice pic.twitter.com/kV2kswARhO
— Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) December 21, 2020

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