Thoroughly bundled in a warm wool coat and bulky. Mittens, I assemble myself for my new tradition, a winter solstice walk new because I only began last year previously. I didn't mark the solstice with Any rituals walks or poetry mostly, I was simply grateful when the longest night of the year arrived. Knowing that this signaled, the beginning of longer daylight hours to come winter, had truly arrived. And with it, these sacred and
still dark days. And yet each step in the snow was one toward a little more light. The winter solstice is the darkest day of the year, but it is this very darkness that helps me appreciate each. And every new minute of daylight we receive as time, moves us onward, toward more light. This year feels different. I'm savoring winter in a way I never have before. There are both subtle shifts in my life and larger changes in my career, which I am taking time to process.
I'm taking time to savor wintering using my resources to absorb the last 12 months and prepare for the new year. Ahead wintering is a concept. I recently learned from Katherine May based on her book of the same title wintering is the act of doing what winter does. Slowing down pulling resources into oneself, exploring quiet, time and activities and finding healing through small things. But that's where the transformation occurs.
Though, I didn't previously practice rituals for the winter solstice. I have always celebrated Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights like so many stories told deep during winter light can often be interchangeable with hopes or Miracles. How do we during these darker months? Find ways to let light in and let light become a part of our lives. My name is Dori Robinson and this is tree speech a podcast where we strive to listen to the forest through the trees.
This week's episode was written and recorded in Massachusetts on the native lands of the wabanaki Confederacy, Penacook massachusett and Pawtucket people. And in New York on the land of the Lenape tribes Tree speech is co-written and produced by Jonathan's out, Nur with a light theater. Guild, in today's episode, we'll explore the winter solstice through a midwinter walk in the
woods. Including several folk tales about the season, rituals old, and new and an interview with Jonathan Burns of London Christmas tree rental, who offers an environmentally sustainable option to celebrate the lights of you'll Learning about the winter solstice from our episode last year was very special to me. I felt fortunate to share tales and traditions from around the world. Now, I carry those stories with me as I walk today and I will share a few.
As we listen for new Tales, the trees want to tell a bit of History and Science before we jump in the word Solstice derives from the Latin word, Solstice IAM and translates to Sun stand still in the northern hemisphere. The Need 22 Solstice took place on Wednesday, December 21st and occurs when either of the Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun, the early Romans Egyptians Druids and others observed. That by December the fields were
no longer producing. Crops leaves had fallen off trees and many plants had died. Daylight hours, were waning, and the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky in a world without internet. Nets almanacs satellites or knowledge of astronomy, the increasing darkness and Colder. Weather inspired fear in order to dispel the sphere cultures from around the world developed rituals to beckon the sun to return to its full Glory rather than continuing on its path
disappearing. More and more each day each culture, Mark the ebbing presence of the sun and the sky fire festivals and rituals were born out of eating the sun with light and warmth and simply needing to Stave off the cold. At this time of year, I used to take to the woods almost solely searching for answers or Solace since then the world of this particular Forest has grown less mysterious and more welcoming. I've seen several trees enough times to discover their names.
I've listened to the Creeks of various trees leaning on one another for support. And I've heard woodpeckers tapping. About what sounds like messages while hunting for food. I watched as The Little Brook dried up during the summer droughts and celebrated when the rain and water return. This fall today, I bring the forest some small offerings carrying several gourds, beautiful, fall decorations, that can now feed the deer and
other creatures in the woods. A friend, showed me an area recently, where deer come to drink, I just need to remember which way to go, so Speakers were wandering this path together. Thinking about the dear, I am reminded about the Dear Mother. The feminine source for the story of Rudolph long ago. People believed that the dear mother took flight on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice carrying the sun's life-giving lights safely
in her. Antlers all while drawing, the sleigh of the sun goddess behind her known as the life-giving mother. Dear mother has long been associated with the gifts of fertility, Regeneration and The Rebirth of the Sun in so many ways. She perfectly encapsulates. The winter solstice in ancient drawings and pictographs. Her antlers are often depicted as the Tree of Life carrying the sun moon and stars. What a wonderful reminder. That something magical might
happen at any time. This is one of the most potent lessons about the winter solstice, for me. That magic, It is inter woven into our everyday lives even and maybe, especially during this darker time of the year. The trees on this particular Trail are mostly bare with a few distinct, Evergreen saplings, growing, and holly leaves and bushes to be found. Holly symbolizes many things for different cultures. Pagans believed that the prickly Thorn would ward off evil spirits.
The Celts believed that the undersides of their leaves would provide shelter for fairies who in turn would be kind to any homeowner who hung Holly branches for the Romans, Holly was an emblem of the Agricultural. God, Saturn and thus used as decoration during saturnalia an ancient Roman pagan Festival. Honoring the agricultural God, Saturn Saturnalia celebrations are the source of many of the traditions. We now associate with Christmas.
Saturnalia took place from December 17th through the 23rd though. Historians are unsure exactly. When saturnalia was first celebrated. It was most certainly an ongoing event by 300 BCE and was a time
for a heavy drinking. And for subverting the social order, people decorated with candles Holly, Evergreen branches, they exchanged gifts and celebrated the returning, light much like our modern day Christmas, saturnalia was a day free from work and school, and the Roman senate was prohibited from declaring war during the holiday.
The Fragrant and abundant greens feel so, vibrant against the other colors along this Trail for me evergreens are some of the most enjoyable parts of the season. It's their time to shine. Speaking of Evergreens, perhaps the most recognizable decoration of the season is the Yule Tree or Christmas tree, which is usually a pine fir Cedar, Juniper or Spruce, the exact Origins are disputed but aspects It can be traced back to Celtic Germanic and Viking Traditions.
The Christmas tree we now know with brightly colored decorations and light developed in Germany and then spread throughout Europe and North America in the 19th century. Martin Luther is often credited with adding candles to a Christmas tree in the 1500s, but the first documented lighting of a yuletide Evergreen wasn't until 1660 in Germany.
In fact, candles are mentioned in almost The every solstice celebration in fighting a bit of light into the darkness after their adoption or invention by Martin Luther Christmas trees became very popular in Germany, but it would be a few centuries before they were brought to the English-speaking World.
Christmas trees, first became popular in England due to the influence of Prince. Albert, the husband of Queen, Elizabeth after his marriage to Elizabeth in 1840, Albert began, decorating the All residents with the German Christmas tree, inspiring, millions of others to begin the tradition in England and later in the United States. Recently, we learned about London Christmas tree rental, founded in 2018 but Jonathan Burns and Katherine Loveless. A few years ago, the two were
struck by how many Christmas trees were on the streets waiting to be thrown away. After a bit of research, they learned that 7 million trees are cut down each year in the United Kingdom. In the US the number of trees cut down is estimated to be between 33 and 36 million. Many of these trees go into landfills and aren't able to decompose properly or in a sustainable way.
Instead they wrought and emit greenhouse gases with a mission to do things differently, Jonathan and Katherine explored a rental option and created their own Christmas tree, rental business. We spoke with Jonathan Justice. The season was becoming very busy for him about the sustainable way to Mark the holiday, let's listen to that interview. Now, Hi, Jonathan. Hi Dory. How are you today? Yeah, I'm very good. Thank you very much, indeed.
How are you so far, so good? Thank you for making the time to speak with us. We're really getting into your busiest season. It's great to have the opportunity to talk to you guys and you're absolutely right. It's it's approaching the busy time. Yeah, well, wondering Christmas tree. Rental is such a unique business practice, and it's something so special and so sustainable. And I'm excited to speak with you about it. Can you walk us through the
process of renting a tree? No problem at all. So London. Christmas tree rental is you say we have our website at London, Christmas tree rental.com and we've kept it. I think relatively straightforward, prospective customers are going online and choosing a tree that it's is a Norway spruce. So it's a prickly a tree than your average fir tree, but they have A choice 3, 4 4 4 5 foot 6 foot, simply click that link order that tree, pay a 30-pound refundable deposit, and you get
a choice. If you're a previous customer, you've rolling over a tree from previous years, then you can have delivery. If you are a new customer, then we asked you to come to one of our collection hubs and choose a tree. Take the tree for Christmas, bring it back. That's sort of what I'd how to do it. We and that the Hub operation is a fantastic way to engage with our customers. And we've also found that choosing a tree can be, so very
subjective. It's, it's like human beings, you know, one person's company, isn't someone else's, you know, some people come along with the like, oh, there's a really weird looking one. I love it. I would say that would be me. So what is your background and what led you to start this business? I'm not a farm of never really been anything more than just enjoyed Christmas and my kids love Christmas.
And if this idea just came to me while I was walking around West London, 1 January and I don't know how it is where you guys are but for us in London, it's it's very noticeable. Will have trees for sale in late. November early December. People will take those cut trees home though, using for Christmas, and then, after Christmas gets to January and then all these trees are
discarded. So we just had Christmas tree graveyards on the Streets of London, and for me, I was walking around and I come up with a brand am ideas, how do we do this a bit better? Surely, there's got to be a better way to do Christmas and specifically do Christmas trees. So that is how the idea came to be is Just a walk with my business partner, Catherine walking around the streets of West London, and me, coming up with an idea and then between us. Then how do we now put this into
practice? And we trialed it and it sort of works. And then it just grew, excuse the pun year on year and then you spruced it up from there. So the trees grow in pots. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Yeah, so the That's exactly. They always Bruce trees that are grown from saplings in small parts and then as they grow the pot size grows and we do have a limit at the moment, which really means the tree is a 6 to 7 foot tree just because the pot restricts, it, who knows?
Who knows how the future will unfold and maybe there is an opportunity to go bigger bigger part. Sorry, are there special things that need to be done to care for the trees? These trees are quite a hardy, hardy Bunch actually. As long as they are in the irrigation system songs that are watered.
And sometimes they get a bit of a trim, a couple of times a year, just to keep that shape as much as possible, bit of care, a bit of water and the right amount of sunshine and they generally are going to look after themselves. That's amazing. So, that's the part when the tree is brought back until the next holiday. A season. It's mostly. Watering a little trimming, a little care.
Yeah, and generally me walking around soaking up the smells because beautiful smells you get from your cup trees? Is that is effectively the tree dying? That's, that's what's happening. I don't have that. So, I can walk around the small trees and the big trees and smell the trees as if they're living. And and it's actually really quite noticeable. You mentioned on the website that you encourage people to name their trees. So that next year, they can reorder. The same one.
How did you start that process and what are some of the favorite names? You've heard as a good question, I don't know. You get the Sparkles, you get the Brewster's Spruce. You know, you get those little things and they're actually quite nice as some people leave decorations on. I think that's partially to make sure they get the same tree back and it's not just a replacement one, that's quite nice. I feel there's a there's a connection then with their customers, this isn't just a
transaction. What else? Have you learned by spending? So much time with trees? Did you spend this much time with trees before you started this business? No, I love the outdoors. I love the hills and the mountains, and I've got to say when you're having a tough day, stressful days, getting out and about and doing some of the manual labor around the trees. It's tougher disease at the end of the day.
You know, you've had a good workout and there's just something that is something really quite refreshing. It is a stress. It's really quite peaceful as well. Actually. It's calming it's peaceful. It's a bit of an oasis in a very busy world that we live in what a special thing to have helping trees and preventing trees ending in landfill, you know, and what is the feedback been from your customers? Yeah this is where it's really nice.
Actually the engagement we have our customer hubs the emails. We get saying we love the idea. We love having a tree. We enjoy the experience or we have although it was a bit more prickly than we thought. But it meant it kept the dog away. So there's all sorts of great feedback that comes and it's it's just so nice. So nice to be able to provide this service. It's just yeah, lovely. You made something really special happen in a short amount of time with this.
What are your goals for your business in the future? Oh wow. That's a big question. My dream, I guess I'd love to have 10,000 trees. I mean, that's an incredible number. I don't even know what 10,000 trees looks like. Imagine being able to do service 10,000, customers of some sort of inner part of London. I think I feel that if I can have an ambitious goal, then if I make it sixty percent of the way there or something, then I'm doing something slightly better
than I was yesterday. You know. Right. Right. And how wonderful to know that you're offering something that's That benefits so many people and that it's an idea that can grow that has I would say that has legs but what we really mean is it has roots. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Jonathan it is inspiring that you had an idea made it a reality and this idea is making the planet a better more sustainable place. Thank you so much for what you
do and for joining us today. Dora, thank you so much really, really kind of you to say and it's been an absolute Pleasure. We really appreciate it. All the best. Jonathan and his partner, Catherine show us the power in
revisiting holiday traditions. So as to make them more sustainable, even more, the fact that they sell out every year means that the idea is catching on and will hopefully grow as we see with many of these winter solstice and holiday traditions, they change with time London. Didn't Christmas tree.
Rental is an example of how we can hold onto the meaning behind our favorite Traditions, but keep them in sustainable ways that are good for our Earth and each other, Okay, after a few twists and turns I finally found my path where the deer hang out. It's muddy but I don't mind. I'm wearing Hardy boots, wool socks and even leg warmers which is a very underrated article of clothing, in my opinion. Now, I'm going to throw these gourds over to the other side of the marshy water.
So that the dear mothers can eat in peace, Great. Okay. Well, now that the deer can eat, I'll take a moment and drink some tea, just need to find a slightly less soggy sitting area. It's a good stump. It's really nice to drink something hot and cozy especially because my nose is cold. There's been some really nice rain lately so there's a lot of bright Moss everywhere I look
and also mushrooms. There's a lot of different fungi in the area which reminds me of an interesting mushroom, the Amanita muscaria mushroom that has an unexpected lineage to Christmas. You're probably familiar with these mushrooms from their striking appearance, a bright red hats, and white dots, various scientists and anthropologists have learned that the smush room was used hundreds of years ago in the winter, solstice ceremonies of
the indigenous peoples of the North Pole such as the Quarry, ack of Siberia. The solstice was a ceremonial and festive time for the indigenous communities in the Arctic during which shamans collected. The Amanita muscaria, mushroom. And led rituals that utilize their hallucinogenic properties, the mushrooms were extremely toxic and a process had to take place to render them safe, including placing them on the branches of Pines to dehydrate.
The second method was to put them in socks and spread them over the fire. An image that closely resembled the Christmas tradition of hanging Christmas stockings over a fireplace after the shaman had ingested them. Mushrooms. The hallucinations and reactions of the Amanita began. The legend says that during their trip, the shamans managed to see the future of the community and they would turn into animals and fly toward the North Star in search of knowledge to share.
At the end of the hallucinogenic experience, they would return to the group to begin a solstice ceremony which included sharing their Visions with the community. Shamans Good Tropic. Journeys are believed to be related to the idea that Santa Claus travels with his sleigh and reindeer through the sky to deliver gifts over time. This shamanic archetype changed and it is said that with the travel of Druids, this tradition, spread to Great Britain, then through cultural exchange.
It was combined with Germanic and Nordic myth says, well a cheerful playful and a times realistic. Santa Claus was the Ian, that Coca-Cola gave the illustrator Haddon sundblom in 1931 which led to the current image of Santa Claus. Who is dressed in a suit of red and white closely, resembling the Amanita muscaria mushrooms themselves It is important to Mark our growth in understanding and inclusion at this time, as well. Last winter solstice, We examined.
What we thought was the history of the Poinsettia, but we did not know the whole story this year to make amends, we include the full account. The original name for the plant, we call, poinsettia is quite less show, shell cultivated by the Aztecs long before the European colonization of the Americas. The Aztecs used quite Lush. Oh she'll for a variety of purposes, including decorations and the production of red and purple dyes as well as for
medicines derived. From the plants milky white sap responding to the lengthening nights after the autumnal equinox wild quetta shell in. Western Mexico, came into full bloom by the month of December the timing of this annual Bloom for wild. Quit Lachelle began. The plants association with the Christmas season, during the 16th century, when missionaries spread, the Catholic faith, through the indigenous communities in Mexico, in the southwestern Mexico City of Taxco.
Franciscan friars, use the plant to decorate, a nativity scenes, the plants subsequently came to be called La Fleur De Noche, Buena. Literally the Christmas Eve flower or simply the Christmas flower.
In 1828, quit Le show shell was taken from its native home and brought to the United States by Joel Roberts Point set, the US ambassador to Mexico after successfully cultivating the unique plant in his South Carolina, Greenhouse Point, set began sharing, the plant with friends and colleagues, who marveled at the plants colorful transformation during the holiday season quietly show shell came to be known by its
most enduring name. Poinsettia after the man who first appropriated the plant from Mexico Point set is celebrated for introducing the Poinsettia to the United States. However, his legacy as a slave owner and his role in the displacement of countless Native. Americans have led people today to reject the name poinsettia in favor of the plants native named Quentin show shell.
This year, the winter solstice and Hanukkah overlap Hanukkah, commemorates, the maccabean revolt against the Greeks and the second century, BCE marked by the rededication of the second temple. The story told to Children is that there was only enough oil to light.
The Candelabra for one night, yet it lasted for eight nights Hanukkah is actually a minor holiday but grew in popularity after the Great Waves of Eastern European immigration of Jews came Came to the United States at the turn of the century, the
Jewish immigrants. Now had Christian neighbors who celebrated Christmas which often made Jewish children feel left out so Hanukkah and all its lovely rituals grew while mostly known for things such as Foods cooked in oil like latkes potato pancakes, and sufganiyot donuts and four games like dreidels spinning tops. That's not really what the holiday is about. One of the main themes is A
great miracle happened. One involving hope Against All Odds and light during very dark times one which allowed the Jewish people to rededicate the second temple in Jerusalem. In fact, Hanukkah means rededication. It's interesting to me to have a holiday in the darkest month of the year to explore the idea of rededication during the darkest time asking ourselves. How do we want to take our next steps? Do we want to dedicate ourselves
to? This is also the time of year when people make New Year's resolutions, looking on their actions of the previous year and hoping to embrace their best possible. Futures in the year to come. One of the main ways to celebrate, the holiday is to light the canoe Kia, a 9 branched candelabra, increasing
one candle every night. There's always a bit of dramatic build for me, starting with just one candle, plus the main candle, the shamash, which lights the others and increasing one more light every day of the week until finally, it's full and glows beautifully Against The Dark Knight Hanukkah with its themes of Hope rededication unlight. Resonates differently with me this year with the growing rise in anti-Semitism across the United States, I feel myself
clinging to this sweet holiday. All the more this year, I'm trying to truly let the light in wherever I can find it physically through the Hanukkah candles or Solstice, Yule Log, but spiritually even more. I have found light through the
hope and inspiration. So many of our guests have shared with us this season, they each let light in, in their own ways, powerful caring woman, all of whom are change makers in their communities and Beyond from Kristen Patterson of project drawdown, exploring the intersection of climate Justice and Reproductive Rights casaya Bascom, whose Grassroots compost business diverted, over two million pounds of food scraps, Craps from landfills, and we spoke with writer Storyteller
and fellow podcaster. Heather Porter on ways to connect science, and in ecology and about the wisdom of the Sacred rot. During the fall months. Finally, we spoke with musician and educator neshama carlebach on examining our family trees, and finding ways to create new branches saplings and forests. Each of these inspiring women, share, light with the world, Old through the work that they do.
It is powerful to note that at a time when women's rights are being challenged and our bodily autonomy is at Great risk. There are simultaneously so many extraordinary women who are leading the charge in building care and greater Consciousness for our communities and environments. When I reflect on them. I have great hope even during these dark days. I'm just finishing my walk now pretty soon, I'll head home to take part in another new winter, solstice tradition, my neighbors.
And I now gather for the solstice and make a fire together, someone is making proper was sale. Even we often let go of something from the past year by writing down, thoughts on pieces of paper and offering those to the fire, giving us a chance to start new and fresh in the next year. This year, I'm letting Quite a bit, go into the fire and leaving what I can behind in 2022. But next year, I really am looking forward to embracing light in all its forms.
For me, I'll be thinking about ways to give myself a little bit of space. I've been a perfectionist in the past, and if there is anything, these last three years have taught me. It is to let go of how we normally look at things and our Plans. There's a Yiddish saying that man plans and God laughs, and I would love to open up to the light of flexibility and possibility and Grace. In this new year. Last year, we ended our winter solstice walk in the Woods,
reading a poem. Let's continue this tradition, shall we? It is my pleasure to send you into the winter, solstice with this poem called the shortest day by Susan Cooper. And so the shortest day came and the year died and everywhere down, the centuries of the Snow White world came, people singing dancing to drive the dark away. They lighted, candles in the winter trees, they hung their homes, with Evergreen, they burned, beseeching fires, all night long to keep the year alive.
And when the New Year's Sunshine blazed awake, they shouted reveling through all the frost Ages. You can hear them echoing behind us. Listen, all the long Echoes sing the same Delight. This shortest day as promised weakens in the sleeping land. They Carol Feast, give. Thanks and dearly loved their friends and hope for peace. And now, so do we here now, this year and every year and welcome, you'll Thank you for joining us.
We wish you a warm inspiring Solstice filled with light and look forward to connecting with you, to learn more about our podcast and episodes. Please visit tree speech. Podcast.com we're thrilled to be able to offer interviews, creative insights and stories about the natural world we live in and the trees who guide our way. Please also consider supporting us through our patreon.
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