play with light and dark to Create your own solstice chant.
Photo by Eva Bronzini.
Feel free—of course—to revisit my Solstice post from last year. It’s an evergreen one, and worth trying out every year to see what happens and how you’ve changed.
But for something new…
Read and enjoy Annie Finch’s “Winter Solstice Chant” and then create a chant of your own using the prompts below. It’s magic, it’s playful, it’s weird. It’s writing for the sake of experimentation and enjoyment.
Guided Writing: Edge of Winter Sky
Quick recommendation: Find a special cozy place for this writing sesh. Light a lovely-smelling candle and have a favorite object nearby—a special stone, a small book of poetry you love, a Tarot card you’ve pulled recently, or a talisman of any kind.
As in my previous prompt, I’d recommend making a favorite hot beverage for this winter writing. Tea, coffee, mulled wine, cocoa. Splash out on the beverage and accompanying holiday cookies if you so desire.
Pull up Annie Finch’s “Winter Solstice Chant”—read twice, once aloud if you feel comfortable, and ponder for a few minutes.
Consider your own landscape—wherever you live in the world or happen to be in this season, at this axis of the year when the sun pauses and shifts. What does the ground/sky/air look and feel like? What is growing/resting/moving? Write for 7 minutes, simply describing your environment, whether that’s a small corner of yard, a mountain, a patio garden, or the view of a city street.
Vines, leaves, roots of darkness, growing,
now you are uncurled and cover our eyes
with the edge of winter sky
Play with the formula above, taking inspiration from your landscape observation*. Fill in these blanks: [elements you wish to focus on/call in] + [what they do/how they exist]. Try out different combos for 5-7 minutes (or whatever you like) until you’ve come up with something you dig. *You can also play with elements that aren’t wild/natural/of the earth. You can call in emotions, objects, anything.
Vines, leaves, roots of darkness, growing,
come with your seasons, your fullness, your end.
Now play with the formula in the latter half of Finch’s poem. Fill in these blanks: [elements you wish to focus on/call in] + [what you want them to do]. This is like your charge to/request of these elements! Try out different combos for 5-7 minutes until you’re satisfied.
Take a breath. Take another one for good measure.
Step outside, if the weather allows, or find a window and take a few minutes to read your chant aloud. Look up to the gray/blue/cloudy/bright sky and call out your words.
Bonus: Check out Annie Finch’s YouTube channel and enjoy some varying interpretations of her work as well as some of her in-person readings. https://www.youtube.com/@AnnieFinchPoetryWitch
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