Winter Solstice Meditations
By Nikki McDaid
As a family, we wait in our autumn camp for the sun to speak to us
It is nearly time to transition to winter
but we still eagerly wait for our northern relatives to arrive
They should be here soon;
the sun has almost risen
Gulls circle nearby
The humans look toward the water and the horizon
Sweet and heady aromas of
sage, tobacco, and sweetgrass
Their prayers carried on smoke, drumbeats, quiet songs, and wings of bia-kwina
They are here for the same reason we are
Ushering in change
Beginnings and endings – the beginning of the cold season and end of lengthening nights.
In the distance we see them on the water
emerging slowly from the darkness
Our hearts full, quiet yet excited chatter as we meet
Our beaks touch, then our necks
Compassionate greetings
We celebrate there with the humans
They remark on the sky turning blue above yellow pink red and tangerine
Warmth
A brilliant sunrise for a day with no rainfall, the sun celebrates his return
The sun tells us it’s time to go
Our relatives from the north stay
As we move slowly on
We’ll swim south for a time before taking to the sky ourselves
Another season waits for us.
Winter Solstice Meditations
