December 2025 WATERritual:
“The Return of Light and Hope”
with Diann Neu and the WATER Community
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83285953460
Preparation: Have candles near: an Advent wreath, Hanukkiah, Winter Solstice candle, Kwanzaa candle
Call to Gather
December is the season of festivals of light in the Northern Hemisphere. Virtually all cultures have their own ways of marking the time. Many religious traditions mark the return of light and hope: the Buddhist Bodhi Day on December 8; the Christian Advent November 30-December 24; the Jewish Hanukkah December 14-22; the Winter Solstice on December 21; the Chinese Dongzhi festival on December 21; the African American Kwanzaa December 26-January 1. Each beseeches the sun to return again and awaken hope, compassion, and justice. Tonight we dare to celebrate a ritual of light and hope in desperate times.
Song: “Light Is Returning” by C. Murphy, on Canticles of Light (Out Front Music © 1984) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXb4-aUIfTM
Light is returning, even though this is the darkest hour,
No one can hold back the dawn.
Let’s keep it burning, let’s keep the light of hope alive,
Make safe our journey through the storm.
One planet is turning, circling in her path around the sun,
Earth Mother is calling Her children home.
Meditation for Hope
Earth Mother is calling us to focus on the light of hope within us.
Light your candle and hold it.
Breathe in the light of hope… Breathe out the light of hope. 3x
Lighting Candles of Hope
From generation to generation, people honor the darkness and call light from the womb of night. We light five candles to welcome light and hope into an anguished world.
The Candle of the South:
I light our first candle, the candle of the South, to welcome hope into the Southern Hemisphere as they celebrate the Summer Solstice. We unite with the people of the Caribbean island nations as the Trump administration destroyed boats and seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela headed for Cuba.
May war cease now!
The Candle of the East:
I light the candle of the East in solidarity with those in Asia and the Middle East, especially civilians in Myanmar, Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Syria, and Kenya.
May peace come now!
The Candle of the North:
I light the candle of the North for those who are afraid of losing democracy, for immigrants, Muslims, Jews, communities of color, sexual and gender minorities, our trans siblings, and those who have experienced violence: gun violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and sexual violence.
May justice come now!
The Candle of the West:
I light the candle of the West for those who experience the devastation of natural catastrophes, wildfires, and flooding and those who work for climate justice.
May recommitment come now!
The Candle of the Center:
I light the candle of the Center for all of us, those who have died this season, and those who will be born this Solstice. Please put their names in the chat.
May serenity come now!
Blessing Our Lights
Let us bless these lights of hope.
Blessed are you, Holy One of Hope,
For you empower us and challenge us to kindle flames of hope.
Let us warm our hands over this fire.
Cup your hands over the flame,
And draw the light to your eyes three times.
For Resistance. For Solidarity. For Hope.
Let us open our hands outward and send light to those who need it now.
Poem “All Is Light” ©2022 Marsie Silvestro
Filigreed Light
filters in us
all kinds of revelations.
It fractures the darkness,
kaleidoscopes it’s unfolding
allowing us to discover the fertile soil
of our expanding soul,
cultivated through pain
and pushing through.
Light can be blinding
making us cringe and cry
closing us off
from embracing the warmth
of its Yes to living differently,
to face a truth
that invites us
to rise from the shadows
onto a new
and sparkling translucent path.
Light is a Magician
throwing wisdom’s stars
into our heart,
reminding us
we have all we need
to receive and perceive,
all is Light
in us.
SONG: I Am Light” by India.rie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-gxfx2QtY
Spreading the Light
Let us spread hope and light far and wide.
To friends who share joys and sorrows,
The light of friendship to you.
To the people living in war-torn countries,
The light of peace to you.
To people with cancer, and those who are sick,
The light of healing to you.
To families divided by differences,
The light of reconciliation to you.
To children of every race, family, and country,
The light of love to you.
To people in despair,
The light of hope to you.
To those who feel alone,
The light of connecting with community to you.
To those who are without homes,
The light of shelter to you.
To those who are hungry,
The gift of food to you.
To those who have no job,
The light of remunerative work to you.
To those who fight for human rights,
The light of resistance to you.
To those who are dying,
The light of a peaceful death to you.
To children being born this day,
The light of life and health to you.
To those who experience discrimination in any form,
The light of justice to you.
To those struggling to show up for themselves,
The light of self-love and forgiveness to you.
To the elected leaders of every country,
The light of solidarity and truth for the global community to you.
To women who experience violence from war, rape, and religion,
The light of safety and restitution to you.
To young children growing up today,
The light of hope to you.
Reflection | Sharing
What did you hear that inspires you to share hope and light?
How will you spread it?
How can we look out for each other during this Solstice season and beyond?
Prayers for the World
Take Action
Let us put our prayers into action.
- Take care of yourself
- Show up and engage in the fight for social justice
- Speak up about intolerance and injustice
- Don’t conform to harmful societal norms and reflect on your values
- Volunteer at a Women’s shelter or a food pantry in your community
Sending Forth
Close your eyes and feel the power of the darkness around you and within you.
Call forth your light, hope, and healing powers.
Filled with the power of this Season,
Let us go forth to be hope in the world.
Let us recommit to taking care of ourselves, living joyfully, sticking to our values and service, engaging in social justice and showing up for the fight, empowering others, protecting democracy, offering kindness and empathy, envisioning a better future, and spreading goodness and hope.
Let us resist violence and hatred; harmful stereotypes, behaviors and habits; manipulation, negative self-talk; intolerance, injustice; looking the other way; pessimism; pressure to conform to harmful societal norms.
Let us go forth to spread the good news of peace and hope far and wide.
May these be the songs in our hearts.
Song: “This Little Light of Mine,” Odetta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?coralv=J2kDsqGeoLU&ab_channel=EileenMLakaAdamfulgence
© 2025 Diann L. Neu, WATER: Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, dneu@hers.com