Rediscover the awe of the Winter Solstice through long-lost Celtic & Christian rituals
Christmas wasn’t always a whirlwind of commercialized rituals and frenzied shopping like it is for so many today.
Much of what we now call Christmas was originally part of the Winter Solstice, recognized by the Celts as a time of change, a threshold from one season to the next that heralded the rebirth of the sun and the enduring promise of life.
This was a time when dualities merged in harmony — spirit and earth, light and dark, male and female — to usher in the return of generosity and generativity, referred to by the Celts as the Golden Child… and by Christians as Jesus the Christos.
On Tuesday, October 18, with Alexander John Shaia, PhD, ritualist and teacher of mystical spirituality, you’ll explore where Celtic and Christian rituals have converged throughout time to create our most beloved Christmas traditions — and learn long-lost practices for reconnecting with the Earth and the sanctity of the holiday season.
Here’s an incredible opportunity to deepen your mystical connection with Christmas and the Winter Solstice, reconnect with the Earth, and make your holiday traditions sacred again through Celtic and Christian symbolism, mystics, myths, and merriment.
You can register here for Rediscover the Generosity, Generativity & Awe of the Winter Solstice Through Long-Lost Celtic & Christian Rituals.
In this insightful online event, you’ll:
- Rediscover the rich symbolism of the Sacred Feminine, the Sacred Masculine, and the Golden Child — sanctifying your holiday season with new meaning, depth, and tradition
- Learn how to embrace a sacred darkness so as to birth yourself anew — and why lighting candles in and not against the dark is an antidote to the pain of insularity — and a way to meet the dark time with generosity and generativity
- Explore why the Celts used the wood of the sacred tree to entice the Green Man to return to Earth — and how this tradition can enrich your holiday season
- Learn Celtic rituals for choosing, erecting, decorating, and laying to rest your Christmas tree that revivify the sacredness of the solstice and the season
- Be guided through a deep meditation with the Great Tree — a visceral experience of the senses to reignite wonder and awe amidst the dark season
During your time with Alexander John, you’ll learn how to reconnect with the inner and outer rhythms of life by integrating the symbolism, myths, and merriment of the original Celtic holiday season and learn Celtic rituals for choosing, erecting, decorating, and laying to rest your Christmas tree that revivify the sacredness of the solstice and the season.
Ultimately, you’ll be immersed in the true origins of Christmas that will help you illuminate the dark, reconnect with the Earth, and sanctify your holiday traditions.
Live long, love life and be well!
Harold
P.S. In Rediscover the Generosity, Generativity & Awe of the Winter Solstice Through Long-Lost Celtic & Christian Rituals with Alexander John Shaia, PhD you’ll deepen your mystical connection with Christmas and the Winter Solstice, reconnect with the Earth, and make your holiday traditions sacred again through Celtic and Christian symbolism, mystics, myths, and merriment.
We hope you’re able to catch the event as scheduled. But if you register and miss it, you’ll receive a downloadable recording as soon as it’s available.
About Alexander John Shaia, PhD
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Alexander John Shaia was part of a large extended family that had emigrated from Lebanon a generation previously. He grew up immersed in the ancient traditions of Middle Eastern Christianity (Maronite Catholicism) and was expected to become a priest, a family tradition since the year 1300. He was led otherwise.
Alexander John received a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame and was also privileged to learn from Joseph Campbell. Next came a brief time in seminary followed by a master’s in Counseling Education, a master’s in Religious Education, a graduate certificate in Pastoral Psychotherapy, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
His extensive psychological training across many modalities finally led him to Switzerland where he studied with Dora Maria Kalff, a Jungian analyst and founder of Sandplay Psychotherapy. Alexander John became the first U.S. man admitted to the International Society for Sandplay Therapy — and continues to serve as a senior Certified Teaching Member of the organization.
Returning to the United States, he undertook years of private practice, teaching, leading retreats across world spiritual traditions, and further study. Integrating his lifelong practice of prayer with many cross-disciplines — anthropology, psychology, spirituality, and ritual work, as well as being openly gay — has shaped him into a unique thought leader, prolific author, and widely sought-after consultant, trainer, and inspiring speaker. He is also the founder of Quadratos — a 4-path journey for radical transformation.
