The winter spiral offers an opportunity for reflection during a period in the seasonal cycle when nature is sleeping and the darkest days are upon us, before the winter solstice. Each person can walk the spiral to seek the inner light and, of course, light the way for one another by lighting a beeswax candle. The season of Advent, which means waiting for the arrival, will have individual meanings for each of us at this time of year, shaped by how we feel inwardly as we prepare to move outward into a new year. With the height of the darker days and the winter solstice now behind us, it is time to anticipate the gradual return of light.
During the festive build-up, Glasshouse College held its annual Advent and Winter Spiral festival. The festival ran for the afternoon and began with Leo Tolstoy’s play Papa Panov. The play tells of a lonely, elderly shoemaker who struggles to live alone and to find purpose after his wife has passed away and his children have grown up and moved away. One night, he dreams of Jesus, who says he will visit him on Christmas Day, but not as Papa Panov expects. During the play, Papa Panov helps three passers-by, giving him a sense of worth and bringing light to others’ lives. The story shows how helping others can help us overcome our own challenges. It provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose, and reimagines our potential, which forms the very strapline of Ruskin Mill Trust.
