Great One, God of life and love. As we stand at the edge of winter, our fields are bare and empty; the trees stand sleeping; our hearts turn inward, and the world’s fabric grows thin. We feel the souls of those who have crossed over, brushing past us in the air. May their way be blessed as they travel to Summerlands. Remind us that what seems now to be ending, is only the beginning of something new, though it lies outside our sight. The seed must die, the earth must sleep, and trees must stand bare and silent, before new life can come. We, too, must die before we can be reborn. This day of darkness is but the dawn of something new.