Holiday Greetings: Solstice and St. John The Evangelist

Winter is said to be represented by the Saint John the Evangelist, whose feast day falls on December 27th.  He is the other John of the lodge, in summer we celebrate St. John the Baptist, while at the equinoxes we are back within the center of our circumscribed circle.  John the Evangelist is also called the Apostle of Charity, which may be in part, his connection to Freemasonry in addition to his unwavering resolve and purity of his love of the divine.

St. John the Evangelist represents coming from darkness to light, an awakening, and if you take it further, the dawning of awareness.  This awareness sits squarely with the idea of Sol Invictus, or the conquering sun which overcomes its captivity of night from the summer solstice and again begins to vanquish the night in its ever increasing minutes of daylight.

Looking at some of the other symbolic connections, the Evangelist is said to relate to the alchemical symbol of the up pointed triangle which represents fire, where again we can see a link to light and knowledge.  When we combine the alchemical sign of St. John the Baptist with that of the Evangelist, we create the star of solomon, and the duality of fire and water, further, the duality of light and dark and summer and winter.

Chico-Leland Stanford Lodge No. 111 wishes you and your family a wonderful holiday season. May you all find the light during the season of St. John the Evangelist.

Reference credit

http://freemasoninformation.com/2009/12/christmas-and-freemasonry/