144: The Ember Days Winter Solstice Detox
When I learned that early Christians observed a three day spiritual practice near the beginning of each solar cycle, called Ember Days, that involved abstaining from meat and focusing on prayer and thanksgiving, I realized this would be a wonderful template to revive and utilize as a quarterly health and spiritual tune-up.
At the beginning of each new season in The Christian Health Club, we do a 3-day detox that removes all meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds, grains, sugar and alcohol. We eat vegetables, fruit and plant fats like avocados, olives and coconut. As much as I praise animal sourced foods as a critical part of the diet, I recognize that periodically cycling them out is a healthy practice for the body. It gives the digestive system a break and it allows for deeper cleansing of the cells.
In this week’s podcast we’re talking about how observing the Ember Days and Winter Solstice adds richness to the season of Advent by honoring how our Creator made the earth, the sun, our food, our bodies and how He gave us eternal light by the birth, death and resurrection of His Son. Come listen to this timely episode and put it into practice!
EPISODE 144: The Ember Days Winter Solstice Detox
Show Notes
(0:00) Intro
Hello my friend! Welcome back to the club, how are you today?
The winter solstice and ember days are upon us and I thought it would be a good time to revisit this topic as a reminder of how we can use the changes of the seasons as a time for a quarterly health and spiritual check-in. We are about to do our 3-day winter cleanse in the CHC inspired by the Ember Day fasts historically practiced by early Christians.
At the beginning of each new season in The Christian Health Club, we do a 3-day detox that removes all meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds, grains and alcohol. Essentially this leaves you with vegetables, fruit and plant fats like avocados, olives and coconut.
When I learned that early Christians observed a three day spiritual practice near the beginning of each solar cycle, called Ember Days, that involved abstaining from meat and focusing on prayer and thanksgiving, I realized this would be a wonderful template to revive and utilize as a quarterly health and spiritual tune-up.
(2:20) Ember Days:
The word Ember comes from the Latin phrase Quatuor Tempora that means four times. Four times near the beginning of each season of the solar cycle, the Church set aside three days to ask for blessings upon mankind and to give gratitude for the blessings of nature.
The Ember Days don’t exactly coincide with the solstices and equinoxes - that’s because they are based on the liturgical calendar and certain holy days.
For each season, Ember Days are observed on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. These days represent the day Christ was betrayed, the day He was crucified, and the day He was entombed. The traditional Ember Fasts were scheduled as follows:
Spring: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Ash Wednesday
The Ember Fast to give thanks for the rebirth of nature and for the gift of light.Summer: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost
The Ember fast to give thanks for the wheat crop.Fall: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Holy Cross Day
The Ember Fast to give thanks for the grape harvest.Winter: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday traditionally after the Feast of St. Lucy, during the third week of Advent
The Ember Fast to give thanks for the olive crop.
The Ember days were created as a way to sanctify pagan practices of worshiping false gods.
The Romans had a god for everything and they had these seasonal festivals to praise and pray to their agricultural deities for bountiful harvests of food.
As Romans converted to Christianity, the church redirected this prayer and praise to the one true God - our Lord - and instituted the Ember Days as a way to honor these seasonal changes and the fruits of the Earth given by our Creator.
(4:45) Seasonal Detoxes in the CHC:
In the CHC we set aside a whole week as our seasonal detox week and you can pick the three days you want to do the detox - whether it’s 3 days consecutively or the Wed, Fri, Sat schedule of the Ember Days.
It’s disruptive - in a good a way - to ask people to slow down, be more present, practice a health and spiritual discipline right here leading up to Christmas week - so I like to offer a little flexibility for people to choose 3 days within the week that they can dedicate this time for extra prayer and fasting.
During our quarterly detoxes, we focus on seasonal foods that align with how God created the provision for bodies. So we celebrate the harvest of the seasonal foods and right now that includes things like cranberries, oranges, beets and winter squashes.
Our ancestors would have naturally eaten according to season because they didn’t have any other choice. Even though we are blessed to have access to all kinds of foods all year round, we miss out the way God created our bodies to work in sync with His seasonal provision.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. Psalm 145:15
His Divine design includes the perfect foods at the perfect times of the year to help best support our body through the conditions of cold, wet and heat of each season.
Seasonal Plant Cycling Podcast
There’s research that shows how our gut bacteria shifts, or is meant to shift, according to season.
This adds a whole other layer of reasons to praise and thank God in the spirit of the Ember Days - just being in awe of how God made our bodies, how He made us to work in relation to Creation.
(9:45) Winter Ember Days:
The three winter Ember Days always fall during the week after the third Sunday of Advent - which is the day this podcast comes out. So I designate this entire week up through the winter solstice to take this time for a physical and spiritual health tune-up right here in the midst of the busy holiday season.
Winter Solstice & the Historical lens / Ancient tradition:
The Ancient Romans held a rather rowdy celebration around the time of the winter solstice called Saturnalia, a weeklong celebration in honor of Saturn, their god of agriculture. Lots of food and drink and unscrupulous behavior apparently.
The Incas had a sun festival near the winter solstice called Inti Raymi to pay homage to their sun god and they fasted for three days before the solstice.
The Japanese have a tradition of honoring the winter solstice by lighting huge bonfires on Mount Fuji to encourage the return of the sun.
The ancient tradition of the yule log is something that is likely familiar to us without realizing it has its roots as a winter solstice celebration. In recognition of the return of the sun, The ancient Norsemen of Scandinavia, would bring home large logs, which became known as Yule logs. They would set one end of these logs on fire and feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new piglet or calf that would be born during the coming year - very abundant thinking - very hopeful knowing that more light and warmth would be forthcoming.
There’s another winter celebration that came out of the Scandanavian culture called St Lucia’s Day. St Lucia - or St. Lucy - was a young girl - a Christian martyr- known for wearing candles on her head as she snuck food to imprisoned Christians around 300 A.D. She wore the light on her head to keep her hands free to deliver as much food as she could. So St Lucy is now honored within the season of Advent to point to the arrival of the Light of Christ on Christmas Day.
(16:02) Symbolism, Christianity, and Winter Solstice:
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the light of the world.
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.
Isaiah 9: 6: A child is born to us, a son is given, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The Son is born - He gives us hope.
The birth of Jesus is the light for all humanity - the hope and promise of eternal life is given to all who believe in Him.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
(18:10) Closing Thoughts:
The winter solstice typically occurs on December 21st or 22nd - this year it’s on the 21st - our darkest night of the year - and then if you factor in 3 days of the stillness before the sun changes positions - that takes us to Christmas Day.
I encourage you to take that time, whether it’s in The Christian Health Club with us, or on your own - or, even better, get some friends or church members to do it with you.
Eat super clean and simple for three days this week with lots of seasonal fruits and veggies. Do some fasting. Detox from the busy. Set aside some extra time to get in the Word, maybe you’re reading the book of Luke this month - that’s what we do in The CHC and in my family every December 1-24th. That’s a perfect way to stay grounded during the season of Advent. And give thanks for God’s provision of food, light, your body and Jesus - the light of the world who came to save the world.
(20:54) Outro & Disclaimer
Thanks for listening! Have a healthy and blessed week!