Dark Tales of Solstice Past

Saturday, December 16, 2023

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM PST

Enter the lantern-lit sanctuary of Secret Headquarters and let storyteller and Solstice Historian Shaughna Born lead you through ancient myths that have developed around the globe to explain the mysterious disappearance of the light.

As the source of all life, the sun has been continuously observed by humanity; each ancient culture carefully watched its progress across the sky to determine when to plant, when to harvest, and when to seek divine guidance. As the sun’s light began to wane, shamans and wise ones developed legends to explain the mysterious darkness and crafted rituals meant to lead their people through the longest night to the sun’s victorious return. Shaughna will share a variety of these dark ancient tales and answer your questions as we sip tea and take comfort beneath the warmth of glowing lanterns.

Event Notes / Be Prepared:

  • Tickets are available by sliding scale: $30-$50. Suggested admission: $35.

  • Doors open at 6:45 PM and the event will start promptly at 7:00 PM. Please do your best to be on time as late arrivals will be disruptive to activities in progress.

  • Space is limited to 30 participants so please register early.

  • Tea & snacks provided.

  • Age limit 12+

  • Your donation contributes directly to supporting our programming to continue ongoing learning and cultural sharing. We thank you for your support. If you have financial barriers preventing you from purchasing a ticket, please email admin@secretlantern.org and we will do our best to accommodate.

Artist Bios

Shaughna Born is a storyteller, researcher, meditation teacher and infotainer who lives in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

If there is one question that would sum Shaughna up, it would be "Why?"

There were so many questions about the traditions at this time of year, it was inevitable that her love of research would combine with her artistic side to tell some stories to help remind people how similar all humans are when you look past the stories to the souls that tell them.

Since the turn of the century, Shaughna B has been the official solstice historian for the multi- cultural solstice celebrations held by the Secret Lantern Society of Vancouver, BC. She wanders the festival carrying a gold book of Solstice tales and trivia, answering questions and gathering folks for a Solstice storytelling.

Getting Here: Secret Headquarters is located at 1398 East 3rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC. Bus # 22 is within walking distance; VCC Clark and Commercial Skytrain Stations are within 10 minutes' walk. Free parking on the street and in the large parking lot in the alley between 3rd and 4th.

Accessibility: Secret Headquarters is wheelchair and walker accessible. If you have specific accessibility needs, please get in touch with us at (778) 323-9489 or admin@secretlantern.org.

Omi, our lovely resident feline, loves to attend our gatherings. Please let us know if you have allergies and we will gently explain to him why he needs to stay home that night.