Sol Invictus Thoughts

Growing up, I remember one car ride where mom told me every time she hears an ambulance siren, she pulls over and says a little prayer for the person as it passes. I didn't think anything of it back then. After all, we lived in a very Kansan town, went to a conservative Baptist church twice a week, and said a prayer before dinner each night. Yet 30 years later, her sharing of that superstition is still rattling around in my head.

What was the prayer? Why wasn't it for the people treating or driving them? Did she think it did anything or was it to soothe herself? And if she forgot, did she actually believe God would change their outcome, or would he just be disappointed in her?

I live a block away from a hospital now, and my days and nights are filled with sirens. It's become a background noise I barely think about, until someone on Discord laughs at the timing of one as we play a game together. But I wanted to share this core memory with you all in light of Sol Invictus later this month.

For us, December 25th is a "celebration of being unconquered by superstition and consistent in the pursuit and sharing of knowledge." So I guess it makes sense that such a superstitious prayer would be top-of-mind right now. I'm sure there are dozens of examples I could pull deep out of my subconscious; especially ones that the church was excited to plant there. But instead of dwelling on the past, I want to make a change for the future.

So, the next time I hear a siren blare down the street, or have a friend tell me one did, I'll throw up the horns and Hail Satan, knowing full well it did nothing to change their outcome or the world in general.

Originally published in the TSTWI Newsletter, December 2025.

Metztli // sol invictus to all