When the planets align

Text: Ellen Wild

As we return towards the light, it will be my own return to the self as well. Writing the last words on my last article for ÚR VÖR.

Let me begin by wishing you a fulfilling 2025. Now that we're all firmly on the other side in this new year. Another year, another fresh change. Because we can never “just” start better tomorrow right? We need a special date or event to hang a bunch of resolutions on.

Well, 2025 is going to be special. A whole lot of planets will align in the sky. And I can’t think of a more magical and metaphorical excuse to start living better. Have you seen the state of the planet lately? Of society? Anything, any change would be a good one. The bar is set extremely low.

These celestial movements mirror the cycles we experience on Earth. Dark and light, waxing and waning, birth and decay. People, too, are part of nature, though we have largely forgotten this truth. In our rush to dominate, we’ve lost touch with the rhythms that once guided human life. Did you know that before the Christian calendar, Jul (Christmas) was celebrated on the first full moon after the Winter Solstice new moon? In 2025 this was on January 13th. The tradition of the 13 Yule lads in Icelandic culture stems from the “12 days of Christmas”, which roughly lasted from the new moon to the Christmas full moon. 

But today, instead of honouring these forgotten cycles of dark and light, we’ve reduced our connection to the cosmos to a brief, explosive celebration of fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

It's difficult not to be negative. As a collective. we are not on doing well. For 20 years, I have heard talk and promises from authorities about prioritising the health of our planets and its ecosystems.

„These celestial movements mirror the cycles we experience on Earth. Dark and light, waxing and waning, birth and decay. People, too, are part of nature, though we have largely forgotten this truth.“

The latest promises from the Icelandic government look very nice on paper. But we’re at a point where actions, not words, are all that matter. And what do we see? We are looking for even more oil, we are using even more plastic. Products, clothes and cosmetics marketed to children as young as 10 years old.

Our whole system is greenwashed, a facade of environmental concern. Even our government is. The people that we’re supposed to trust. And apparently Iceland recently decided to continue killing whales too. Isn’t the North generally seen as the example-setters when it comes to a green future? Where is our famous equality when taking nature into the equation?

I wish I could write a more hopeful article to kickstart 2025. That we could love a little bit more every single day, just as the sun will return for a little bit longer. Instead, I’m going to wish us all a whole lot of bravery. To stand up. To be seen and heart. For our land, our ancestors and our children. For our history and our future. We are a resilient bunch, so we might just be the change we need. Let’s raise the bar.

As we return towards the light, it will be my own return to the self as well. Writing the last words on my last article for ÚR VÖR. 5 years and more than 40 articles later, I can only be grateful for the exceptional chance I got to put "life in the north" into words. Using my outsider’s perspective as a way to put down roots in the Nordic world.

Takk så mykje.

#EllenWild #Finalarticle