This is the moment we’ve been waiting for: the Winter Solstice—the Rebirth of the Light!!! If you’re like me, 2017 has been one of the most intense on record. There’s been so many shifts, so many awakenings, so much adversity, so many initiations and so much opportunity to evolve. And now, we celebrate. Not because the work is done (not by a long shot) but because we need as well to take pause from our struggles to celebrate how far we’ve come. The Winter Solstice not only gives us that opportunity (especially as we launch into the mega-intention setting of New Year’s) but also because since ancient times this was seen as a time to honour the most implausible resurrection; the radiance that when it appears farthest away, makes a galactic comeback. And that comeback of THE LIGHT is shimmering in all of our hearts!
Celebrating Solstices and Equinoxes and all seasonal pivot-points is a fantastic way to return ourselves to the cycles of nature and heal the great collective wound we face in our gargantuan disconnection from the Earth, our Mother planet. Our indigenous ancestors, those peoples of the Earth who so loved the Great Mother Planet, revelled always at such times because they understood that nature is also conscious and churning us with exciting symbolism to empower the adventure of our existence.
The Winter Solstice is filled with inspiring symbols. The ancients regarded this as the time when the Sun God, the LIGHT itself, was waning in its greatest distance from the Earth during the longest night of the year. And yet, this was also the time to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun as infant child of child that would then begin its return to peak in Summer! The Winter Solstice is also seen as that time when time stands still in the abyss of death to rebirth; a time of unprecedented mysticism, miracles and magic!
The theme for this Winter Solstice is UPGRADE. Mercury goes direct out of its retrograde on this day as well, meaning the Divine Messenger has potent messages for us now to embody! We as a species have been through unparalleled transformations this year and now we fully step into the boon of their empowerment. In such a movement, we also can choose to fully let go of what is limiting our power and fulfillment of our personal genius. This is a time to release all that is holding us back and step more fully into our glory!
As wise elder Kaarina has portended, 2018 will be the Year of Mastery and I’m in resonance with this bold insight! The Winter Solstice is the portal to this destiny. May we become the dare of our dreams and forge together the beautiful potentials we’ve been visioning into true world-making magic! The time for re-enchantment is upon us!
WINTER SOLSTICE RITUAL:
Rituals are some of the most powerful ways we can work with all the forces of life and empower ourselves deeply and resolutely. A ritual creates what is known as ‘liminal’ or sacred space where we open ourselves to the guidance of the divine and are supported in our efforts during the ritual by such galactic grace. A ritual needn’t be intricately esoteric. I will suggest a very simple ritual practice that can be done by all.
- Gather some sacred items that inspire in you a sense of deep connection with the universe. Crystals, talismans and (most importantly) light a candle. Not only is it said that fire opens up connection to greater realms of light but during the Winter, fire inspires the fire of our being to keep burning bright during the cold, dark months <3
- Sit comfortably and find the breath. Centre yourself with deep breaths and become aware of the field of energy that surrounds your body, even the energy fields of your chakras (the seven energy centres that line the central energy column of your body)
- When you feel mindful, embodied and at peace, begin to imagine the new cycles you wish to welcome and bring into your life. If it helps, you can write them down beforehand or after as they come. Focus on generating the elevated emotions associated with those cycles as if they are happening right now. What will you feel like when these new cycles/endeavours are successful manifesting or even have been completed? The stronger the feeling, the greater the energetic charge you will be transmitting to the quantum field of Creation that pervades the universe. It is literally waiting simply for our ardent wishes to help us co-create them! This is one of the great losses of modern culture: the awareness that we live in an exceedingly benevolent universe!
- Finally, fill yourself with a powerful sense of gratitude, for yourself, for all the visions that have come, for the universe and all divinity. Bless yourself and all you love. Bless your creations. Feel the gratitude for your wishes coming true. Act as if!
- Write these cycles/visions down and work with them daily. This is what I call ‘Psychic Gardening’: each day, water your ‘dream-seeds’ with the sacred watery light of your attention. Upon the Full Moon on Jan. 2nd, one can burn the paper as an offering to the divine universe :)
If you wish to dive deeper into some of the ancient traditional wisdom about the Winter Solstice, here's an article I wrote for Elephant Journal a few years back on the subject--HERE.
And to close on a truly sacredly fun note, here's a lil' video that goes into why Santa might be the world's biggest mushroom dealer!!! HERE :) BLESSED BE!