The light of the Sun begins a new solar cycle at Winter Solstice. The rays shine into the dark, and nurture the newborn life there to be cultivated. And this is mirrored in nature, as the seeds are buried in the darkness of the Earth, to emerge once again with the life-giving rays of the Sun.
Winter Solstice 2020 in the Northern Hemisphere will be at 5:02am Eastern Standard time and 11:02am Central European time on Monday, December 21, marking the first day of winter.
At this time in the Northern Hemisphere we are experiencing the longest and darkest nights of the year and the shortest days with the least amount of daylight. The dark triumphs over the light, but this signifies a turning point!
In winter everything lies dormant in the silent earth, it is a sacred time of rest and reflection before the awakening and the slow build toward brighter days.
The energy of winter is that of going within. It’s the fruitful darkness and silence out of which our soul’s yearnings and new inspirations can eventually emerge. As we consciously link our awareness to nature’s cycles, our understanding of our own personal growth cycles begin to deepen.
Why do we spend so much time suppressing and hiding our darkness? When negative emotions come up and we feel them, they’re inconvenient, uncomfortable, or worse, we make ourselves wrong for feeling them.
When we fear our own darkness, we cut ourselves off from an essential source of our own personal power. The key is not in letting darkness overwhelm our lives and our thoughts but in understanding that darkness can be one of the greatest catalysts for personal growth and transformation.
Maybe even our way to enlightenment.
By allowing ourselves to feel our emotions and experience our own darkness, the darkness itself can become the spiritual cradle into which our inner light and new life is born.
Allow your feelings to guide you because your feelings are your truth.
Winter Solstice is the great stillness before the Sun’s strength builds, and days grow longer. It can be a time to rest and reflect.
In Latin, solstice is made of two words: sol– meaning “the sun” and sistere meaning “to make stand.” Winter Solstice is one the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction. For three days around the solstice points we experience the power of the standstill point and the shift of direction. The sun standing still is a powerful metaphor for the energy available to us at the Winter Solstice to change the direction of our lives with intention and build on this energy as we enter into the new year. After experiencing the longest night and darkest day, the nights grow shorter and the days grow brighter until the Summer Solstice.
For today let yourself rest in the peace of darkness, knowing the changing of the season, and the return of brighter days is ahead, be reminded you are always connected to Source, and your inner light never dims.
Don’t pressure yourself to make changes right now or be in action in world … let the energies of new life and inspiration build slowly within you and by spring you’ll be bursting with new energy and ideas. This is the nature of things… the cycles and rhythms of personal growth and change, as you consistently nurture yourself with compassion, allowing for rest and reflection, great joy will be your harvest in 2021.
You may want to take time to honor and acknowledge the endings & new beginnings in your life in a ceremony or personal ritual that both honors your past and clears space to make room for what you wish for the coming year. I share some ideas for personal rituals below ↓.
Whatever you choose to do to mark the end of the year, the coming of the new, and the rebirth of the light— whether pausing in quiet reflection, or celebrating with community, know that all over our planet, there are many fires burning brightly!
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