Today it is just 11 days until Winter Solstice (also celebrated as Yule, Litha and Grianstad an Gheimhridh), one of my favourite times of year.
The Festivals of Light (Hanukkah, Christmas, etc) were once aligned with the December Solstice (the “official” beginning of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere) but are now celebrated independently of that original timing around the world.
The “Holiday season” can be a very busy and chaotic time of the year, and in many ways rebels against the natural energies of Mama Earth and Father Sun at Solstice… that call for “standing still” as the Sun itself appears to pause as it shifts from Waxing to Waning (SH), and Waning to Waxing (NH)… and for those north of the Tropic of Cancer, an even deeper call for rest and turning within during this Month of the Long Nights.
If you find yourself overwhelmed, or out of alignment, take a deep breath and raise your awareness to the possibility of slowing down… pausing… reconnecting to your own rhythms (and the seasonal rhythms) and do whatever you truly need to do. And, when faced with a mounting to-do list or external (or, yes, internal!) pressures, take time to consider these Soul Questions:
🔥 Do I need to do this?
🔥 Is there an easier or better way… a different option?
🔥 What would happen if I didn’t _____________?
🔥 What would serve me best now?
🔥 How can I best honour this Solstice in my life?
🔥 What can I learn from this? What is the lesson… the Medicine?
Perhaps we can take some inspiration in these words from Thomas Wentworth Higginson (and perhaps substituting “solstice” for “winter”). 🌞
“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!”