As I start to think about the year to come, I feel the energy nudging me to get back to myself. I’m starting to review my hopes and figure out some new things to do. This introspection mode is the influence of the Winter Solstice that arises on December 21, 2008.
As the light returns in this sacred season, May you find abundant happiness and joy.
Winter Solstice is the longest night and darkest time of year in the North of the Equatorial zones, when the days are short and the nights are long and lonely. The day of the Winter Solstice is also called “The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” or simply the Yule. Though it marks the beginning of Winter, it also signposts the beginning of a new Solar Year.
For years, people assumed that there was a psychological effect of this time of year on many. But since I, myself, experienced the effect, I can say that it’s not only psychological but it is also physiological. Astronomers call the phenomenon Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD)- a real reaction of the body, and thus linked to the mind, of low light levels. However, despite these low light levels, Winter Solstice reminds us that darkness never lasts forever. It marks a central part of nature’s cycle- It is a time of new growth and renewal. It is a reminder that in order to begin anew, the old must end.
We often speak of getting through the winter and surviving it, rather than understanding the true pith hidden in the long dark months of the year. Solstice is actually encouraging us to slow down and do some soul searching. So take some time out from the seasonal mania to envision your life in the coming year.
And what am I gonna do on that night? I will be dancing, tumbling, doing an aerial cartwheel in the Zen Garden at least in my head during my midwinter night’s dream. I will envision that this Channel of Life will carry me to my destination, no matter what happens along the way. And as a part of my solstice ritual, I will try to let go of all that WAS, folding the 2008 journey book.
So- mark your calendar, greet the new dawning, join the day of reinvention and try to metamorphosize on Wonderful Winter Solstice.
Keep Looking Up!
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