Winter Solstice
(The Power of Ceremony.)
I Have a Love/Hate Relationship with Winter
Last year, I said I was going to become a woman who loves Winter. It felt like a noble pursuit, being Canadian and all. And I did. I focused on the things I liked. I sought out the cold, the dark. I actually loved Winter.
But, even in the midst of all that noticing, all that “loving”, there were still moments when I hated Winter. I tried not to, but I did. (I don’t like even using that word, but … there it is). Cold, wet, wind, ice going on for too long. I don’t need to explain.
It made me wonder if loving Winter was an all-out thing. Is it an unceasing river of ice-shaped hearts? Or is it being interested and curious about the whole thing – the parts I like and the parts I don’t like. The dark and the light.
The Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is the official start to Winter. It’s when we experience the longest night of the year. In 2019, it happens today, November 21. It’s a day of the year when that balance between dark and light is celebrated.
It’s a time to pause, to notice, to be present. It’s a time to see what is dark in our lives and what is light.
I’m wondering if it’s also a time to look at loving make a conscious decision to leave behind those dark things and carry forward the light things.
What to leave behind. What to bring forward.
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you want to use The Solstice as a moment to reflect on the dark and the light.
What do I want to leave behind in 2019?
For me, my list begins with leaving behind doubt. I think my doubt has served me in many ways. It’s kept me safe by encouraging me to take tiny steps towards my dreams, instead of huge death-defying leaps. Thank you doubt! But I’m not enjoying the hesitation, the second-guessing, the stopping and starting over. I’m putting it down.
What about you? What no longer serves you? What do you want to leave behind?
What do you want to bring into 2020?
On my 2020 list is more magic, joy and aligned action. I don’t really know what I mean when I say I want more magic. But, I’m starting with more ceremony.
What do you want to bring forward into 2020?
A Winter Solstice Ceremony.
The Winter Solstice feels perfect for ceremony. It feels quiet, deep, cold, peaceful. One of my ceremonies is going to be to burning that list of things I’m leaving behind. I’d like to watch it go up in smoke, to disappear.
But you can crumple yours. Flush it. Throw it to the wind. Delete an online version of it – put it in the trash. There is no right or wrong way.
If you, like me, are craving ceremony, maybe there are other ceremonies that might appeal to us. Is there’s a Solstice Ceremony around you? Or a full moon ceremony? Or drumming. Or a Labyrinth walk? I’m seeing several of those in my FB feed and I think I’ll check those out.
Maybe you missed doing something at the actual Solstice. Simply do your ceremony when it fits your schedule. You could do something small every day until the New Year. It’s for you – customize it to you.
Join me in as we head into Winter, into the deep.
