Winter Solstice Blessings
“If I said that my love for you was
like the spaces between the notes of a wren’s song,
would you understand?
Would you perceive my love to be, therefore,
hardly present, almost nothing?”―Jackie Morris, The Unwinding
art by Jackie Morris
Happy Winter Solstice!
The earth is wet with rain, the twinkle lights are sparkling in the dim morning light, and I am feeling excited for the change in the season.
Winter is upon us! A season for deep rest and dreamy reflection.
We are halfway through the dark half of the year, and tomorrow the earth turns us again towards the light.
In the ancient Celtic imagination, there were simply two seasons to the year—the dark half and the light; winter and summer. And so Winter Solstice is also known as mid-winter.
Darkness can be challenging to our mood, and also so nutritive to body, mind and soul. It is the stuff of fertile soil, gestating wombs, ocean depths, healing dreams, and desert nights teeming with stars.
Only in the dark are the dance of the flame, the sparkle of the stars, and the curve of the moon revealed. Only in the dark are the dream seeds we carry inside kindled into life.
Everything is born in the dark, even the light.
I hope you take some time today to let the darkness of this longest night sink into your depths. On this darkest day, may you nourish yourself with the gifts that are unique to the dark.
I invite you into a simple practice of pause that you may be nourished by the earth’s wisdom as we enter her season of rest.
Candle Gazing Practice:
Spend some moments allowing the darkness to reveal the beauty of the light.
Light a few candles or perhaps build a fire (taking proper safety precautions). Turn off all electric lights.
Savor the poem “Fire” by Judy Brown.
Sit in the darkness and watch the flame. Open your heart and softly bring all your senses to this moment. Let yourself just be here in the simple glow. Apprentice yourself to the dark. Feel into the space between.
Pause, rest, dream.
And though the light is returning ever so slowly, winter asks us to linger in the dark. May this advent drum song invite you deeper into your own cave of dreams.
Winter Solstice is a wonderful time to simply be.
Take a beat and a few deep breaths.
Let yourself go deeper into the dark, and rest in the cradle of the longest night.
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Hello, dear one. I’m Stephanie.
As a Soul Companion, educator, and sacred space holder, I am passionate about deepening our connection to the earth, our bodies, and the divine mystery that dances in all that is.
Let’s journey together into the sacred wild!
