What a week it’s been, with many energies colliding and coinciding. Monday we had a new moon, a sky with darkness as the moon cannot be seen. In the lunar cycle, this is a ripe time to set intentions, planting the seeds of what we wish to see manifest in the light of the full moon. As so often happens, it might be more than a lunar cycle to see what blooms from our intentions, but we put it out there nonetheless. Also, the Solstice happened this past week, the winter in the Northern hemisphere and the summer in the Southern hemisphere…the shortest and longest days of the year. I love this time of the year in the north, as it feels as though we are being called home, to turning inward to listen to what our inner voice has to say. The day following the Solstice in the Northern hemisphere has us turning in the North direction from a Shamanic perspective. Turning to the north asks us to connect to the spiritual aspect of who we are, melding perfectly with the introspection and setting of intentions being brought forth this week. Plus, we finished the celebration of Hanukkah this past week and Monday marks Christmas day…so many occasions that revolve around light.
As Diane Booth Gilliam wrote, “The sun symbolizes your soul. In fact, the word “solstice” means sun standing still, so in a sense, we could say your soul stands still on the solstice-maybe even long enough for you to catch a glimpse of it, as some legends say you can at this divine time of year.”
As we mark the Solstice, I am reminded of our time almost a year ago that we had in Iceland. It was early December and we were only a couple of weeks away from the Solstice. The daylight hours were limited to about five hours and it never truly got that light outside. The sun loomed along the horizon, never venturing overhead and the surreal feeling was as though we were in an extended dawn. It’s no wonder that countries that are located close to the Arctic Circle embraced the celebration of the Winter Solstice with bonfires and gatherings represented by light. This time of year is a turning point as the days begin to lengthen with the return of the light.
I’ve come to appreciate the darkness as it feels like an invitation to put on a bathrobe, grab a cup of tea and snuggle into the couch. It feels like a personal invitation to withdraw and slow down for a few moments of quiet. I am also reminded of how these sacred moments are in constant flow. The cycles of the season continue to turn and the shape of the moon shifts each day. If we pay attention, we can recognize our own personal flow that includes our breath and the blood coursing through our bodies. Our breath is in a constant cycle…in and out, on average 12 times each minute. This happens whether or not we pay any attention to it. The circulating blood in our bodies, being pumped by the constant rhythm of our hearts, is happening 60-80 beats per minute. This also happens whether or not we pay attention to it.
One of the beautiful things about our yoga practice is that it asks us to get to know our breathing. It gives us space to sense the energy emitting from our heart and to pay attention to the signals the body is constantly sending. It teaches us to pay attention to our individual cycles, to how we feel on each day and what we need to support where we are moment to moment. If we expand this out and listen to what the cycles of nature, the seasons, and the moon are saying, we become part of the grander sacred flow of energy. We awaken to all that’s around us as well as to what is within us. And when we pay attention, we may just hear our soul speak the deepest truths of who we are and how we are spiritually embodied in a human experience.
So, I hope you’ll join me this time of year in making space to recognize what you’re ready to let go of and what you’re willing to hold onto. If you’ve been exploring your holistic path you may have put into place things that support you (your non-negotiables) and realized that much of what you thought you previously needed is no longer supporting you. Listen to the call of the darkness and go into your spiritual home. Turn in and tune in.
The light in me sees and honors the light in you. Peaceful Solstice to all!
