Solstice Dreams
The hidden beauty of the dark season
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere like I do, the Winter Solstice is the longest night and the shortest day of the year. Here in Minnesota, it gets dark around 4:30 PM (!!) in December. We experience an abundance of darkness that’s easy to overlook until suddenly its February again and we realize it’s 5:30 PM and it isn’t dark yet!
Sometimes that can wear on a person who would like more daylight. Here are some beautiful things about this season of darkness that you might consider…
It’s a time to SLOW DOWN.
In our rushing, busy culture, where the more active you are and the more you have on your to-do list is expected, think of it as a time to slow down. To just sit, wrapped in a blanket, doing nothing. Read a book or have a warm beverage while you just sit and don’t have to do anything. Have a bath, a snooze, or a movie on the couch. Do NOTHING and see what that feels like. This is the perfect season to do it.
It’s a time to connect WITHIN.
Time for reflection! Consider journalling with these questions. This is the time of year to reflect on the past 12 months:
What went great?
What went not so great?
What might you be calling in for the upcoming year?
It’s a time to RELEASE THE OLD.
One Solstice ritual I particularly LOVE is having a bonfire, preferably with friends, at sunset on the Winter Solstice. But before the social event of the bonfire, I take some time to do a reflection on the year and then write down on paper the things I’d like to release or let go of from the year.
When I gather with friends for the fire, I take that paper with the things to let go of, toss it into the fire, and watch it burn while also setting an intention of what I’d like to bring in over the upcoming year. It feels SO GOOD to let go and call forth simultaneously! It feels exciting, fresh, and new!
You can do this on your own, but I’ve found that it feels more powerful with a group of trusted and close friends who love and accept you, warts and all. I also find that saying the things I’m letting go of out loud as they burn feels more powerful!
After the fire, we CELEBRATE with shared food, beverages, treats, friendship, and laughter. If you’ve never had a Solstice fire, try it out and share in the comments what your experience was!
I love the Winter Solstice even more than the Summer Solstice. There is something special about the time of year; the letting go of the old and ushering in the new simultaneously. Happy Solstice!
