Winter O’Clock
However wintery it has felt, the celestial transition from Autumn to Winter doesn’t occur until the Winter Solstice.
Solstice happens twice a year in June and December. In Summer it marks the day when the sun appears highest in the sky giving to us our longest day. In Winter it marks the day when the sun appears lowest in the sky and gives us our shortest day of the year. This year, Winter Solstice occurs on Wednesday 21 December, so being the official start of Winter.
For a few days surrounding each Solstice, the Sun has a wee pause along its celestial path (as viewed from Earth). It appears to stop before reversing direction hence the name ‘Solstice’ derived from Latin meaning the ‘Sun stands still’.
I love to pay attention to these natural cycles. Isn’t it fascinating that in the vast workings of our Universe there are patterns of synchronicity creating cycles + seasons that our little blue planet thrives on. All of Nature thrives in these seasonal cycles ~ growing, blooming, fading + hibernating. We thrive in these cycles too if we allow it. In Spring we detox our bodies + clean our homes. In Winter we clean our minds.
The best way to stay balanced as we enter Winter is to follow the sun, pause, take some time out. Take a break from the festive pace + allow yourself to stand still like the Sun – or better yet, take a seat, close your eyes + listen deeply.
Think about this quote
When you lose touch with your inner stillness,
you lose touch with yourself.
When you lose touch with yourself,
you lose yourself in the world
Eckhart Tolle
It’s easy to lose ourselves in the world around us.
With growing acknowledgement of our societies’ impact on the planet, of our unsustainable expectations + methods, of our responsibilities to our future generations to take steps to protect our wildlife, biodiversity, water, air quality + the balance that sustains human life on Earth. This, compounded with post-pandemic fatigue, uprisings around equality, diversity, societal prejudice, abuse of power, inflated economy + deflated mental health ~ It’s easy to lose touch with our inner stillness.
So be still + listen deeply despite the chaos.
Solstice Mindfulness
Use the long dark nights around the Solstice for some quiet inward reflection on the big picture stuff.
Be curious as to how your attitude, awareness or responsibilities may have changed or developed over the last year – whether that be towards our climate state, environmental responsibilities, to human rights, equality, social responsibility and what you appreciate and want to preserve in your personal life.
13 Solstice Candles
Light them Up
Review the key milestones, experiences, events, actions, reactions of the past year by lighting a candle for each month of the last year from last winter solstice to now.
Bring to light with each candle your achievements, successes, adaptions, compromises, and failures for each month of the year gone by. Say it out loud as you light each candle and watch it come to light.
Blow 12 Out
Gather any insights by blowing out 12 candles for each month past, grateful for how you may have learned or grown. Mindfully let go of any preconceived ideas, opinions or beliefs you have in relation to all that you reviewed for the past 12 months. Focus on the light of the one candle that remains lit.
Keep one Lit
Gaze at the heart of the flame (tip of the wick) of the remaining candle – the candle of now.
Imagine your ideal world – a blend of its environmental health, societal health, government health, your community health + your own health.
Bring your imagination, possibility + a fresh outlook to light with an intention to approach 2023 with fresh eyes, a kind, compassionate heart, a healthy body + a dreamers imagination.
2022 was fast + furious – what follows could be calmer + more peaceful couldn’t it?
What do you want to see, feel, do in 2023?
Focus on that.
3 step daily ritual for the 30 days after Solstice
Being mindful + reviewing important aspects of our life and/or our contribution to the world around us at Solstice is a crucial step towards feeling balanced this Winter. Additionally, we can use the following 30 days to manifest an evolved mindset that is open to new ways, new ideas, new vibes, fresh action relating to our Solstice Mindfulness.
Light a candle every morning to symbolise the transition towards longer days + shorter nights. Watch the flame as you start your day + imagine it lighting up your intuition + imagination.
Insist on 10mins of daily stillness to let your inner compass re-calibrate + and be better able to direct you to a lighter brighter year ahead.
Count yourself into stillness. As the Sun’s power manifests + grows towards its Summer highs, so too will your intentions + ideas on manifest + come to life….. with an open mind – open to potential + possibility that these meditations in stillness may enable you to see better – empower ideas – visualise hopes + potential for the year ahead.
As the Sun’s power manifests + grows towards its Summer highs, so too will our ideas on how to light up 2023…..
Read more Winter Balance musings in the Blog