17 days: The Winter Solstice

Cycles layer our lives. The cycle of years. The cycle of our life. The smaller cycle of our relationships and jobs. On a universal level we have cycles. Specifically, the journey our planet takes around our sun. This cycle shifts the energy around us, creating the cycle of years and of seasons.

          Long ago, before we had Christmas, we had celebrations for the Winter Solstice. Around the globe, the different cultures that make-up our heritage spent their winter’s honoring where they were in Mother Nature’s cycle.

          During a time where the nights are long and the cold sinks deep, we are called to rest. Rest from the labor we have endured, to the journeys we took in the heat of summer.

          I call upon you to honor the season we are in. To honor the chill and the night. For when we honor where we are in the cycles that layer our lives, we stop fighting with the universe and open ourselves up to the joys available to us.

          Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors celebrated various holidays during the winter months. Whether it was a celebration of light, or birth, or of the Winter Solstice, they created traditions that still influence us to this day.

          Before we had science and facts, we had intuition and faith. These things shaped how we lived our lives. What we knew of winter was that it held the great power to determine who lived and who died. We honored this power, but we did not let it dictate our reality. We chose light, and when we knew that our days would lengthen after the Winter Solstice, we celebrated.

          These celebrations focused on what we could do to promote healing and hopeful energy. In Scandinavia, the Norse would celebrate Yule. The father and sons of the family would cut down a log and they would burn it. For each spark the log created, it was said that a new life would be born in the coming year.

          For those in Europe they celebrated with fresh meat and wine and beer. At a time when the wine and beer had time to ferment, and the meat was fresh- it created the perfect time to celebrate.

          This history of our ancestors helps to remind me of what we knew then. That we thrive most, when we connect to the universe. During this holiday season take the time to rest and reconnect. Then as the sun sets on the Winter Solstice, celebrate. For the slow transition of sun and light has started.

Your Daily Dose of Christmas:

Christmas Song: Silver Bills             by, Burl Ives

Christmas Movie: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Daily Affirmation:

  • “I reconnect to the cycles in my life.”
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