For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice, the day with the shortest period of daylight, is this Saturday, December 21. On this day, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. After Saturday, each day will gain a bit more daylight.
The Winter Solstice is one the most powerful times of the year, because the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts, and then begins to move in the opposite direction. The sun standing still is a powerful metaphor for our ability to pause, and then change the direction of our lives with intention.
The energy of Winter is that of going within – a time to rest and reflect. We cannot always be in a period of growth. All life has periods of ebb and flow. In nature, Winter is a time of regression, a necessary process for life to flourish when we return to Spring. Out of the fruitful darkness and silence of winter, new inspiration can emerge.
One of the Substack accounts that I subscribe to is Letters From Love with Elizabeth Gilbert. Each week she shares a response (from various contributors) to the question "Dear Love, what would you have me know today?" On December 8, in her response to this prompt, she wrote:
And then there is the invitation to be more free. The invitation to take some of the weight off your shoulders. The promise that we don’t need you to save the world, or your family, or anyone. The invitation to let go and allow destiny to play itself out. The permission to accept things as they are, rather than trying to bend the world to your will. The permission to leave toxic systems, relationships, jobs, duties. The radical, absolutely radical invitation to take care of yourself, and to let everything else fall away. The promise that this itself is a gift to the world — the seeing of yourself as precious. The care that you deserve and have always longed for — can you offer it to yourself?
The solstice is the perfect time to set yourself free – to purge anything that no longer serves you and to accept yourself as you are. Doing so will create space, free from any negative energy that may have accumulated over the past year. This is a great time to acknowledge endings and new beginnings.
Engaging in self-care during this time of darkness, can set you up to flourish when we reach Spring. Firefly's New Year Restorative Yoga & Journaling Workshop on Tuesday, January 7 at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time is a great opportunity to practice letting go and opening the heart. We'll join in yoga, meditation, and journaling to reflect on learnings from the past year, and outline your intentions for the future. Register for $25 here. We're also offering a half-day Silent Retreat in Evergreen, CO in March. Visit this page for more information.
I hope that you can join us in these opportunities to turn inward and set yourself free.
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