Winter solstice
The wheel keeps on turning…
We are now descending into the darkest month of the year and the longest night is soon to be upon us.
Most people are aware that the Winter Solstice means longest night and therefore shortest day of the year.
But what does it really mean when we live with the cycles and celebrate these dates every six weeks ?
Each six weeks, there is a sabbath to be celebrated. Each of these sabbats come with a different energy and represent where nature is at, what is happening around us but also within us. As we become more aware of what the Earth is going through, we soon realise that we are not separate. In fact, if we are in tune, the outside representation is only a mirror of what is going on in our inner world. And vice versa.
As the Earth is falling asleep, composting and preparing for some weeks or months of hibernation - depending on where we live - so are our bodies and mental states. Of course, it doesn’t mean that we need to go to bed for the next season but it is definitely time to spend more time indoors, allowing more time by ourselves and most importantly, acknowledging what darkness actually means to us. We probably all wish we are all perfect and life is a long series of rainbows and unicorns, but I’m pretty sure that most of you have realised by now that life is a bit trickier than that. There is a time for birthing new projects, celebration, harvests.. and there is a time for contemplation and asking ourselves some hard questions.
Well, that’s what the Winter Solstice is all about!
Let me know tell you, after having danced around these sabbats for years, the Winter Solstice is often the one that people have the most resistance to come to…
Why?
Probably for this simple reason.
People prefer celebrations, rainbows and unicorns… Sitting by themselves and facing their own shadows is not the best theme for a gathering, I get that. But guess what?
It’s all part of it and without this downtime and introspection, the next celebrations might start to feel a bit… empty!
If nature needs this time to pause and reflect, so are we! We are no different. We are part of this beautiful interconnectedness and shying away from this introspective time can only last for so long until it catches up with us.
Personally, I had my biggest realisations around Winter Solstices… As I sat year after year with some women, sharing my heart and feeling the heaviness that was coming around each year around this time, I started to realise that it was always the same story. The same complaints and the same emotions resurfacing each winter. After a few rounds - yes, it took me a few dances around the sun to come up to the startling truth that I was clearly unhappy with a particular situation and maybe it was time to do something about it. Or else, I was going to find myself again in a year’s time, complaining about the same issue… The truth is, when you sit with the same women year after year, you become accountable. You have no choice, and it became clear that I had to stop whining about it or I would bore everyone else - me included!
As women, we go through this mini-cycles once a month with our menstruation. Well, to describe it plainly, the Winter Solstice is the menstruation of the year!
The things we are fed up with, the situations that no longer fit and serve us, the people in our lives that aren’t aligned with our values any longer… All of these come up to the surface and it is a brilliant time to be truthful with ourselves and let all of the above be seen, heard, acknowledged and moved on if need be. Is it pleasant? Absolutely not! It can bring up some difficult conversations and decisions but is it necessary? 100 %!
In the Northern Rivers of NSW, where I live, there has been a series of weeks of rain… The Earth is saturated, the cold weather is coming in and it gives people a good reason to have a good old whinge! The reality is, it is all meant to be that way… It is hard to stay inside and sit with our dark sides when the sun is shining and the beautiful weather calls us to be active and social. Don’t get me wrong, these long weeks of rain also got me in the end… I was not happy waking up to the sound of wetness and dampness day after day. But it forced me to stay put and sit with all these uncomfortable feelings that are so easily pushed to the side as soon as there is an opportunity to do so. And it’s without mentioning where I grew up! Back in Switzerland and many countries in Europe, when winters start, it is sometimes months of not seeing the sun… Now that’s tough! A real time to be tested to the core and see if we can shine our light through it all!
And we all have our light that wants to come through. And it will. Once again, when these weeks have passed.
But for now… let’s ask ourselves some questions:
What part of ourselves are we ashamed of?
Do we have some secrets that would be better revealed?
Which part of you is wanting to stay small, or keeps hiding?
What are our limiting beliefs?
Why are we not embracing our full potential?
How comfortable are we sitting with ourselves and these questions?
What have we done this last turn of the wheel that we’re not proud of?
What is our deep core wound and is it still playing out in our lives?
Are our lives in constant movement or is there more room for stillness?
If in a relationship, are we saying a full yes to this person?
Is work a burden or is it a passion?
There are many more we could ask ourselves but these are a good start and if there are areas of our lives that need some attention, all it takes is to be fully honest with ourselves and asking these questions that are pending in our minds and hearts. We can bullshit everyone else around us but we can’t do it to ourselves… not in the long run.
Lately, I had some memories popping back in my head. These niggly things that I have done over the years that I preferred keeping under the carpet. Afterall, it’s a good spot for them, isn’t it? Better than exposed in broad day light! I’ve decided it was time for me to be brutally honest about these things and that laying them on paper would be a good therapy. Do I need to go public about them? Not at all! But there is a need to express them and writing has always been my way of expressing myself for as long as I can remember. It might not work for everyone, some might need to speak it out loud, to share it with others, some might dance or shake it out. Whatever works for you, I can only recommend having a really good look at ourselves and do whatever is needed so it isn’t luggage for this next cycle.
May we all find ourselves a little lighter next Winter Solstice and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to share your ways of expression or if you need rituals you could do with your dark truths!
We are all in this together… We have all reincarnated in this human form so we can grow, evolve and expand. Even the ones that looked good on paper, shiny on social media and pretend to have all the answers, have their deepest shadows and I have so much more respect for people who can be vulnerable enough to acknowledge that part of themselves and learn from it.
Blessings on these longer nights, it will soon be over and the light will grow and shine again.
But in the meantime, go deep dear ones, the deeper you’ll go, the shinier you will be and feel on the other side!