(inspired by Winter Solstice)
At the Winter Solstice the Sun (in Christian traditions, the Son of Light) is reborn. At this point, we stand at an edge - depth of darkness behind us, hope of light buried deep within us.
Here’s a suggestion for this threshold space: Turn off the phone. Plan to be awake as the wheel turns at 2:44am PST on December 21. Hold vigil through the deepest darkness. Tend the darkness and cultivate the radiance within through periods of questioning and listening.
Ask yourself: What do i long for? What kind of world do i dream of? What does this world look like? What does it feel like?
Then, write…write and let the words flow out of you in rivers, the ice and snow of winter melting into streams of silver light.
Then, speak. Call forth what will be born in you, the light of your deepest heart’s desires. Cast a spell for peace, joy, prosperity and love. Connect with the goodwill and hope of this season, bring it in and let it radiate out - a golden light, a candle in the darkness.
Here is part of my personal vision from Winter Solstice 2012 that continues to live in my heart, especially during this time of reflection:
The golden light time of day is longer, suffusing the earth, shining on and through all of the green growing ones, the four-foots, the two-foots, the finned ones, winged ones and slithering ones.
As the sun sets, we open to the moonbeams and starlight - the silver light time of night suffusing the earth, shining on and through all sentient beings. We feel the pull of the moon, the blood tides in our bodies, the ocean tides over the Earth. We weave together the olde wisdom ways with the modern ways in service of the highest and deepest good.
I see us all living together in harmony, in an essential balance of give and take, modeled after elemental cycles of birth and death. In this world, we have evolved and reorganized the very structures of society. Children are born into and raised by the global tribe and within intimate community. Our children are safe. Our elders are respected. Our Earth is honored. I see clean water, rich soil, sweet air, and warm hearth fires.
The path here wasn’t easy, but transformation rarely is. For a time, the world was turned upside down, but even through the chaos, we kept love alive. We supported each other when we fell apart in despair and couldn’t stop crying. We created safe havens where we dreamed the new world into being.
From now until then, many things/ways will die because they simply cannot continue if this world is to truly thrive.
In this time betwixt and between, remember your interconnection with all of life, the One Heart that gives life continually to this Middle Earth/Space where we love, suffer, laugh, cry, celebrate, breathe and die. Cultivate resilience. Nurture one another. Dream and share your dreams. Together we prosper, together we thrive.
And know this: we are waking up. All is not lost. Magic permeates the entirety of life, and Love is the guiding force. It’s time to ground down and uplift, to consciously choose to cry when we’re sad and rage when we’re angry, to tend the broken hearts and Dream the World Awake. Trust and pray that somehow in some way, peace prevails. It is in the darkest times, that the light is reborn.
I leave you with a “Solstice Blessing” from one of my favorite poets, John O’Donohue:
“A Solstice Blessing for you. May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.”
* The Guided Meditation is a Winter Solstice journey into the Golden Radiance Within. I suggest you read through the “Radiance Within Mystical Musing” first. This will help prepare you for the journey.