WINTER SOLSTICE THOUGHTS

December 21st is the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year (in the Northern hemisphere).

Energetically, this is a time of self-reflection, of looking inward, of self-assessment. Consider what has gone well this year, what has been challenging. Consider what you have done well, and where you fell short of your best self. This is the natural flow of the energy of this time of year.

But can you do this without self-judgment? Without self-recrimination? The dominant paradigm is one of performance and achievement, which means it is easy for this type of self-inquiry to turn harsh. It is not the season that does this; it is our training that can make it this way.

Please do not! Being human is hard for everyone. We try our best, and sometimes we fall short. That is normal.

The key is to hold the inquiry in a field of self-love and compassion.

The art of being human isn't about getting it right; it is about celebrating both our "achievements" and our "mistakes" from a place of learning and love.

As you celebrate the Winter Solstice, the slow returning of the light, see if you can soften and relax into the shadow places within.

And for further Solstice inspiration, click here to read a wonderful poem by Joyce Rupp…

Winter's Cloak
By Joyce Rupp

This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.
Let the dawns
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.
Let me lie in the cave
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.
Let me seek solace
in the empty places
of winter's passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.