I love this time of year! I get very Charlie Brown about the holiday season and really do try to get down to the true spirit of the Holiday season. As one of life’s optimists, I love all the tidings of comfort and joy, good cheer to all men and that stuff. I am also a sucker for all the tinsel, carols, sparkly glittery things and presents are always nice! 
This year more than most recently though, I have found myself getting stressy and anxious over all the consumerist aspects that seem to cloud the festive season. I am not talking about the current economic climate but rather just the general craziness that goes on around Xmas.
Fortunately, Nature provides a wonderful antidote to all of this. At 12.05pm GMT on Sunday 21st December the Winter Solstice occurs. This is the time of the longest night, the longest dark and its symbolism is hugely significant. The solstice represents the ending of one cycle and the beginning of another. As Mara Freeman describes it, it is as if one performance of the plays of our lives is over and we get to take a deep breath before the next one starts.
For me, the solstice has two particular aspects that are both equally important.
Firstly, it is the time of the greatest dark. It is the time when trees and plants are most fully retreated below the surface, animals are hibernating and the natural world appears to be in a state of slumber. We are in the heart of winter when we retreat indoors and use what we gathered at the harvest time to get through the long dark.
For me personally, this means a time when I personally go inside more and reflect on what has happened in the past year. In essence, it is a time of reckoning when we have the opportunity to face what has happened during this cycle, good and bad, and make peace with it. It is both a very healthy and very necessary process to come to peace and end things before we can move on.
Symbolically, this means that we have to face these things alone in the dark which can sound really scary! But reflecting on what has happened, realising that we some responsibility in virtually everything that happens to us and facing our fears helps us to realise the great creative power each of us has, and that we can make different choices during the next cycle. Taking this step helps us to realise our own power and ensures that the past does not necessarily create the future. We CAN change.
Secondly, and just as important, is the return of the light. Just as it is always just darkest before dawn, when we come through the long dark of winter, we can find hope in the gradual return of the light. From this point onwards, the daytime becomes just a little longer and the cycle of growth into spring and summer begins. The Solstice represents the early dawn of the year. The light is but a mere flicker at this point, it is just the seed of light that exists within the darkness but it does gradually get stronger. This is still not a time of action, but the inner reflection now shifts from past to the future and the upcoming cycle.
This is a wonderful time to plant the seeds of what we want to grow and nurture in the coming year. Like the seeds we plant in the ground, these intentions will organically grow by themselves and our job at this time of year is to gently tend and nurture them. The time for action comes later – right now we can relax and reflect on the vision we wish to create for the next cycle and have faith in ourselves and the world around us that these seeds will grow and come to fruition.
For me, observing the Solstice and the symbology it brings helps keep me grounded and calm during the other mania of the holidays. It also helps me to connect with what I really want from the holidays, which is generally about connection with my loved ones, peace and gratitude. So, if you are looking for some peace, calm and groundedness during this time of year, here are some things you might want to consider to get you in tune with your own rhythm and the spirit of the season…
- Reflect on the past year – take some time to sit quietly, be still and consider what has happened during the last year, both good and bad. Journal if you wish to. What stands out for you? What was your role in the event and what choices did you make? What can you learn from the situation. Take time to get perspective – see that there are somethings that you simply have no control over and in other situations you have the power to affect the outcome.
- Experience the dark – just sitting in a dark room without other distractions can be hugely relaxing, allowing us to let go of stress and become still. There is nothing to do but be present for a while. Letting ourselves let go and just chill out gets our heads out of the way and opens up our creativity…which is always a good way to get to happiness and purpose.
- Plant metaphorical seeds – what is it that you want to create in the next year? What is it that you want to grow? Take some time to think about your intentions (and I mean intentions rather than goals…goals for me are intentions with action plans…the actions can come a bit closer to spring and you will organically know what to do). Give your intentions room to breathe, change and grow…and you might be surprised at what comes up….in a good way!
- Plant physical seeds – now is a great time to get a packet of seeds and stick them in a plantpot. Over the coming days and weeks, you spend time tending and nurturing the seeds as they start to sprout and mature. This is not only a great metaphor for your own intentions, but also means that you will have something beautiful, vibrant and alive by spring!
- Use your own power and choose – as challenging as the holiday season can be, by reflecting on what has gone past lets us know that we have choices and we can chose to experience the holiday as we wish to…both as an intention and in the moment. So, if your family are driving you up the wall or the turkey is taking forever, make a choice for extreme self care and do what you need to do to really look after yourself. This is usually the choice that best serves others as well.
- Enjoy the break – as it is the time when the year breathes a deep sigh of relaxation as well, take time to do the same. The pressure may be on to go to this party and that dinner, but take a cue from nature and take some time to really look after yourself and put your own care first. As counter-intuitive as this may feel, making sure that you have time for rest and renewal will give you more vitality to enjoy the holidays and the upcoming spring!
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