Winter Solstice: From inner reflection to expansion and growth
The Winter Solstice is a time where the day is at its shortest and the night its longest. We are in our greatest state of contraction as humans and readying ourselves for the expansion towards Spring and the Summer Solstice.
The winter should have brought with it rest, hibernation and stillness, providing a place for us to reflect and incubate our dreams and hopes for the coming 6 months. From now on, the days will draw out and become longer, shining light on the darkness, expanding the contraction, and allowing us to lengthen and grow as the daylight hours do the same.
We move into a stage of the year where we make sure that our internal soil is receptive to and fertile for the seeds we look to plant in Spring, so that we may give birth to ideas and allow them to grow in the increasing light which presents. Let us check in with our roots and make sure they are holding strong, weathering the storms around us. If they are not, perhaps it is time to enlist some support – a professional, a friend, a mentor – to ground the roots in and make sure they are holding tight and firm for the months ahead. The stronger our roots are, the more abundant the new growth can be.
The Winter Solstice is also a key time for reflection on what we have achieved and manifested into our lives since the Summer Solstice in December. Acknowledge your achievements, what you have completed, what insights and understandings you have gained on this journey towards your most reflective and contracted state.
From today, we start to make our way out of hibernation, we reconnect to the outside world and the warmth of our lives – family, friends and community.
Some questions to pose to ourselves:
Is there anything more we need to break down and decompose to increase our internal soil’s fertility for spring?
Have we honoured our body thus far and allowed ourselves the rest and rejuvenation we require? If not, do we need to slow down and allow that process to occur and strengthen us for Spring?
Have we reflected on and celebrated our achievements thus far this year? How can we best celebrate these achievements to really honour, respect and connect to ourselves?
Have we looked ahead to the upcoming months to decide what our goals are, what path we will take and what steps we will take to achieve them?
What insights have we processed and how have our lives changed as a result?
Are we balancing our body, mind and spirit?
Is our nutrition soundly supporting our immune system and physical body for the expansion?
Some ideas for honouring the Winter Solstice –
Get up and watch the sun rise – celebrate our journey towards this darkest time of the year, the rebirth of the sun, and what we can see manifesting over the coming months of expansion and growth.
Get into nature and celebrate her turning tide. Notice the enriched soil after the decomposure of autumn’s fallen harvest, celebrate Mother Earth’s fertility and the readiness for Spring’s regrowth. Look into your own path and see where you resonate with her lessons.
Bathe your home in gentle light – use candles and salt lamps to create a warming glow.
Clear your space from the energy of being holed up this winter – open the doors and windows for a while to allow the air to cleanse the residue of any stuck energy, welcome in the elements of fire, earth, air, metal and wood. Ground yourself in the new space and feel the energy reenter and energise.
Use sound and colour to bring vibrancy into your home – sing, drum, play music and move your body to get the lymphatic, blood and other bodily systems circulating and detoxifying.
Connect into your dream world and use it to connect your hopes and dreams for the future and to reflect on the past. Allow your dreams to bring in messages for interpretation, healing and growth.