I know. It’s that time of year. Crazy. Chaotic. But, how can we possibly find time for a much-needed pause? When everyone is racing around, trying to give generously, be perfect hosts, finish year-end projects and business financials, it’s hard to remember to connect—with ourselves. To feel just how good things are. To rebuild our sense of meaning and purpose, our joy. To get our twinkle back.
What if I told you that taking time to pause and celebrate the solstice can set you up to thrive?
This year I held a Winter Solstice gathering. I invited a dozen or so friends to get together for the evening. They loved the idea—and invited a few more friends!
Throughout history and around the world people have honored this longest night with wisdom circles or sacred rituals in community because this is when the days begin to length once again.
Instead of spiraling into the darkness of what didn’t work in 2014, the idea is to celebrate what was wonderful, how you grew from challenges, and to notice what is emerging while you bring more light into the start of your new year.
First, set up the space – indoors or out. We sat in a circle of comfortable chairs in a living room. A beautiful cloth was draped over a small table in the center where a candle glowed surrounded by evergreens. A simple solstice feast ended our time together.
Consider your purpose, such as:
· Strengthen community
· Attune to nature’s cycles and all life on earth
· Renew and revive
Gather in circle and use these steps and questions as is or change them up to add depth and breadth to any holiday that feels too superficial.
Here’s what we did. Give it a try. You can make it as simple or deeply layered as you want.
Silence (3-5 minutes) – each person brings themselves into their own center, quieting into their breath
Inclusion – each person speaks their name and a quality or virtue (i.e., integrity, worthiness, connection, humility or love) and an action they took that cultivated this quality over the past year, (i.e., said no to doing too much or reached out to develop new relationships.) It was ok to pass.
Silence – feeling our connection to each other and to our larger community
Releasing the Past – ask, “What is one behavior or pattern that you repeated over and over this past year that kept you trapped in an old place?” Discuss in pairs; then share with the group
Silence – feeling love and respect for ourselves and the others in the group
Creating a New Future – ask, “What is emerging in your life or work that, with a little extra attention, could gain momentum? What matters the most to you?” (Note: This is not goal setting from your mind – it’s sensing through your body, listening to your wise core, and noticing what makes your heart sing.) Discuss in pairs; then share with the group
Silence – reconnect with positive regard for yourself and others. Join hands and affirm that this shall be so for you and the world.
We left with relaxed smiles, a renewed sense of purpose, glowing and ready. Quite a contrast to our rushed, tight, “can’t believe how much I still have to do” distress when we arrived! We stopped clutching expectations of perfection, reframed limiting mindsets and slipped into the magic of new possibilities.
The time from December 21 until early January is a time of change that we can use to give momentum to the things we want to shift. The Earth reaches perihelion—the point in its orbit closest to the Sun—in early January, only about two to three weeks after the December solstice.
Pay close attention to your dreams. Meditate, write, gather in community, spend time in nature, and listen deeply during this time to make smarter decisions going forward.
If you use this time consciously, as a time of transition, you get a lift. You can begin to thrive in new and remarkable ways. You are working with the seasons when you pause and pay attention, living in sync with nature and earth’s rhythms wisdom emerges.