Hey Everyone,
First things first: Today’s post is late because I made space in my day to have brunch with friends but I forgot to make space to write this post beforehand. I don’t know if that makes me a good example or a bad example but I’m definitely something. 😉
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the Winter Solstice.
It’s the darkest time of the year and traditionally a time when everyone would slow down, tell stories, do some reflection (or divination), and find ways to bring the light inside…at least metaphorically, through warm fires, bright candles, and good company.
And, of course, a lot of people still do all of that in one form or another.
Personally, I enjoy small rituals to mark special occasions and the change from ‘it’s getting darker all the time’ to ‘it is slowly getting lighter all the time’ feels like a good occasion to celebrate.
It also feels like a good time for us all to Make Space for to give ourselves what we need – whether that is movement, rest, meditation, ritual, journaling, delicious snacks, good company, or anything else we can think of.
In that spirit, I have compiled my usual offering of a movement practice and meditation practice AND I have a bunch of other things for you to try – if you are so inclined.
And, as always, I wish you ease as you create more space for yourself in your own life and please feel free to ignore these suggestions and do what you need to do.
Here are some Winter Solstice journal prompts from _WovenWomen and Therapy_with_Noel and if you’re like me and you like a personal ritual to mark different times of the year, here are some simple ones for Winter Solstice from The Mystical Society*
And here are a few more restful Solstice videos, just for fun: Solstice – Celebrating the Light from Danu’s Irish Herb Garden, Winter Solstice Sanctuary Ambience ambience from Dead of Night, and Music For Yule – Winter Solstice Songs from Miguel Berkemeier.
Here’s our movement practice for today. It’s a longer video but please don’t feel that you must do it all – just do what you have time/capacity to do.
When I looked for Solstice meditations on YouTube today, I found that they were either very long or that they were wandering too far into metaphysical spirituality to share casually without discussion.
So, instead, I went to the website for my favourite meditation app Insight Timer and found this track from Lyn Delmastro-Thomson that is symbolic but not especially ‘woo.’ https://insighttimer.com/play/playlist/mYu9SJojrI40WpnFtALP?track=d3r8r6s8x9w7q9w6c0r3a6b7b3c3t1u9e2t2m2l3 If that track doesn’t appeal, you can always click on the other images you can see and try out one of those meditations instead.
*I like the simplicity of the rituals they suggest but I disagree with their characterization of more complicated rituals as bullsh*t. I also disagree with anyone who suggests that everything needs to be complex to be helpful. I’m sure it will shock you to discover that I think everyone should do things in the way that serves them best.
