“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
—Albert Camus
This year, many of my clients and friends are using Solstice ritual to support their vision of what they want to bring into the world.
Winter Solstice offers us a metaphor for inner renewal. It is the shortest day of the year and the longest night, giving way to the “birth” of the Sun on the next morning as the days begin to lengthen. It has been celebrated at least since the third century BC, and by some reports, since 2500 to 3000 BC. It is about the relationship of our earth to the sun, at a time when our earth needs our attention. Winter Solstice will begin at 5:29 p.m. on December 21, 2009.
Ritual works through our senses, embodying our intentions and experiences so that transformation can happen. Ritual uses symbols at the spiritual and subconscious levels as well as at the level of our conscious minds. Indigenous societies and religious organizations worldwide often center around ritual.
Solstice is a time when we can sit silently in the longest night of the year and listen inside to our senses, our feelings and our intuition. We can intentionally release what no longer serves us and grieve what we are releasing. As we connect with the “ground” of our being and free up space and energy through letting go, we prepare the way for birth of the new.
Yet we need the incubation period in the dark—without it, there can be no birth.
When I was pregnant with my son, I was impatient to deliver by the sixth month, yet my body and my son’s body were not ready until the ninth month—half again longer than what my mind wanted. The night hours and winter months are both like that—we often want to rush through them to get to the day and the warm seasons. In this same way, we want to rush through the recession to get back to the “norm”—yet allowing the natural cycles to heal and readjust is what allows meaningful growth.
How can you use ritual to deepen what you are creating?
First, create an intention.
If you are building a business, think about the gifts you bring that energize you. Think about your ideal clients, and about the quality of life that supports all parts of you. What are you committing to? Ritual is a container for your intention.
For me, this Solstice is a time to envision a new home in early 2010, and to let go of the home I’ve lived in for many years.
Second, what are you releasing or letting go of to make way for the new?
For example, what sabotaging voices fear rejection if you take the risk to bring your gifts to the world? Identify them. You might write a letter on a beautiful piece of paper to those voices that have kept you safe. Create a safe and beautiful place in which to burn the letter, perhaps late at night. Dip your hands in scented water to cleanse after the release. Play music, or sit in silence as you meditate on your gifts. During this time, ask for what you need and express gratitude for all you have been given.
Third, what symbols represent the things you are committing to and releasing? Choose objects and practices that speak to your senses and make you feel alive.
One client of mine created her own set of “prayer beads,” blessing each bead with a quality that she wanted to bring forth in her work. This time of year, lights, candles, and beautiful wrapping and decorative materials are all available. Work with materials and processes that appeal to all of the senses: smell, touch, sound, vision, taste. (Recall how powerful our sense of smell is—your mom’s berry pie, popcorn at the baseball game—bypassing all our mental filters.) Our senses anchor the experience in our bodies and our psyches.
Finally, close your ritual. You might choose one action to take, a quality you will embrace or a practice to commit to: take a symbolic action toward your choice as you close your ritual.
When the sun creeps into the dawn on the day after the Solstice night, we can light candles, ring bells, play and sing music, and celebrate the power of our own light. The days are now longer than the nights.
Treasure the dark, become the light and celebrate the new day.
—Albert Camus
This year, many of my clients and friends are using Solstice ritual to support their vision of what they want to bring into the world.
Winter Solstice offers us a metaphor for inner renewal. It is the shortest day of the year and the longest night, giving way to the “birth” of the Sun on the next morning as the days begin to lengthen. It has been celebrated at least since the third century BC, and by some reports, since 2500 to 3000 BC. It is about the relationship of our earth to the sun, at a time when our earth needs our attention. Winter Solstice will begin at 5:29 p.m. on December 21, 2009.
Ritual works through our senses, embodying our intentions and experiences so that transformation can happen. Ritual uses symbols at the spiritual and subconscious levels as well as at the level of our conscious minds. Indigenous societies and religious organizations worldwide often center around ritual.
Solstice is a time when we can sit silently in the longest night of the year and listen inside to our senses, our feelings and our intuition. We can intentionally release what no longer serves us and grieve what we are releasing. As we connect with the “ground” of our being and free up space and energy through letting go, we prepare the way for birth of the new.
Yet we need the incubation period in the dark—without it, there can be no birth.
When I was pregnant with my son, I was impatient to deliver by the sixth month, yet my body and my son’s body were not ready until the ninth month—half again longer than what my mind wanted. The night hours and winter months are both like that—we often want to rush through them to get to the day and the warm seasons. In this same way, we want to rush through the recession to get back to the “norm”—yet allowing the natural cycles to heal and readjust is what allows meaningful growth.
How can you use ritual to deepen what you are creating?
First, create an intention.
If you are building a business, think about the gifts you bring that energize you. Think about your ideal clients, and about the quality of life that supports all parts of you. What are you committing to? Ritual is a container for your intention.
For me, this Solstice is a time to envision a new home in early 2010, and to let go of the home I’ve lived in for many years.
Second, what are you releasing or letting go of to make way for the new?
For example, what sabotaging voices fear rejection if you take the risk to bring your gifts to the world? Identify them. You might write a letter on a beautiful piece of paper to those voices that have kept you safe. Create a safe and beautiful place in which to burn the letter, perhaps late at night. Dip your hands in scented water to cleanse after the release. Play music, or sit in silence as you meditate on your gifts. During this time, ask for what you need and express gratitude for all you have been given.
Third, what symbols represent the things you are committing to and releasing? Choose objects and practices that speak to your senses and make you feel alive.
One client of mine created her own set of “prayer beads,” blessing each bead with a quality that she wanted to bring forth in her work. This time of year, lights, candles, and beautiful wrapping and decorative materials are all available. Work with materials and processes that appeal to all of the senses: smell, touch, sound, vision, taste. (Recall how powerful our sense of smell is—your mom’s berry pie, popcorn at the baseball game—bypassing all our mental filters.) Our senses anchor the experience in our bodies and our psyches.
Finally, close your ritual. You might choose one action to take, a quality you will embrace or a practice to commit to: take a symbolic action toward your choice as you close your ritual.
When the sun creeps into the dawn on the day after the Solstice night, we can light candles, ring bells, play and sing music, and celebrate the power of our own light. The days are now longer than the nights.
Treasure the dark, become the light and celebrate the new day.
