Winter Solstice Blessings
Happy Winter Solstice & Holiday Season!
At this time, we stand on the threshold between what lies behind us as well as all that has unfolded to bring us exactly where we are, and what lies before us and is waiting to be made manifest in the world of form. The Solstice represents the time of year when the Sun seems as though it's "standing still," for that is, in fact, what the word 'Solstice' means. It is here that we are invited to pause, finding stillness and reflection, shifting our energy away from the world and turning it inwardly so that we may gain clarity and knowing after months of activity and busyness.
The word "samdhi" in Sanskrit is a perfect one for this time of year. It means, "the space between," referring to the space between the inhale and exhale, the space between night and day, and the space between the ending of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one. It refers to the pause we must play when we are ready to close chapters that have been lived so fully they must be put down, as well as the precursor to the new ones that are percolating within, ready to begin their journey of being and becoming.
In this pause, we are invited to nurture the light of awareness that lives within each of our hearts, shining its brightness into all of the fertile darkness that is waiting to be seen and revealed from deep within. In these places where shadow and light dance with one another, there is an opportunity for an empowerment that we can only know if we're willing to stop our old habits and patterns and look inside. For it is here that we uncover places of immense potency within ourselves and find latent possibilities that are ready to be seen and known. When we play the pause, anything becomes possible...which brings me to Mercury!
The planet Mercury, that of communication and perception, messages (from all of reality) and synchronicity, has been retrograde since December 13th and will continue to be so until January 1st of the new year. His apparent movement backwards through the Cosmos also invites us to slow down, self-reflect, and contemplate what this past year has brought us, which lessons we've learned and which we're still learning, and what we're ready to leave behind as we continue on our way. Over the past year, how have we seen and acted clearly in our lives, how have we gotten caught in old patterns or stories, and what must we thank then relinquish to move forward as the people we are now -- for we are different than those we were just a year ago!
As I sit with these questions in my own life, much becomes clear, but I also know that I, too, will be taking some much-needed time and energy to sit on the threshold. I am thankful to have been practising Chinese Medicine for almost a couple years now, a path that I had considered taking for at least 15 years before I finally did! The intelligence of this practice continues to refine itself in my awareness, and I am loving all I'm discovering with its depth of wisdom and knowledge.
I feel a deep gratitude to continue to be offering Yoga classes and workshops, as well as Evolutionary Astrology courses and readings on the regular, as the mystical side of life will always be what nourishes me most! Thankfully this intersects with my new practice as a CM practitioner. If you feel called to come to weekly online yoga classes, in-person classes in Salmo, or to The Cosmic Conservatory, there will be plenty of opportunities in 2024!
And lastly, I am excited to share that in all of my "free time," I've been writing my first novel for about the past 2 years. I reached page 387 this week and will continue writing until the story finishes, whenever that may be! I am hand-writing and will undergo the first edit when I transpose to digital, and I feel hopeful that this process will begin in 2024. I'm sure this endeavour will be many things, but I am actually quite looking forward to it; editing and grammar are definitely one of my nerdier pursuits! I have been keeping this part of my life a bit private, but now feels like a good time to share this news, as well as my hopes for a published novel in the next few years. Though I am quite a novice when it comes to anything to do with publishing or the greater world of writing, I am open to learning and growing as we move across the threshold into the new year. We shall see how this unfolds...
My wish for you is that you take and receive the time you need to sit on the threshold of all of the possibilities in your own life, leaving behind versions of yourself that you must in order to embody who you've become. May this process bring you joy and richness. And may you uncover the deep soul yearnings that live within your very heart, and tap into all of the resources you have to make these dreams a reality.
I also wish you a magical Solstice, joyful Christmas, beautiful Hanukkah, and an overall amazing holiday time!
