Winter Solstice and the Return of Light
How Can We Be a Light in the Darkness?
As we approach the official beginning of Winter on December 21st, the days will have increasingly grown shorter. Here in Maine, the sun is setting around 4pm. In other Northern corners of the world, the decrease of sunlight is apparent and at times, can affect us greatly.
Our Ancestors honored the Sun because it brought Light, therefore bringing the growth of plants that fed animals that in turn fed the clans or tribes. Without the Sun, they knew all would not survive. During Winter Solstice, ceremonies centered around honoring the blessings of the Sun and the return of its light. As the Solstice passes, days steadily grow longer. This celebration brightened the dark days with hope for our Ancestors. Fire Ceremony was held with the intention to honor the spirit of the Fire and did so by feeding the fire. This in turn increased its brightness and warmth for all to behold to survive the dark and cold nights.
In our modern lives, what can we do to feed our own light during dark times? What can we do when we are individually and collectively in dark times? Actions to care for the physical body, such as epsom salt baths, yoga, eating healthy (despite the holiday gatherings), increasing vitamin D intake or even getting a light box can helpful for some.
To emotionally feed your inner fire, one might make a conscious choice to spend time in community of like-minded folks. Also dressing warmly to get outside for some fresh air might be other ways we might tend to emotionally and physically self-care in this dark season. Asking yourself, "What do I need right now?" rather than conforming to the false cultural belief that "being busy means being important."
Spiritually, one might watch their "diet" of tv or news sources, music and talk radio. You might even be discerning of who you might invite into your life, welcoming in those who feed your heart and stepping back from others who might seem to "suck the life out of you." Coming from the perspective of physical, emotional and spiritual self-care, these small acts and others can potentially feed your own inner Light.
Shamanically speaking, there are practices to center, ground, clear, align and protect oneself from energies that might feel heavy or unneeded. There are advanced methods, such as Healing with Light or Transfiguration to transform heaviness into Light. This is a wonderful way truly embody the Divinity within.
Whether you practice shamanism or not, focusing on what feeds your own Light rather than what drains it is of utmost importance to anyone in modern times. If you think of yourself as a Light, you might ask, How can I feed that flame?How can I keep my flame going? Often we are not taught methods to love ourselves when we are children, but as adults, we have the opportunity to explore what feels right to us in order to feel nourished and nurtured.
It's ok to say "no", it's ok to tend to Self. It's ok to "be" as we are. We are not human doings ~ we are human beings. It's ok to rest, it's ok to enter the bear cave to recharge and relight our systems. During times of darkness, it is in the secret of loving and feeding ourselves that brightens and strengthens our own Light.
