Reclaiming Our Undying Light
An unearthed tree exposing roots and supporting new growth in the forest.
In shamanism, Nature has a certain acceptance of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. As a part of Nature, humans are continually in a cycle of giving birth to ourselves, and allowing the unneeded old to fade away. However, due to how complicated modern humans can be, we do not always accept this cycle as our ancient Ancestors may have and can become stuck in that process.
Traditionally, Winter Solstice is a time between December 20-23 when cultures around the world have held feasts and celebrated the return of the Light. Fire and light are symbols of this in the celebrations held on the darkest days of the year. Humans may have observed Winter Solstice as early as 10,200 B.C.
{Source: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/winter-solstice).}
These celebrations were rooted in the acknowledging that the Sun was (and is still) the giver of life and that without it, everything dies. There was an honoring of the interconnectivity of everything - human and non-human - as brothers and sisters in this world.
As some of you may have noted, I have begun focusing my shamanic practice on empowering the chronically ill to shift their relationship with their dis-ease in order to reclaim their lives. This is a decision I’ve made from my own personal experience with illness and in successfully assisting many clients in their own path to wellness. Looking through the shamanic lens, the way that Spirit views illness is as an imbalance. There is also a state of being stuck in the phase of not letting go which does not allow for rebirthing to occur.
Modern dis-ease is a result of the imbalances in the macrocosm and microcosm - and these notions are not always readily available in the conscious mind, as shamanic healing addresses what is stuck in the spiritual realms in order to manifest balance in this physical one. In essence, we humans have become disconnected from ourselves, each other, and Mother Earth. Because we are interconnected, this creates suffering for humans and non-human beings alike. Obviously, the energy of illness is much more complicated than this, but imbalance and disconnection are large parts of the root causes.
Seemingly counterintuitive, illness is actually an opportunity to rebirth ourselves. It is a loud, uncomfortable calling from the energy body that cries out to live in another way. The more we “fight”against the illness, the more we stay stuck in its frequency. Personally, when I surrendered to receive the lessons of my own tough love teacher, I began to step on my own path to wellness. I then slowly became grateful for the lessons. Letting go of the old to reclaim a new life that dwells within is not an easy task, but it brings a much more satisfying and aligned existence.
We all have the capability to rise again, in new and improved ways we may have never been able to envision for ourselves. The image of the Phoenix is a beautiful way to understand how one walks from the ashes of the old and powerfully reclaims oneself. Whether you suffer from chronic illness or not, Winter Solstice is the ushering of a time to allow the ashes to fall away and to brightly shine the undying, fiery Light within and without.
