The Winter Solstice is a time of deep turning. The darkest, deepest night begins to make the subtle shift to the gradual return of the light. In my conversations with the Akashic Records, they requested that we bring our attention to that moment when the dark is deepest. This is the Still Point, a place of perfect balance poised between the Dark and the Light. We can view this like a fulcrum, the point of a triangle that perfectly balances a board that has deepest Dark on one side and brightest Light on the other side, with a continuum of graduated degrees of dark and light in between. The apex of the fulcrum is the magical point of balance that contains the greatest potential for inner transformation.
The Still Point of the Winter Solstice creates a feeling of deep hush that underlies all the busyness of the holiday season. It is a frequency, a mood, that you can tune into in moments of quiet. It has the qualities of the peace of the gentle falling of the first snowflakes, the squeak of boots walking on snow, the crisp cold purity of the winter air, the hooting of an owl at dusk, starlight shining in the night sky. There is an air of expectant waiting, a pregnant pause in the darkness.
The Winter Solstice is often spoken of as a Return to the Light, and that is certainly one aspect of its magic, yet there is also magic in the mysterious, transformative power of the darkness.
In our western culture we tend to experience darkness as something negative, to be ignored or avoided. We may even equate the energy of darkness with death, which we fear. Yet the darkness is also a source of creation and nourishment, like the womb that shelters the unborn child, or the Void that birthed the Universe.
In the natural world, even in the midst of winter, the darkness of the night is teeming with life. The nocturnal animals are active and foraging. Owls are beginning to build their nests to prepare for the coming of the owlets in January or February. The trees and plants are taking advantage of the cold and dark to take a respite and prepare for the active growing season of early Spring. The darkness is a necessary hibernation mode that allows space for restoration and renewal. The deep darkness of the Winter Solstice is about dormancy, not death. There is great healing and regenerative power in this dormancy.
The outward seasonal transformation of the Winter Solstice brings a regenerative power that can also be connected to in your own inner life. This alignment is very healing, leading to greater wholeness of self in relationship to the wheeling of the stars and the beauty and rhythms of the natural world. The energy of the Winter Solstice is already beginning to be activated in the days before the actual date of the solstice, which falls on December 21st. You have the opportunity to deeply connect with the gifts of the Winter Solstice by taking a few moments in your day to drop into the stillness of that transformative energy. You may enjoy using this brief meditation to help you connect with that healing power.
Winter Solstice Meditation:
Imagine yourself standing in the center of a fulcrum, perfectly balanced between the dark and the light…
Breathe deeply, allowing yourself to feel the deep quiet that underlies all the bustling activity of your daily life. Breathe in the peace that arises from the deepest darkness…
Imagine the tranquility of snowflakes floating through the night air, the swoop of owl wings, the sparkle of stars in the winter sky. Smell the pungent scent of the pine trees, hear the faint ringing of sweet-toned bells…
Breathe, and momentarily let go of all busyness and doing, allowing yourself to receive the restorative power of dormancy, experiencing yourself as a seed in the dark earth, trusting that you will sprout when the time is right…
When you feel fully tuned into this deep transformative space, you may want to deepen your experience by sitting with these Contemplative Questions.
~ How may I receive the restorative power of dormancy?
~ What do I need to let go of, trusting that the darkness will receive it?
~ What inner seeds of myself are preparing to emerge from the darkness?
Allow the answers to emerge gently from the depth of stillness that is in nature and in you. The responses may come to you in imagery, in words, or just a deep knowing. There are no right or wrong answers, just inner wisdom that resonates beautifully with who you are in this moment, at the still point of transformation of the Winter Solstice.
