The Winter Solstice occurred Saturday, December 21st at 9:19 pm MT. During this dark time of the year, long summer days are but a memory. It’s understandable to miss their lush bounty now, as winds howl and we must dress in multiple layers simply to hold on to our body’s warmth. Yet there is something about winter that calls to us, too. In this week of gift~giving, let’s unwrap the present offered by our frosty friend, this season of shadow.
It is full dark now when I rise. The birdsong of other seasons has flown south, and trees show their bare bones, having let go of all effort to assert themselves in showy foliage. This outer reality finds an inner corollary. My own inclination toward busyness has flown as well. My sap has withdrawn deep into my roots, and I know this is not the time for fancy endeavors.
On wintry evenings which seem to stretch forever, I am content to pass the time in quiet pursuits, reading silently or aloud, talking of this or of that, writing in journal or letter form. The sacred well from which everything rises seems more accessible these days, a mere breath away. It always is, of course. It just feels closer as I marinate in an outer quiet, with less competing for my fickle attention.
Did you ever have a teacher who didn’t holler at her rowdy students to settle down, but instead simply stood at the front of the class without saying a word until her quietness spread ‘round the room, like ink in water? Winter is a bit like that. The hush of the outer world leads the way. If we open to its inky darkness, we find rest. A chance to turn inward. To dream. To find what often remains hidden during periods of bustle. This is the gift of the season.
In Ode to Silence, Sara Teasdale writes of the heart’s “undreamed of depths” and “the hush that makes us free to hear…high above earth’s stress, the silent music of infinity.” While we cannot, of course, fully grasp infinity, we can touch the edge of it and hear its silent music. A perfect activity for these dark days of inaction.
As I write these words, snow falls silently from a murky sky. We are wrapped in winter’s cocoon. And in just a few days, we will celebrate the birth of the Christ child. What better time to open to infinity.
Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas. May the stillness of the season pour its blessings upon you. And may you feel yourself wrapped snugly in a cocoon of comfort and love, held within the arms of infinity.
Love!
Leia
Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas. May the stillness of the season pour its blessings upon you. And may you feel yourself wrapped snugly in a cocoon of comfort and love, held within the arms of infinity.
Love!
Leia
Here’s a 20 minute guided meditation in honor of the Solstice~~
You are welcome to share the link with anyone you'd like. I'll be leaving it on Zoom for about a week or so.
