Winter Solstice.
All is calm. All is Bright.
December 21 marks the winter solstice…the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. It is described as the point when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun…our source for light, energy, and growth. Settle in with a Mindful Pause for this winter restorative practice.
Many feel uncomfortable in the dark. Life is difficult in moments when we feel “tilted” away from those things that bring energy and light into our world. And darkness can rob us of energy. Sometimes I feel like heading to bed at 4:30pm when it’s pitch black outside! The invitation to “hibernate” is strong and often counter to our habituated attachment to doing.
In my work as a resilience/wellness coach, I meet people when they feel like they are in their “darkest night” or they’re at their maximum tilt away from their source of light and energy. Work load, relationship issues, ailing health of self or family members can lead us to feeling lost in the dark.
Winter invites us to embrace the notion that rest is essential for growth. It can be a season of celebrating our beingness and incubating a growth potential that requires stillness to fully emerge and grow.
The following is a self-care practice to embody the willingness to enter the darkness with a sense of inner stillness, faith, and confidence that your inner light cannot be extinguished. You are light. Your are love. Your life light can break through darkness and secure the promise to become the light of the world.
Set up your sacred space with a single candle, your journal, and a downloaded copy of the MAP – My Action Plan (from my website). Sometimes it is helpful to have words from sacred text or wisdom source to inspire your practice. I often turn to a beautiful Taizé hymn inspired by Jesus’ words in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the lyrics:
“Stay with me, remain here with me; watch and pray”.
All is calm…the restorative power of rest.
Enter your sacred space at a time of darkness – not difficult given that so much of our day is dark.
Settle into stillness with a Mindful Pause: Stop. Breathe. Think. Choose… All is calm.
Self-reflection is a necessary ingredient to growth.
From this stillness and calm we reflect on the events of the past year:
- Accomplishments or projects completed
- New relationships
- Fun adventures or travel
- Things you learned
- Challenges endured
Note these in your journal. Savor each one. Explore how they happened, what strengths you used or emerged as a result, and how these events made you feel…and how they informed you.
All is bright…light breaks through the darkness.
All is bright.
The presence of a simple candle or Christmas tree lights remind us of how light breaks through the darkness. The full moon – especially in winter – reminds us that there are those things that reflect the “light of the world” even when separated from the radiance of the sun.
Recognizing the “silver lining” in our difficult moments and crafting a vision for your future are essential for well-being.
Remain in stillness to vision the presence of “light” in your life even in moments of darkness:
- Who showed up in your times of need?
- What strengths of yours emerged during difficult times?
- What did you learn or how did you grow as a result of your challenges?
- What new strategies or resources for coping did you discover?
Sustaining inner peace and calm, craft your vision for how you will bring forth your light into the new year (use your MAP).
Consider using some of your quiet time of winter to craft a vision board of your 2020 intentions.
For coaching support, contact me today.
