Tuning into our roots: Winter-Solstice 2014
Now we are approaching this year’s winter-solstice at last. This is the point of the year when we really say winter has begun; from now on it’s going to get colder and more uncomfortable outside, and we are going to have to make sure we have the right warm clothing on when we go out so that we keep nice and warm.
Here again we meet the duality of our existence here on earth as, while it gets colder and we feel as if it was becoming darker still, the light has already begun to grow and the days that seem so short are really gradually getting longer. Symbols like evergreen fir branches or mistletoe remind us that life goes on and the sap will rise again and fill the world with life. We keep cosy and warm, gather around the fires in our houses and save our energy for what will come. …. Do we?
Probably most are busy working as they always do; not only that, so many get caught up year after year in the business of preperations for X-mas or Christmas. At this time of year the industry easily catches loads and loads of people in their nets as society suggests everything has to be so `perfect´ and everyone we are a bit close to has to receive a gift which will stand comparison with all around. Then of course the expectations concerning food and family. All in all this seems to have become one of the most busy times of year.
Seemingly ages ago before we all became industrialized and before electric lights and other gadgets took over our night and day rhythm, our everyday life-styles surely changed with, and were very mch adapted to the seasons of the year; and marks like solstice or equinox noticably influenced our lives.
So what are we missing today? Are we missing anything at all? Personally I feel that it is getting easier all the time to thoroughly burn ourselves out, running without ever taking more of a break than a short holiday every now and again, never really taking time and space to reflect on what has moved us until we realize we’ve lived our lives and sadly are no longer as healthy as we had been and therefor no longer have all the possibilitys we had.
Winter-solstice is the darkest point of our year’s cycle. Without artificial lighting, the only manmade source of light being a fire it’s not a time to work a lot and to create but a time for recapitulation and dreaming; it’s a time to reflect and remember stories and things that happened in the past and then also to dream what we hope and wish for the future. Without all the central heated and electrically illuminated buildings and vehicles of modern times winter is also the season in which our bodies need the most rest; we have to use our energy resources more carefully and keep ourselves warm and healthy. In the animal world some even hibernate to survive the cold and dark using as little energy as possible; these creatures must really enter dreamtime.
How can we use these special times of year like the solstice, to live healthier and more balanced lives? First of all we can remember to watch for them more closely. The more we take the time and space in our lives to venture outside regularly, the more we will naturally notice the seasons change and also the different qualities they have; we will notice changes the in weather, in the way the sky looks, in the kind of natural light there is outside, the behaviour of animals changes throughout the year and of course vegetation goes through a total shapeshift. If we manage to go out often enough we tune into nature and learn to slow down, allowing ourselves to relax.
Winter-solstice or Yule as many European forefathers and -mothers might have called it, is our chance to reflect on the year just passing and become at peace with what has happened and what we have done. Some people use the twelve days before the 21st to reflect and dream on the past year month by month, so beginning with January they reach December on the 20th. Personally I like to just remember all that comes to my mind during this period and find peace by accepting and embracing all that has occured and letting it go, knowing that some was good and in some situations I shone whereas some things I would like to handle differently in future and change my behaviour to grow. Also it can be helpful to write things down on a bit of paper, often that’s a good way to get them off our minds. At the end of the reflecting period we can burn the notes in the hearth or another fire; if it’s difficult to find a place for a fire a candle will always help. I think this is getting very close to the idea of traditional winter-fires, they are lit to warm, devour and transform. This kind of practise helps relieve our minds and souls of unnecessary ballast.
Yule or the solstice it’s self is regarded as a day between times and worlds, that would be December 21st (some regard December 20. through 23. as Yule).
The following days, here again some spend a day on every month of the coming year, it’s good to be able to enjoy the quiet introvertedness of winter and see if we get any hints and ideas of what the coming year is going to be about; it can be helpful to make notes of noticable dreams we have, whether the symbols are clear to us or not, or maybe we’ll get hints from conversations we have or things we notice in our environment that trigger off ideas or pieces of vision in our minds. Sometimes something unforseen arouses a heart-desire within us, this we should surely follow. If we let these things grow within us during January our focus can be pretty clear by the end of the month giving us a lot to look forward to in the year to come and letting us know what kind of seed it is we’re going to sow. We sow these seeds for ourselves early, even before spring, so that the spring sun and rain can help them grow.
I am convinced that becoming aware of, and tuning in to the natural cycles of seasons and life enables us to lead happier and more fulfilled lives; this of course is also a major factor contributing to greater health and balance.
Love to all, wild-horse
moveroot 12/2014
