Resting and Pausing in Stillness

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the day when we, in the Northern Hemisphere, are at our furthest away from the sun.  The earth is at its most dormant now at this time of the shortest day and longest night.  It is paused waiting for the slow return of the sum and its increase in energy.  This time of the earth pausing is our time to continue to rest, to take things easy, to conserve our energy.  It can be such a hard time of year these next few months, the light starts to return and slowly the days get longer but the temperatures will continue to drop and sometimes it can feel as if the warmer days will never return.

Now that the Winter's come to stay

All the trees are bare

Little birds must fly away

To find their food elsewhere

Little seeds lie hidden

In the dark brown earth,

waiting until bidden

To rise above the earth

S. Jarman

Over the past few months the earth has been shedding itself of the growth it no longer needs to help preserve energy, the leaves have all fallen from the trees, some will also lose bark.  We can use this time of dark, of being inside more, to clean our houses, our spaces and our minds.  We can remove those things that we no longer have use for, passing them on to those who will.  We can let go of thoughts that are unhelpful, that influence us in ways that leave us sad and unhappy.  A clearer mind is so calming, we are more productive, we sleep better and we can manage our day to day life more efficiently.  Decluttering our space and our minds will also give us the room to make ourselves ready to welcome in new possibilities.

In this time of taking it slow, we can also use it to reflect on what we have achieved this year, it is has been another unusual and sometimes unsettling year so it feels all the more important to remind ourselves of all those things that we have done, perhaps there are things that you never thought were possible, if we bring them into our minds and hold them there, we can take them with us into the future as a reminder of what is possible.  We can also think about all those things we have been grateful for this year, for all the things, however small, we have in our lives.  Sometimes it is the little things we are most grateful for, time for a rest, a smile, or the sunshine when we open our curtains in the morning.  May our hearts be open in gratitude for all their abundance.

We can think about our inner thoughts, those that give us our strength and a greater understanding of ourselves and our emotions.  We should listen to the wisdom of our inner voice, the one we often doubt, ignore or try to quieten, it is often hard but so important to listen to the message it is sending us and give ourselves time to reflect on what we hear.  We can also think about our outer voice too, how we express ourselves and communicate with others, are we always kind and thoughtful.

Since the time of Samhein, at the end of October,  you may have been thinking about the seeds of new beginnings, plans and possibilities, as the days now start to grow longer and the sun's strength slowly grows so too should these seeds.  We can start to form ideas of where these might take us, where would you like them to go, how you might turn them into hopes and intentions, perhaps if you are ready to, you could share them with others, to give them strength and power.

If it is your thing then you could do a stillness meditation, if you get yourself into a comfortable position to allow yourself to be quiet and still for a moment.  If you are outside (wrapped up warm) then take the time to feel the earth beneath your feet, feel the air moving past your face, if you are sitting, feel with your hands the ground right next to you.  Think about all your achievements this year, all the things that you have done over the past months, perhaps there are things that you done that you never thought were possible, bring them into your mind now, hold them there, you can take them with you into the future as a reminder of what is possible.  Now think about all the things that you have been grateful for this year, for all the things you have in your life, open your heart in gratitude for all this abundance.  Lastly think about those seeds of ideas that you sowed back at the time of Samhein, if you did not do that then then think about them now, start to form ideas of where they might they take you and where you would like to go.  When you are ready open you eyes.

May you find peace in the 

promise of solstice night,

That earth each day forward is

blessed with more light.

That cycle of nature,

unbroken and true,

Brings faith to your soul

and well being to you

Rejoice in the darkness,

in the silence find rest,

And may the days that follow

be abundantly blessed.

As we moved towards the coldest time of nature's cycle, I hope you can feel blessed.  I hope that you can find a way to declutter your mind, to let go of the thoughts that feel heavy and drag you down.  I hope that you can find new homes for the things that you now longer want.  I hope that you listen to the wisdom of your inner voice and reflect upon what it tells you as you move forward with your seed of an idea for your future.  I hope that you can find hope through the cold time ahead.

Solstice blessings to you.