As we approach the sacred time of solstice I am holding hands across the world with my northern hemisphere readers.
On December 22, it will be summer solstice in the southern hemisphere, and winter solstice in the north. It is time to celebrate both.
Solstice is an ancient seasonal festival of great significance to our ancestors.
Alignment with solstice will bring you into the seasonal rhythm that runs beneath the layers of busy activity and to-do lists.
When I think of the essence of the two solstices, this is what comes to mind:
The mountain and the cave
The mountain represents the zenith, the peak energy of summer solstice, on the longest day.
The cave represents the nadir, the deep inward energy of winter solstice, on the shortest day.
And then there is the calendar year
Superimposed on both solstices is the calendar year, with the pressures it brings as we wind up many things and prepare for Christmas.
How can we step out of the pressures of the calendar requirements and into the seasonal rhythm of solstice?
Some strategies for each solstice
At summer solstice, move OUT and into nature.
Hold a tree, sit or walk by water, or ascend to a high place to lift yourself out of the busy activities and gain perspective and grounding.
Lie on the grass or sand. Let your body relax into the earth. Find sustenance in this.
In summer, a dark seed lies at the heart of the flower-strewn cloth or altar. From this moment, darkness will begin to increase.
Celebrate what you have, with symbols, sharing, and laughter. Offer gratitude for the good.
At winter solstice, move IN to the darkness.
Light a candle or sit by a fireside. Draw awareness into your own depths.
In the darkness seek nourishment for your soul.
Focus on what is seeded at solstice.
In winter, a bright flame lies at the heart of the black cloth covered with bare twigs, pine cones, and symbols of the dark. From this moment, the light will begin to increase.
Draw hope and strength from the returning light. Share your hope and desire through symbols, sharing, and laughter, or even tears. Make a wish and offer it to the flame or the fire.
Solstice blessings to you all, wherever you are. May awareness and peace be with you as the sun turns,
Juliet
This post is an excerpt from my Seasons Newsletter. You may subscribe to the newsletter on the home page of this website, and receive a free gift.
What a beautiful solstice message, Juliet. I will keep in mind your suggestions for summer solstice in NZ, at this busy time. Nature has always been my spiritual aligning principle with the universe. May we all enjoy these days of such brilliant light reaching it’s crescendo at the solstice.
Virginia, thank you for your appreciation. I love your description on nature as the ‘spiritual aligning principle of the universe’. How true! Solstice blessings to you.
Hi Juliet – I have to say I love it when the Spring equinox comes along – then I know warmer and longer days are on the way – I have to brave the Canadian winter yet – thankfully I’m on the British (softer – weatherwise) side of the country! Enjoy your summer and the changes it brings – have a wonderful Christmas and New Year with the family … cheers Hilary
Thank you Hilary, and have a happy Christmas in your new temporary land.
So lovely, Juliet. Beautiful seeing the whole – mountain, cave, and all the year holds in between. Here in the north, I am turning towards the darkness…while tending a small, precious flame of faith.
Thank you Dana. May your small flame of faith grow stronger as the light returns.
Hello Juliet,
Gallivanta sent me here. I’m hosting a blog party, and she thought I would enjoy reading your post. She was right! I’m in the U.S. (New Hampshire, specifically), so we’re getting ready to hunker down for a long, snowy winter. I generally hibernate during these months (I do not like being cold!), so your suggestions to celebrate winter solstice suit me well. I love your suggestion of offering a wish to a flame or fire. I shall do that! Thank you for a lovely idea of celebrating the solstice!
Kate, how lovely to have a visitor from New Hampshire! I’ve been there a few times, and it is so beautiful. Winter solstice is such an opportunity to connect to the inner life. I wish you well, and a happy solstice. Thank you for visiting.
Hi Juliet, I’ve popped over via Kate Johnson’s blog and a recommendation from Gallivanta. I love this exploration of the energies of the two solstices.
Andrea, thank you for visiting, and I’m glad you enjoyed my post about the solstices. My Seasons Newsletter speaks to both hemispheres now that I have more and more visitors from the north. It’s good to feel connected across the globe.