Friday, December 21st is the winter solstice this year, and it is the shortest day of the year. For 24 hours, the least amount of sunlight will be available to us.

Solstice is a furthest or culminating point; a turning point. And the word solstice is derived from the Latin sol, sun, and sistere, which means to stand still.

This is a time when there are a lot of festive occasions—and that’s as it should be. When it’s dark, it’s comforting to be with each other. But I think it’s also important not to try to escape this dark time.

For me, it has always been a time when I can’t see clearly into the future, and I begin to question many things.

If you feel this way too, I think the best advice is to go along with nature, that is, stand still. Don’t think, don’t plan, don’t worry. Wait. Wait until the sun shifts and begins bringing more light. More light will illuminate what needs clarity.

Rest internally. Find that space of stillness within.

Here is some advice from Bön Buddhist master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche from his book Awakening the Luminous Mind:

“Bring clear attention to any agitation or tension you may be experiencing. As you experience the sensations in your body. Draw attention to being still. Focus on stillness. As you begin to feel stillness, the agitation begins to calm; as you continue to focus on stillness, the agitation releases. Continue to draw attention toward stillness and as you feel it, rest there. Stillness can become the doorway to experience a glimpse of the unbounded space of being, a deeper stillness that is always present.”

Bring this sense of stillness to your everyday life. Take short breaks throughout the day to contact the stillness.

Soon, the light will shift and so will your internal compass. But even as you move into the new year, bring the peace of stillness with you.

“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” T.S. Eliot.