On December 21st, we passed through the winter solstice, which marks the shortest day of the year; however, it also signals an increase in the amount of sunlight each day will have for the following six months.
Our ancestors considered the solstices as sacred times.
The winter solstice signals the sun’s rebirth and light’s return. It can be a time of reflection, and we can use it as a time of profound transformation. We can re-align ourselves with the rhythms of nature. We can use this time to go within and nurture our inner light. We can also set intentions for the new year.
People are facing life-and-death issues around the world, and those of us who are aware of the suffering may feel a sense of urgency, wishing we could do something but not knowing what that might be. And we may wish to make changes in our own lives but are uncertain how to proceed.
But perhaps what we need to do is slow down and surrender our ideas of what to do.
Many of us are usually in a rush, trying to get somewhere or accomplish something, never living up to our ideals or ambitions.
However, this pace doesn’t help us or others.
Sometimes, as at this time of year, we need to learn to slow down, relax, retreat for a week, a day, or an hour, and enter a new relationship with time.
In her book Summoned by the Earth: Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World, Cynthia Jurs says:
The solutions to the planet’s problems are not dependent on time as we know it. Our identification with time greatly limits our capacities to bring real healing and transformation and keeps us locked in an old story. When the time of our ordinary mind stops, we enter into the time of Spirit, the sacred time, the time when everything is possible.
When we live in a conscious relationship to the natural rhythm of nature, with the energy of the solstices, we have the opportunity to experience sacred time, a time that is not restricted to our usual schedules.
We can walk mindfully through nature and notice the sky, the trees, the clouds. Then, we may be able to become aware of something larger than ourselves, something that is not only around us but within us. We may gain greater insights and peace that this sacred time offers, and we can plan for actions based on the reality of the interconnection of all of life.
“Many of us have been running all our lives. Practice stopping.”
“Choose to be in touch with what is wonderful, refreshing, and healing within yourself and around you.”
Thich Nhat Hanh