Celebrating the return of the light, the love of missing out, and an excerpt on stillness during Winter Solstice (Yule) 2024.
Winter Solstice (Yule) is that time of the year when the night is longest and the day is shortest.
The day after Winter Solstice has infinitesimally more light and this continues until Summer Solstice in June.
In Earth Based Spirituality, including the Celtic tradition, we celebrate one of the most sacred times of our calendar year: The Return of the Light.
This year’s theme ~ LOMO ~ “Love of Missing Out”
I wish you the courage to turn away from consumerism, materialism, spending, and competing during the holiday season.
Dear Ms. Terry,
How do I turn away and create some stillness, a sense of gathering in, and some quiet creativity at Winter Solstice this year?
Needing strategies for LOMO, Felicia
My response to Felicia, and my Solstice gift to you, is an excerpt from my book Another Spring: A Year of Self Therapy & Spiritual Practices for EveryWoman. (Below)
Nuts and Bolts
A stillness-in-solitude event means no movement, no phone, no tablet, no person, no food, no distraction for at least twelve minutes. Keep your eyes open. Be present in the moment: note the smells, tastes, in the air, the sounds and sights in your line of vision, the textures or sensations around you in this moment, right now. Draw energy up from the earth through your feet by pretending to breath through your soles, then notice sensations in the rest of your body. Try this at your altar, on your front porch, on a park bench, under a favourite tree in the forest, sitting by the sea, or while soaking in the tub.
Start with one stillness-in-solitude event per day. Add more as you become familiar with the sensation. At first your mind might race, memories of an earlier moment in the day might surface, or you might start composing future ‘to do’ lists in your head. Give your head a wee shake and begin again. Bring yourself back to the present moment and start noting whatever your five senses are picking up in this moment. Say (out loud or to yourself) what you notice. Take it to the next level by paying very close attention to what is in the air between you and the closest object. That space between holds energy. Where does your personal and psychic space end and the other’s begin? Do they overlap? When your mind wanders, bring it back to the present by counting to five on the inhale, hold for three, then count to seven on the exhale. Repeat the breath count until you are back in your body. Begin again. I have been told and have experienced it for myself that it takes at least twelve minutes of stillness in the forest for the creatures, trees, birds and other wildlife to accept your presence and resume natural activity. Watch for this shift in energy. (p. 42)
Folks, T. (n.d.). Another Spring: A Year of Self Therapy and Spiritual Practices for EveryWoman. [Unpublished manuscript] (pp. 42)
Click here for last year’s Yule post, featuring another excerpt which guides you through the vision board strategy.
In light,
Terry
