Sacred Sunday – Solstice Blessings
Ciao Amica Mia,
Wowser! December sure is a month filled with holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa. And for us in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice.
Did you know the word holiday comes from the Old English, hālig “holy” + dæg “day”? Originally it was only referring to special religious days. Like many old English, Latin and French words, they’ve evolved over time.
No matter what your religious affiliation might be, I invite you to consider the original use of the word. And feel into how holy this time of year truly is.
The shortest day and longest night of the year, the winter solstice, has been celebrated by many cultures for thousands of years. While the solstice occurred last night, December 21, 2019, the energy starts to build at Samhain, or Halloween, and continues into the New Year.
So, no worries if you weren’t aware or had forgotten. You still have time to pause and reflect on the beauty and symbolism the solstice inspires.
I encourage you to incorporate a solstice ritual into your end of the year reflection.
Schedule a time in your calendar as if you were planning a trip to visit a dear friend. While many people across the world travel to visit family during this season, the solstice is a time to travel inward. You can do both!
Here are seven ideas that might spark resonance.
~Find a corner in one of your rooms and designate it “sacred space”. Cleanse the area with sweetgrass or sage. Adorn a table or shelf with items reflecting the season. Perhaps a pinecone, an evergreen branch or a star ornament.
~Light a gold or silver candle representing the return of the sun and the lengthening of day with its radiant light and warmth.
~Take time to sit in solitude, for even just five minutes, and give thanks for the gift of your breath. Ask for blessings on your loved ones, friends, community and all sentient beings.
~Journal and write down one of your greatest accomplishments of 2019. Record what brought you the most joy.
~Be honest with yourself as you take authorship of your life. Do it with self-love and compassion. Then write out where you want to make a shift. Acknowledge what challenge you moved through with grace and dignity. Forgive yourself for any missteps, muddles or mistakes you made along the way.
~Choose what area in your life you want to expand. Identify what virtue(s) you want to become more of. Embrace a word that has meaning for you and identifies what you desire in 2020.
~Then finally, invite a circle of loving friends to join together and give thanks for the oneness that connects us all.
Remember to be kind to yourself. Remember to create time for a little chillasana.
And remember to observe the holy as it appears in the simplicity of life’s unfolding.
With so much gratitude,
Xoxo Paulette
And…remember to take advantage of my December
birthday month savings for
“Evoke the Divine Powers of the Feminine”
Give yourself or a loved one this holiday gift. You deserve it!
