Welcoming Winter
The winter solstice falls on Thursday, December 21, marking the start of winter. When I think of winter, I immediately think of cold weather, long nights and catching up on Netflix. But that’s not the way it has always been. In many cultures around the globe, there are traditions that honor the winter solstice. In China and Persia, families get together to celebrate the year they had with special foods. The Inca celebration of Inti Raymi, held in honor of the sun god, included feasts and sacrifices. Hopi Indians honor the solstice with purification rituals, dancing, and blessing ceremonies. The ancient Roman solstice festival of Saturnalia, was celebrated with games, feasts, and gift-giving. In pagan cultures, the shortest day of the year was celebrated as the “rebirth” of the sun. When I connect with the spiritual significance of this day there is much to appreciate.
My own personal winter solstice ritual involves looking at the past, present, and future as part of my preparation for the coming year. Since the solstice takes place ten days before the New Year and marks the beginning of a new annual cycle, it is a perfect time to look back on the last twelve months to celebrate accomplishments, contemplate lessons learned, take stock of where I am currently, and plan for the coming year. This process helps me see the distance I have traveled and take a look at where I have arrived.
When I look back at my year, my biggest accomplishment was stepping out of my comfort zone to start my own business. I haven’t decided how I will celebrate this accomplishment yet, but it makes me smile when I think of how far I have come in achieving this goal to transition into a new career. This move has been in the making for two years! I cannot even count the lessons I have learned this year. The most important lesson I learned was that having a clear vision of what you want is more than half the battle. Once I had clarity about what I wanted to do with my career, I was able to create a concrete plan and timeline to accomplish what I had set out to do. At present, I am right where I hoped to be by this time of year and I feel pretty good about that. The plan for next year is to continue building my business, keep learning, and dream up my next big project.
Perhaps the winter solstice does not hold special meaning for you, but you can still welcome winter and all that the season has to offer. At this time of year, nature retreats into a peaceful quietness — animals go into hibernation and the trees go dormant while they wait for spring. Winter is a time to slow down and rest. It is a time to go inward — a time for deep listening, reflection, and introspection. As you nestle under the blankets and enjoy the warm coziness of your home, rest and dream about the year to come.