WINTER SOLSTICE 2019
December 21, 2019 marks the Winter Solstice for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Winter Solstice heralds the darkest day of the year, with the shortest day and longest night. It also sees the Sun move into Capricorn.
Just as the day is darker due to a lack of sunlight, so too, we may feel a sense of bleakness at this time.
In spite of holiday season (or in some cases, because of holiday season) we may feel overwhelmed by life.
Yet in other ways, as we begin to review another year that has passed (and in this case of this year’s Winter Solstice - a decade), we may feel underwhelmed.
In this sense we can feel physical darkness as energetic darkness.
With this year’s Winter Solstice taking place just before eclipse season and the much-feted Saturn/Pluto conjunction in January, much will be shifting in our lives and that of the world.
There will be endings for new beginnings, losses so that there can be gains, ‘deaths’ for rebirths, and so on.
Ultimately it is all for our highest good but it can be discombobulating and may add to the ‘darkness’ at this time.
The beauty of the Winter Solstice is it serves as a powerful opportunity to dive into any darkness in our lives (including our shadow) and transmute it into light.
We can embrace both the physical and any emotional or energetic darkness arising, trusting that just as the Sun will shine longer and brighter from hereon, so too this darkness will transform and our souls will rise and shine once again.
The Winter Solstice has long been a festival of celebration with gatherings and rituals. At this time, we need to celebrate both darkness and light, understanding that this duality is always within us and will always be present in our lives. They both need to respected and revered for the roles they play. By acknowledging darkness and destruction we can tap into the light which will reign once again.
A powerful ritual can include writing up a ‘release list’ of what does not serve you which you can burn using the light of a candle, to make space for what does.
Think of releasing the dark, to make space for the light, with the two working together.
And know that both darkness and light will always be present and work together for the greater good.
As part of your Solstice ritual enjoy this Soulstrology Soundbath meditation with the sounds and vibrations of the transformative Pluto and grounding Earth gongs.
Ambi Kavanagh
Alchemy with Ambi
@alchemyambi