The Winter Solstice marks a potent turning point in the year, when darkness is deepest, and the Sun shines above the horizon for the fewest hours of the day, of the whole year.
Itâs both a powerful time of release, and of seed sowing â very much like each of our 13 yearly New Moons.
Itâs a day for setting intentions â days like this are known as âpower daysâ as thereâs a LOT of cosmic charge in the ethers, ready and available to be directed at will. So itâs one of the best days in the entire year to hold a ritual, work a little magic, and connect to the divine, creative forces of Nature.
Winter Solstice is also a wonderful day for celebration, for gratitude, and for pausing on the treadmill, to honor all that we are, and all that we have in the spaces we inhabit right now.
Here are 10 ideas for you to use, adapt and run with in your own life, to mark this beautiful and sacred Solstice time.
1 â Honor the dark
Use only candles to light your spaces for the day, starting with a candlelit breakfast, and finishing with candles by your bedside. You may do less, move more slowly and retire to bed much earlier than usual, but this is the point! Allowing less artificial light to enter in through your eyes and skin will attune you to this darkest of days, inviting the rest and replenishment your body and soul needs.
2 â Have a solstice fire
Gather wood to burn and invite friends and neighbors to join you, to enjoy the sight, sound and heat.
When the fire dies down, you could follow the beautiful tradition of saving a piece of charred wood to start next yearsâ fire with (or even your Summer Solstice fire!)
3 â Hold a fire releasing ceremony
Amp-up your connection to your solstice fire, by harnessing its transformational power.
Write down anything you wish to release onto small pieces of paper and toss them into your fire. As they burn in the flames, know that you are energetically releasing whatever has been holding you back.
Itâs important to complete the ceremony by inviting something in, to replace what you have let go of. It could be simply love, courage or openness to something better, so write this down onto another small piece of paper, and toss this into the fire too. As it burns, you are releasing the idea to the Spirits, so that they can help it manifest in your life, in its highest and best possible way.
4 â Make a holly crown
The ancients used holly for its protective properties (energetically as well as physically!) So making and wearing a holly crown is a potent symbol of protection against the malevolent spirits which can lurk at this dark time of year.
5 â Plant some winter bulbs
Narcissi, crocuses and tulips are perfect example of bulbs to plant at this time of year. Set your own intentions as you bury these globes of potential. As they develop shoots, stems and finally bloom over the coming months, they will act as symbols of your own blossoming desires. This is a lovely way to set the pace, and to provide a beautiful visual correspondence for any intentions you set to manifest in the Springtime.
6 â Program a crystal
Select a crystal (you can choose one you own already or why not treat yourself to a new Solstice gift! I find that raw stones are best, not always as pretty, but they can be programmed, unlike tumble stones). Set an intention into this stone for what you would like to attract for the next quarter-year, and carry it with you as a talisman. Be careful â this is a powerful thing to do, and unless you remember to de-program your crystal, it will keep on calling in what youâve asked for indefinitely).
I love to program small pieces of quartz, with simple intentions like holding and emitting the vibration of love, and squeezing them into knots in trees. There is something very special about returning these pieces of earth to her.
7 â Bake some bread, a cake, or some solstice biscuits
As you add each ingredient, send a wish into the bowl with it. Know that you are creating up a powerful mix, a potion of intent, which is already taking form, and is the beginnings of manifestation. The last step is to eat your creation, with pleasure and confidence that your intentions are literally becoming you!
8 â Make some mulled wine or cider and share it with the people you love
When Solar light is at its lowest, itâs important to re-kindle our human connections. Offer warmth â hugs, hot drinks and cozy hearths, AND emotional warmth, kindness and generosity to the people you care for.
9 â Stay up ALL night!
Be there, when the Sun rises in the morning to welcome back the light.
10 â OR, go to sleep, and ask for a power-dream
As you drift off into the longest, darkest night of the year, invite in the visions that will light your way through the next turn of the yearly wheel. Ask your higher self to visit you in the dream worlds, and show you what you most need to see. Be sure to keep a pen and some paper or a journal by your bedside, to write down what you recall upon waking in the morning.
The Solstice is meant to be FUN!
Use these suggestions as a starting point, and they could even mark the beginnings of some Solstice traditions of your very own!
Comment below what you are doing to celebrate, weâd love to share your magic with you.
Wishing you a beautiful Solstice,
K
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Forever Unlimited 