gentle ways to recognize the winter solstice
a few years ago, i thought about how few rituals remain in my regular adult life, and i decided to start recognizing the summer and winter solstices each year. rituals give us a time and space to reflect, to mark the passage of time or landmarks in our lives. here are some of my suggestions for small, gentle rituals that help me appreciate the season and think about what’s behind me and what’s ahead.
ritual 1: bundle up
layer up your coziest knits and take a wintry walk in the last moments of light. the sunset marks a chapter closing, and thus begins the longest night!
ritual 2: CREATE LIGHT in the darkness
light candles, turn on christmas lights, or set your lamps to their warmest, coziest glow. i love the thought that even in times of darkness, we can always create our own light.
RITUAL 3: CREATE A SPACE TO REST
spring’s a time for planting, summer for growth, autumn for harvest, and winter for rest. it’s the time to make your home a soft space that indulges your senses and creates a space for rest. surround yourself with luxurious textures, satisfying foods, soft fibers, cozy layers, and slow projects. create a soft space to spend your longest night!
i’m working on a scarf inspired by quilts, a pair of cozy ribbed socks, and hope to start a chunky headband with this gloriously soft angora rabbit yarn i got at rhinebeck. anyone recognize what movie i’m watching?? it’s become a yearly tradition.
RITUAL 4: REFLECT
reflect on the chapter closing, and the chapter beginning. here are a couple prompts that i’ll be using to help me reflect this year.
a friend’s parents told me they started reading a mary oliver poem with their coffee every morning instead of the news, and it changed their whole day. so much of her poetry reminds me of the intimacy of nature here in vermont. this one felt perfect for the winter solstice:
the final lines:
So let us go on, cheerfully enough,
this and every crisping day,
though the sun be swinging east,
and the ponds be cold and black,
and the sweets of the year be doomed.
some things it made me think about:
what was i grateful for in this past chapter? what things had to come to a close, to make room for the new? what hope do i have for what new things may grow in this next season?
i think tarot spreads are an amazing tool for introspection, too. for the solstice, i like to pull 3 cards with a focus on:
a gift of this season
something to leave behind with the darkness
something to grow with the coming light
in my reflections this year, i know i am grateful as ever for this warm, inspiring, gentle, fierce community. stay warm out there on this long wintry night!!!! wishing you so much light !!!!
