On Wednesday, December 21st, we welcome the Winter Solstice, the portal to the winter season.
As we enter this season, our intuition becomes heightened, our soul craves introspection, and it is a time for nurturing the seeds of our deepest, most heart-felt dreams, visions, and desires.
When we take time to honor and celebrate this season change, we find ourselves moving with the rhythm of this season with more ease and grace.
In this week’s episode of the Priestess Pathway Podcast, I share 4 Rituals for Celebrating the Winter Solstice.
Listen in and discover how you can celebrate this sacred day!
Ritual 1 – Reflection Rituals
The winter solstice, and the days surrounding the solstice, is a powerful time for deep inner reflection and journaling. It is a time when powerful insights and inner wisdom surfaces. When we take time to journal about these insights, we not only gain deeper levels of understanding, but also ground the insight so that it can be integrated in our lives.
Here are some of my favorite winter solstice reflection ritual questions:
- What has been amazing about this past year?
- what has been particularly challenging about this past year?
- Is there anything that feels unresolved about this past year?
- What needs to be honored, healed, or let go of in order to bring sacred closure to this past year?
- What visions, ideas, and inspirations are emerging for 2017?
- How do you feel about the visions, ideas, and inspirations that are emerging?
- Are there any fears, doubts, or worries showing up around them? If yes, give them a voice, honor them, and then invite spirit to guide you in your next, most empowered step to bring your ideas to life.
Ritual 2 – Bring Nature into Your Home . . . and Create a Winter Altar
When we surround ourselves with items that mirror the season we begin to gain a deeper understanding of the energy of that particular season and how we can work with it. In the winter it is lovely to bring in boughs of evergreens (my personal favorite is cedar). Burn candles or a fire in the fireplace. Add crystals that reflect this season introspection . . . lapis, quartz, and amethyst are wonderful! Plant bulbs such as paperwhites or amaryllis and watch them bloom.
Ritual 3 – Pay Attention to Your Dreams
Dreamtime is powerful. It is a time of deep connection with your subconscious and when we tune in, take time to remember, and write down our dreams, we connect with some pretty powerful insights. Our dreams will reveal where we feel a sense of separateness from the divine, from life, from others, and even from ourself. They will reveal insights around our greatest challenges and deepest desires.
Remembering our dreams can be very simple (even if you’re thinking to yourself I don’t think I even dream . . . I never remember anything!). Here are a couple great techniques to support you in remembering your dreams:
- Set an intention before you go to sleep. Think about where you are feeling stuck or where you would like more insights in your life. As you lay down to bed, simply ask God, Spirit, Creator, your guides to offer their guidance and wisdom during your dreamtime . . . and that you may recall your dream upon waking.
- If you awake from a dream, write it down right away. Don’t assume you will remember it when you wake in the morning, because you likely won’t. Turn on a light and write down everything. Read it again in the morning.
- Schedule time to journal and reflect in the morning. Write down what you felt as you woke up . . . what was the emotion you felt? Write down even the simplest of details in your journal. According to Robert Moss (master dreamer and teacher), remembering something as simple as the color red can be the gateway to remembering a whole lot of important details. Don’t dismiss any piece.
Ritual 4 – Spend Time in Nature
Nature has so much wisdom and insight to offer. I know that in winter, the first thing most of us want to do is cozy up with a warm cup of tea (or coffee . . . or hot chocolate), a good book, and a snuggly blanket. But nature is absolutely magical in winter and it has so much wonderful wisdom and insight to offer . . . don’t miss it! Take time to go for nature walks, snowshoe, ski, sled, play in the snow (yes, make snow angels), create an altar in the forest or in your backyard. Tune in, listen, and enjoy the magic!
Wishing you a wonderful winter solstice!
much love,
Lori
p.s. there are still two more days to shop all of the amazing jewels and art available in the Journey Jewels online boutique. Shop here: https://loriaandrus.com/product-category/shop/
