Well,
Hello there.
Welcome to Celestial Gems.
My name is Gem,
And I'll be your guide for today.
I'd like to welcome you to this corner of the universe,
This space that I have created and will share with you now.
If accessible to you,
Please ensure you are also in a physical space that feels safe to you,
Or at the very least,
Safe enough for you to get comfy.
And relax without interruption.
Today,
We'll honour the winter solstice,
A moment to stand still with the sun just as the ancient peoples once did.
In an astrological sense,
The solstice is signified by zero degrees of Capricorn or Cancer.
It is often felt as an energetic gateway.
This can be viewed as a way to reset and realign ourselves on an energetic level with the celestial bodies.
Take a moment to get comfortable.
When you feel ready,
We'll begin.
Take a deep breath,
Just to centre yourself here now.
Ready?
Bring your hands slowly together,
Rubbing them to create warm and gentle heat.
Once you feel the soft heat between your palms,
Take a breath in.
As you exhale,
Bring your hands over your eyes and gently close your eyelids,
Resting your palms on your cheeks.
Feel the soothing sensation of the warmth generate over your face.
Rest here for a moment.
When you feel ready,
Take a soft breath in,
Keeping your eyes closed,
Breathe out and remove your hands.
As the warmth slowly leaves your face,
The cool air lightly tingles your cheeks.
As you begin to feel your whole body soothed,
Soft,
Calm.
Sit here.
Enjoy this sensation.
In the stillness,
Allow the darkness to wash over you like a soft blanket.
The world around you shifts ever so gently.
And you begin to find yourself in the night,
In a forest.
You look up at the sky,
Like silk draping over you.
Deep,
Dark blues and waves of blackness with speckles of light softly glimmering.
The touches of sparkles here and there.
The stars above you provide little light,
Yet in their stillness,
They dance to the slow,
Steady rhythm of time.
You sense a call beckoning to you and you begin to walk into the nothingness.
Guided only by your heart and inner compass.
You feel at ease as you trudge through the moss-covered floor amongst the silhouette of the towering trees.
Your hands brush up against the grit of bark and bushes you cannot name,
But feel the soft strokes of tiny leaves past you as you go deeper and deeper into this dark,
Yet safe world.
You breathe in the crisp night air.
And something within begins to stir.
The noises of the forest surround you.
It's not as you imagined,
Alone in the dark.
And yet,
Somehow comforted by the shadows and the rustling of the trees,
You feel at home here.
There is freedom in solitude.
A gentle calm begins to settle within you.
This other you,
The one that belongs to the night and to nature.
Take this moment now,
As you walk through this magical forest,
To reflect on the seasons gone by,
The movement of what has happened.
What has this year taught you about yourself and those in your life?
Are there things you appreciate now that you couldn't see clearly before?
In the moments you felt most like yourself,
Where were you?
What were you doing?
Who were you with?
A sense of belonging pours over you.
And as you take a moment to appreciate this feeling,
You can just make out a tree stump in a clearing up ahead,
And you begin to walk towards it.
A sharp cut means the wood is smooth,
And it becomes an inviting seat for you.
Next to this stump,
You see a box of matches and one single candle.
Even in the dead of night,
Even in the darkness,
Sometimes we follow ourselves to find what is meant to be.
To find light in the strangest of places.
You hold the candle in one hand.
It's long,
And you can just make out that it doesn't hold any color,
Maybe white.
It's a guess.
You're not sure.
Right now,
This candle becomes a symbol.
Not of conquering darkness,
But of meeting it,
Honoring it.
And choosing illumination when you are ready.
Take a breath in,
Allowing the cool,
Crisp air of the night to touch your nostrils.
Hold if that feels comfortable to you,
And exhale.
Take another breath in as you center yourself on this tree stump,
Surrounded by the sounds of the night.
Exhale.
Final breath in now,
Allowing the cool night air to cleanse you.
And again,
Exhaling it all out.
In this moment of stillness,
We honor the dark.
We honor our shadows.
You could light this candle at any moment,
But for now,
Stay here.
Appreciating the edges of the things we cannot see,
Its depth,
Its mystery,
Its stillness.
What parts of yourself are beginning to stir?
Where do you feel this in your body?
What feels ready to be released,
To grow,
Or to shift with you?
You pick up the box and light the match.
You press the golden flame to the wick of the candle and sit in its warm glow.
In the dark,
A small flicker of hope shines.
You watch the flame as it dances in the gentle breeze.
In the soft candlelight,
Your face illuminates.
You feel its gentle warmth flow over you,
And you are reminded of the summer's sun.
The way the heat touches your face,
The way the warmth touches your skin.
The world beams in sunlight.
You think ahead,
Your path unfolding before you,
Your own yellow brick road.
Take this time to ask yourself,
Where do you want to go?
Where do you want that path to take you?
Why do you want to go there?
Does this align with your needs,
With your true self?
How do you feel when you arrive there?
How will you get there?
With these ideas of the coming seasons fresh in your mind,
Take a deep breath in.
Hold at the top of your breath,
Allowing these ideas to resonate further within.
And then,
When you feel ready,
Softly exhale.
Another breath in.
Feeling the excitement of possibilities,
Of dreams unfolding.
And then,
When you're ready,
Exhale,
Feeling the warmth of the future flow over you.
Final breath in,
Holding these ideas clear in your mind.
This time,
As you exhale,
Blow out the candle gently.
Watching the last curl of smoke rise up into the night.
Rest for a moment,
Allowing the thoughts and feelings to settle.
When you feel ready,
Put down the candle.
You can return here anytime you like,
With or without the solstice.
Any time rest is needed,
Or a moment to reset,
To ponder,
And to relight what lives inside you.
But for now,
It's time to say goodbye to the trees and the velvet night sky,
As we begin to gently return to your physical body,
Softly and slowly.
If you can,
Begin to observe the sounds in your room,
Like turning up the volume on an old TV.
You can hear the distant noises around you come closer.
Lightly begin to awaken your body with some soft movements in your toes and fingers.
We will return as we entered.
Take your hands and rub them together,
Bringing warmth to your palms and gently place them over your eyes.
Gently now,
Take a deep breath in and open your eyes.
As you breathe out,
Remove your hands and fingers.
So you are fully present.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I'm truly grateful you joined me for this solstice moment.
If able,
Take a little bit of time now to reflect on the feelings and the ideas that came up.
I recommend writing them down and placing them in a jar or on an altar.
Somewhere you can see them for the next few weeks to remind yourself of this time.
Until we meet again,
Goodbye my solstice friend.
