Solstice blessings everyone.
Please come to a comfortable and supportive posture.
Close your eyes and follow your breath.
Take a few easy settling inhales and exhales.
Send your breath to your belly and just feel.
Sometimes the breath can feel stuck and that's okay.
You can place your hands on your belly so you know it's going towards your pelvic bowl.
Feel the peaceful rhythm within you as you breathe here.
We honor this time of the ever-changing flow of life just as our ancestors have done since the beginning of time.
The duality of spirit and earth emerge to bring new life into the old growth.
These rituals acknowledge the unseen web of life that connects us all.
Nature asks us to slow down,
To listen rather than speak.
Under the ground the earth sleeps,
Seeds rest.
Nature is teaching us that resting,
Drawing inward for a time,
Is present in all living things.
Rest is necessary for growth.
Here we gather strength in our bodies for the coming season.
We dream,
We undo like a tree in a winter storm.
We go down and in.
This winter silence brings peace and serenity.
Listen carefully.
Allow the quiet to pull you inward and into its embrace.
Allow your breathing to be the only thing you are concerned with.
Breathe.
Be here as you are.
We wait and rest in the divine darkness of winter,
Which isn't always easy for most of us who are uncomfortable with the dark.
We find ourselves in a constant rush towards the light and we choose not to see with our inner eyes.
Most people have a hard time facing their shadow selves,
Scared of what they will see.
We assume we are worse than we think we are,
But maybe you are more magnificent than you have ever imagined.
Winter invites us to look back and see the paths we took and in return,
Gives us wisdom and guidance.
This season challenges us to surrender to our dreaming,
To trust the strength of the earth will support our weight as we sleep.
It is out of the darkness that flowers bloom,
Plants emerge and we find the inner truth about ourselves.
It is time to do winter's inner work.
I invite you to reflect on the times of the year when darkness showed up within you or in your environment.
In what ways do you feel that you must forgive yourself?
Release with every breath.
I offer a mantra for the next few breaths.
Inhale let.
.
.
Exhale go.
Inhale let.
.
.
Exhale go.
Inhale let.
.
.
Exhale go.
We now bring in light to encourage the sun to return.
Visualize lighting an almond shaped candle flickering in the wind.
Embody the light and let it illuminate all parts of you.
Invite in an intention or hope for this upcoming year that will brighten and nourish your soul.
It can be a word that pops in your mind's eye or a feeling you hope to embody.
Make this intention and feel as if you already have it.
What does it look like in your life?
Imagine you have it as if it's already yours.
Feel the warmth of the sun germinating the seeds of creation within you.
Honor the warmth and joy it instills as it caresses your skin.
As you inhale,
Visualize the light of the candle warming your entire body.
As you exhale,
The light slows you down and allows you to surrender.
Take the deepest breath of your whole day and exhale out of your mouth.
Inhale a deep nourishing breath.
Exhale out your mouth.
Imagine when you exhale,
You send out your hopes and dreams to the spiritual atmosphere that divine mother can birth it into fruition.
Winter pulls blanket nice and snug over us with a gift of warmth and stillness and sleep.
You held.
You are becoming more,
Not less.
From the dark,
You become a radiant heart-centered being.
You have done so well not rushing the cycles.
The sun will return.
You are free to rest.
Blessed be.
