Winter Solstice Meditation

The Winter Solstice is the return of light. We endure through the darkness to be reborn in light. Journey within to meet the darkness with love and compassion as we take a moment to forgive ourselves and discover our inner light ever present.

Music by Maura ten Hoopen

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to this winter solstice meditation.

My name is Kristen,

And I am grateful to share this space with you today.

Before we begin,

If you'd like to have a journal handy or perhaps even a cup of tea this cold winter day,

Please grab that now.

I will provide you with a little background about the solstice before we begin the meditation.

The winter solstice,

Also known as the hibernal solstice,

Occurs when either of the Earth's poles is tilted away from the sun at its maximum point.

In the Northern Hemisphere,

This occurs each December around the 21st of the month.

The Southern Hemisphere celebrates the winter solstice around the 21st of June each year.

The winter solstice is the day with the least amount of sunlight,

Totaling about 9 hours and 34 minutes.

The word solstice is derived from the Latin word sol and sestere,

Which means sun and to stand still,

Respectively.

Because on this day,

The sun appears to stand still in the sky.

Celtic lore says that the solstice marks a battle between the Holly King,

Representing darkness,

And the Oak King,

Representing light.

At the winter solstice,

The Oak King is always victorious,

And light begins to return to our days.

The solstice is a time of celebration and rebirth.

Perhaps you may like to light some candles,

Non-toxic,

Of course,

And maybe fill your home with the scent of pine or cinnamon.

Spend some time going within,

Contemplating how you have been reborn or renewed through the year.

Each one of us is a combination of shadow and light,

Each creative and destructive.

This allows for a balance of energies,

Uniting our sides into wholeness.

This time of darkness,

Which is coming to a close,

Gives us space to nurture our shadow self and discover those things which no longer serve us.

Allow yourself to seek the place of shadow within.

Seek now those aspects which we tend to hide,

Ignore,

Or shut out.

In this sacred space which we create,

We are able to hold our shadow selves in love.

As we journey through this meditation,

Keep in mind these questions.

What shadows are you casting off?

What energy lies dormant within you?

Allow these questions to settle at the back of your mind as we journey within to our sacred center,

The place of stillness and connection to the universe.

I ask that you make yourself as comfortable as possible,

Either sitting up or lying down,

Whatever you feel called to do in this moment.

Allow your hands to gently rest in your lap or at your sides,

And allow your eyes to float closed.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and release through your mouth.

Let's do that again.

Deep breath in through your nose,

Holding briefly at the top,

And exhale,

Being sure to release all of the air from the depths of your lungs.

Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.

Bring your awareness to your body.

Are you comfortable?

Make any adjustments you need to deeply relax into your space.

Now gently return your awareness to your breath.

You do not need to change your breath,

Just follow its natural rhythm slowly and mindfully.

On the inhale,

Feel the sensation of air flowing in through your nostrils,

Allowing your belly to rise.

And on your exhale,

Let it be natural yet complete,

Releasing any stagnant energy.

Continue to follow your breath.

If your attention drifts,

Kindly return your awareness back to your breath.

Now here in this sacred space,

I ask you to gently seek the place of shadow within.

Seek now those aspects which have been ignored or shut out,

Whatever it may be.

Things like jealousy,

Anger,

Untruthfulness.

These are the emotions and actions that can cause us shame.

Those things we wish we could take back or at least handled better.

In this sacred space,

We are able to hold our shadow in love.

Release any sensations in your body,

Any tightness or constriction.

Breathe deeply into those spaces with love and light.

Allow these areas of stickiness to be released with loving kindness.

Say aloud or to yourself,

I acknowledge my shortcomings and hold them in a space of love and forgiveness.

I do not need to be perfect.

It is okay to make mistakes.

I forgive myself and mindfully choose to learn from my errors.

It is okay to make mistakes.

My life is a journey of self-discovery.

If I did not make mistakes,

I could not grow as a person in experience.

This growth allows me to see myself in others when they make mistakes.

I forgive myself and others for errors of judgment.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth with a sigh,

Releasing any bits of tension you are still clinging to.

Allow the promise of renewed light to burn through and transmute any pain or fear.

Breathe in light.

Breathe out fear.

Breathe in love.

Breathe out pain.

Allow yourself to rest here for a moment,

Allowing for the integration of your shadow self.

Deep within you is the seed of truth.

Allow your awareness to sink deep within to the place of darkness,

Place of stillness.

This seed contains within it everything you have been seeking.

This seed has been lying dormant,

Hidden by attachment,

Fear,

And pain.

Now with the promise of light and rebirth at hand,

You find you are able to become fully aware of this hidden jewel.

Visualize the radiant sun streaming rays of light deep into this fertile ground within that holds the sacred seed,

The seed of your truth.

The warm sunlight kisses the tiny seed,

And as you take a deep breath in,

The seed begins to sprout.

Radiant light,

Brilliant light.

With each breath,

You grow in love and compassion.

This blossoming light burns away any fears about who you are and where your place in the world is.

You feel strong roots reaching into the depths of Mother Earth,

Grounding you.

You feel your branches of love,

Confidence,

And vitality grow stronger.

The promise light from within the cold,

Dark reaches allows your truth to be revealed.

This is your authentic,

True,

Whole self.

Breathe here for a moment,

Feeling anchored in your whole being.

Fully bring your awareness back to your body and the space you are in.

Allow soft movements to return to your fingers and toes.

And when you are ready,

You may open your eyes.

I suggest taking a few moments to journal what came up for you during the meditation.

Return to the questions.

What shadows are you casting off?

What energy lies dormant within?

And come back to these questions or meditation when needed,

Allowing you to fully explore where you're holding pain,

Discomfort,

And being able to fully release it in love and light.

I wish you a blissful solstice.

May you be blessed in love and light.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I am grateful to have met you on the path.

Namaste.

Reviews

Beautiful, calming, grounding and thought -provoking meditation! Thank you and namaste 🙏🏻

I wanted a meditation to practice on the solstice. I’m glad I picked this one, it’s so calming.

That was a beautiful meditation thank you from the Southern Hemisphere x

That was lovely, peaceful and healing, thank you. Gorgeous voice to listen to as well. 🌞🙏

This guidance was very smooth and allowed me to settle in easily. Thank you so much 🙏🏽

Very nice and insightful. Thank you for your words 🙏😇🕊

Powerful and beautiful meditation for today!..we as seeds, as part of nature