In the Northern Hemisphere,
The winter solstice usually falls on December 21st or 22nd.
It's an astronomical event occurring when the Earth's tilt towards the sun is at its minimum.
Above the equator,
We'll experience the longest night of the year,
And from there forward a gradual increase in daylight that will lead us towards springtime.
If you watch the sunrise each morning,
It will shift to the north after halting for a few days around the solstice day event.
You've heard of traditions that mark the occasion of the winter solstice,
Including the Yuletide log,
Mistletoe,
And you're probably familiar with Stonehenge and maybe even Newgrange,
Which is a monument in Ireland.
There's the Dongchi Festival in China and Toji observances in Japan.
You may be less familiar with the Cahokia Mounds located in Iniwak,
Or Illinois.
There you would find Woodhenge,
A circle of wooden posts built in pre-Columbian times that mark the summer and winter solstices as well as the equinoxes.
So there's endless artifacts,
Celebrations,
And observances around the world that evidence human awareness of the solar system and a reverence for astrological events that affect us here on Earth.
Spiritually conscious people consider this time of the winter solstice through till spring as one that bolsters a shift in human consciousness,
Granting us the most receptivity towards enlightenment.
Perhaps the recognition of this spirit at this time comes from the human need for sustenance.
Before the convenience of shopping in grocery stores,
The need for food and shelter from the cold would have made this time pretty stressful.
The celebration of the Earth's gifts and reverence for Mother Nature only makes sense.
If you're like me and lucky enough to have your basic needs met every day,
The winter solstice may give you a time to feel grateful and a chance to become more empathetic to others who have less.
New traditions of giving could be birthed from this time.
In the flurry of the holiday season,
We may not notice the winter solstice brings with it a change from Sagittarius to Capricorn season.
Sagittarius season is expansive and open.
You may find yourself talking to new people,
Interacting more,
Collaborating,
Or maybe traveling,
Expanding your world.
At the solstice,
We shift into Capricorn season,
Which is a more reflective and focused time.
It's a wonderful moment to review your past and get real about the future.
Mark W.
Maquette is an astrophysicist,
Zen teacher,
And author.
He reflects on his life as a scientist.
I'd become a scientist because I was in awe of the universe and was seeking to understand its hidden depths.
Awe and wonder are not just thoughts,
They're embodied emotions.
The reality was I'd become lost in logic,
Fact,
And the academic pressure to publish,
And I'd forgotten the magic of just looking up at the starry sky.
In a way,
On his journey of deconstructing the magic of the universe,
Wes Maquette came only to realize it was the very thing he was deconstructing that was actually the magic.
I think at this time as human beings,
We have forgotten that we ourselves are the magic.
We're connected to all that is around us.
I guide students in a yoga studio where the most emphasis is placed on the physical body as an instrument for development and change.
At the beginning and end of every class,
I ask students to be still and listen with their whole bodies,
Shifting the focus from the ordinary world to the possibility of connecting to the most extraordinary self that goes beyond our physical body.
Why don't you spend a few moments with me just sitting and listening?
Because it's during these times that we often better understand our relationship to ourselves and the world around us.
Ritual seems built into human consciousness,
Driven by the events of the stars and the earth.
What is important to you now,
Today?
Don't forget,
You're made of stardust.
Neil deGrasse Tyson stated,
The atoms of our bodies are traceable to the stars that manufactured them in their cores and exploded these enriched ingredients across our galaxy billions of years ago.
For this reason,
We are biologically connected to every other living thing in the world.
We are chemically connected to all the molecules on earth,
And we are anatomically connected to all the atoms in the universe.
We are not figuratively,
But literally stardust.
Wishing you the beauty of imagination and a connection to magic.
