Winter Solstice
The Light Returns
Photo of dawn by Elisa Coluccia on Unsplash. Letting the light shine through the dark of winter.
Winter Solstice is an event that happens on the level of the sun and stars. I have just a few thoughts to share on the topic that can perhaps provide a moment of contemplation amidst the great energies of this time and what is happening in the world and in your life. Just in case you want to dive into detail, there is a beautiful article on the Winter Solstice event that also features audio and is available here via this gift link.
The Tilt of the Earth
The Earth is in constant relationship with the Sun. Because of the Earth’s tilt, at times throughout the year, parts of the planet are turned away from the Sun. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Winter Solstice, and our part of the planet is turned away from the Sun while the Southern Hemisphere is turned toward the Sun. The ancients called the Winter Solstice the middle of winter while some modern day sky watchers call it the beginning of winter. Tracking seasons is an art, and it depends on your perspective. What is true about the Winter Solstice is the experience of the light: at this point in the cycle of the Earth’s yearly trip around the Sun, we in the Northern Hemisphere are at seeming maximum tilt away from the Sun. Turning away from the Sun, there is cold, and days are short. During Winter Solstice, the Sun seems to be at a standstill, and then on the day after the Winter Solstice, and with the days that follow, every day thereafter is longer than the day before until we get to Summer Solstice with the longest day.
Repeating the Cycle and Sharing the Planet
Imagining what the entire planet Earth is doing can be an exercise in awe: the Earth rotates around the sun while spinning on its own axis with each point on the Earth experiencing the light in its own way, depending on your location (latitude and longitude). This is happening all at once with vast possibilities of what people and animals experience during this time at any given moment. The complexity is mind-boggling. But this recognition can also be a humbling and awe-inspiring remembrance of what it means to share: being aware of multiple perspectives while benefiting from the same resource.
If we share the planet, we can definitely share other things.
Becoming conscious of sharing with all living things on the planet can bring a feeling of unity. This moment of recognition can be uplifting in the middle of the darkness—physical, mental, spiritual. Unity is our natural state, which is a kind of light.
Happy Holidays and Happy Winter Solstice!
Holding GREAT Intent for Peace in Every Heart,
Josie
P.S. I borrowed the subject line of this message from a children’s science fiction book, whose author borrowed it from a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. Maybe you noticed this connection? It is great to trace the references, so here you go. The tile of A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle references the line from a poem, Morning Song of Senlin by Conrad Aiken. May the poetry lift your heart! -j