Winter Solstice - Ritual of Inner Light

This year on 21st of December at 10:20am CET, (9:20am UTC, 4am EST, 1am PST) the winter solstice will take place. It is time of the longest night, and the least light, but also moment from which sun starts to come back and days slowly get longer. It is refered to as birth of Sun.

Below you can find description of winter solstice ritual that can be used to celebrate this occasion. It doesn't have to be done exactly at the moment of solstice, but it is good to do it around its date.

Fire Stock photos by Vecteezy

Prepare:

• A dark, quiet, and peaceful place where you can be alone.

• A candle.

• Matches/a lighter/a tool to create new fire.

• Between 15 and 30 minutes of time.

  
  

Securing the Space:

Silence your phone, turn off the lights, look into the darkness around you, and as your eyes adjust to the dark, imagine tall protective stones rising around you, creating a safe and enchanted space where your ritual will take place. See yourself standing in the middle of a stone circle of a shape and size that is comfortable for you.

Getting Acquainted with the Darkness:

Standing safely in the dark, feel how you feel amidst the darkness. Observe and do not judge; every reaction is a natural expression of you. What is the rhythm of your breath? Is your body relaxed, or is there tension somewhere? What emotions are surfacing at this moment? Are any memories returning? If any emotion, feeling, or thought evoked by the darkness captures your attention, give yourself time to notice it, examine it, and allow it to resonate. Perhaps you want to express it further, with voice or movement? Allow yourself to be spontaneous.

The Birth of Light:

Once you are comfortable with the darkness and your reaction to it, once you have allowed what wants to express itself in contact with the darkness to resonate, notice that deep within you, beneath all the feelings, sensations, and veils of darkness, there is a source of light. Find within yourself a place that is light, bright, and energetic. This is the collection of your dreams, hopes, and faith, the source of your optimism. Look at what resides in this source. What do you dream of? What do you hope for? What do you believe in? What do you yearn for? What brings you joy? Find the memories, thoughts, plans, and feelings that build your inner light. Name what wants to be named, get to know what wants to be known, embrace all the optimism you find deep within.

Releasing Dreams:

With this feeling of optimism, light the candle and see how the light spreads in the darkness around you. This is the flame of all your hopes, which gives you the strength to go through life and the joy to do it with a smile on your face. Looking into the flame, name your hopes, plans, dreams, longings, what makes you happy. It is best to say them aloud. Once they have all resonated, feel clearly that the flame before you symbolizes everything that has been mentioned. With this feeling, blow out the candle. In this way, you send your dreams into the world, you shoot them like an arrow from a bow, you sow them like seeds in the ground, and you allow them to germinate in the darkness and silence of the black fertile soil.

Gratitude:

The darkness envelops you again. How do you feel with it now? Have your feelings changed in any way? Is there something you need to draw from the darkness, something that can strengthen you? Are there still undiscovered treasures lying somewhere deep within? We will not search for them today, but feel the value of the darkness, its role, and the potential for supporting what needs peace and time to take root. Find gratitude within yourself for what it bestows upon you and for carrying within it your yet unrealized dreams, as a mother carries a child in her womb, and the earth carries seeds in the soil. Thank it for its presence during the ritual. Express gratitude in form that feels appropriate to you.

Opening the Space:

Shift your attention to the stone circle surrounding you, to your silent guardians. With gratitude, let the stones return back into the earth and connect the space of your ritual with the everyday world. Return to ordinary space. If you wish, light a gentle light. If you wish, write down your impressions from the ritual in a journal. You don't have to turn on your phone right away; it can wait .