Tag Archives: solstice

What Do You Birth? Contemplations on Returns & Light

What do you birth?

In a season of darkness and winter we celebrate birth and light. Re-emergence, re-membering, re-collecting, ourselves to ourselves. We engage in a process of making whole and holy the work we have done, the people who have passed, the projects that we may now put to bed. Then we turn around and open doors, create windows, make spaces for the new life that is coming into this world through us-in some cases its a literal child-flushed, wet, and a little bit wild. In others its our heart’s creative joy, our mind’s keen application, a new friendship, a marriage, a new love.

Birth happens in the dark-as so many potently creative acts do. Even in modern day hospitals doctors and staff are trained to dim the lights. In most cases mammals den up when its time to give birth. The darkness relaxes and protects. Physiologically the darkness sends messages to your nervous system, hormones, and brain that you are safe, you may get along with the business of opening, dilation, in order to bring in whatever you have been carrying inside of you. Darkness fosters light just as death fosters life.

So…what are you birthing? What you are opening to? What light is returning to your life today as you return to yourself?

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Solstice Blessings

Solstice magic is resurrection, returning, reassembling, recollecting magic.

The ancient greek philosopher Socrates had a theory about a recollecting that I love-and adhere to-he believed that happiness, the desire for joy, motivated everything that we did-good and bad. When we made poor choices it was because we were not recollecting correctly…we were not recollecting our soul’s being, our greatest purpose, our joy, our wisdom.

When we made decision and engaged in actions that led to genuine joy it was because we were recollecting correctly-we were tapped in to the wiser, blessed part of ourselves and our souls.

I think life can tear at us, leave us with scars, leave us feeling broken, leave us feeling dull & listless and out of touch. Recollecting…remembering ourselves is the process by which we restore life to that which feels lifeless, tap into our vibrancy of being and walk in our purpose and blessedness each & every day.

So I invite you to ask yourself this Solstice…what needs to be re-membered? Re-collected? What parts of yourself have you allowed to scatter to the four directions and now need to call home, summon back, gather in? What needs to be mended, healed, reassembled?

Its winter-a time for cozy blankets, and stillness, cups of tea or coffee & long thoughts that can be rolled over like bright butterscotch on the tongue. The sun begins to re-emerge from a long, dark nap-and our sense of purpose can re-emerge right along with it. The seeds lie under dark, frozen ground absorbing the heat of the Earth, preparing to reveal their splendor in the months to come. Release those things that need to go-but recollect what has been set aside, lost or forgotten and now needs to return home.

 

 

beautiful image by: Rhys Asplundh