Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is my favorite holiday of the season. My mother was born on the solstice. She was a wonderful woman who struggled with welcoming in her own darkness. She has been one of my biggest teachers in my deep commitment to welcoming mine.

For me, the solstice is an honoring of my mama, an honoring of the darkness, and a welcoming of light. 

We’ve created rituals in my family to come together and reflect on the things we struggle with, name them, wish them well, and burn them—paving the way and creating space for the light and the bounty we want to invite into our lives. 

When each of us moves into and releases the darkness, there’s an opening for light.

Sometimes we can get stuck in the dark and it can feel overwhelming. Even the most resilient people feel isolated, sad, unsettled and scared.

If you’re feeling that way, you are not alone.

The solstice is a wonderful time to practice this ritual, but it is available to us at all times. I encourage you to get support, go inside, and explore your own darkness. The light on the other side is magnificent.

“When you find out that there was never anything in the dark to be afraid of … Nothing is left but to love.”

-Alan Watts