Winter Solstice Ritual

The Winter Solstice is an opportunity to welcome change and to restore our inner light. After a lengthy year, this time of year is fortuitous in recognizing all we have accomplished and overcome. A time for reflection and restoration, the winter solstice is a popular time to celebrate what’s past all while looking forward to rebirth. 

The symbolism behind the shortest day of the year has great significance. This particular time unearths aspects of ourselves and reveals to us what has been lurking in the darkness. Fewer daylight hours and the longest night is a great time to practice welcoming the darkness we experience at times in our lives and what lessons it brings. Pain, darkness and discomfort are interrelated and often our greatest teachers in life. Remembering who you are at your core and all the wonderful gifts that may be hiding in the darkness are for you to discover and explore. Rituals, routines and releasing practices will be your guide as we return to the light. 

Each day forward shall be blessed with new life, spirit and light as we enter the Solstice. A time to restore, nurture, rest and relax. This is necessary as nature has natural cycles and rhythms which allow it to yield and thrive as the seasons change and shed as we do during this time of rebirth.

Cleansing is an excellent opportunity to hone in on what is working, what needs to be let go and what tools we will bring with us as we enter the new year. This time invites us to slow down and explore what stillness uniquely looks & feels like. 

A few different ways I enjoy prioritizing my time during the solstice involves invoking the senses and bringing my focus back into my body and out of my busy mind.  Outdoor walks, feeling the fresh crisp winter air on my skin and hearing the crunch of snow beneath my feet is my easy go to. No matter my physical or emotional state, nature and cold outdoor walks ground me and bring me back to the present moment and what my current reality is. Playing with touch, temperature and inspirational cues from nature are wonderful healers and often overlooked.  A favourite way I spend my winter walks is by following animal tracks in the snow. My inner child and natural curiosity bubbles to the surface and I am locked in to the sights, sounds and animal snow prints. This exercise helps support me and guide me in the present moment and reality. This practice over time spreads to other facets of life and helps us regain our focus and helps keep our wandering minds remain grounded. 

Our environment is a powerful setting that governs us far deeper than we realize. As such, I perform environmental cleansing through various mediums. Aromatherapy practices, be it with essential oils, candles, or following your own keen sense of intuitive smell to guide you on your own path. Figure out which of the senses you feel called to most. Change up your visual cues! What inspires you? What images invoke stillness and calm? If a sense of smell is calling you, reflect upon which moments this past year impacted you. What smells, scents or experiences can you draw upon to restore your mind? Were there any that were uncomfortable or undesirable? Which odours create a sense of calm, peace, comfort or joy?

Experiment, play, and engage yourself with these different examples and methods. What ideas and suggestions feed your soul? Which ones create a sense of renewal, or rather recognizing your efforts this past year? Come what may, I truly believe the best is yet to come and take this opportunity to prepare yourself for cultivating your inner light, and walking out of the darkness and into a future that is aligned with your soul. There are life changing gifts and moments when you least expect it. Take a leap of faith and try something new this winter solstice season. 

In best health & divine timing, 

Tara 

📸 @szotakphotography