We’re only a day away from the Winter Solstice. This is my favorite astronomical phenomenon to celebrate because I love what it symbolizes. Fresh starts, renewals, and increasing possibilities.
More than any other time of year, this is when I can work to reinvent myself—to let go of those aspects of myself that are no longer serving me and bolster the ones that are.
It’s the longest night of the year, when the light is at its weakest. This is a time to pause, rest, and reflect—and prepare for what’s ahead. This is my warm up for New Year’s Eve, when I put my plans in motion.
Over the next few days, I’ll think, visualize, and plan what I want 2017 to look like. I’ll write out ideas and thoughts, and come up with different paths to achieve my goals. On New Year’s, I’ll lock in my plans with a long meditation that I start planning tomorrow.
But I’ll also remember the other message of Winter’s Solstice. That of rest and recharging. Of the emptiness of void that creates useful space for new accomplishments, joys, and happiness.
I did a preliminary meditation today—cleansing my house of stagnant energy. First I went through with my buffalo drum, using a steady fast beat and angling it so that its vibrations passed over all the spaces. I could actually hear the walls responding (it’s a powerful drum…and a bit of an older house 🙂 ).
Then I went through with my favorite incense and carefully wafted it into all the corners. This part of the meditation isn’t just about energetic cleansing but about pushing my own awareness into my space. This is the only time I really look at the edges of my rooms. I noticed some areas that need some care and attention, and felt grateful for what I have on a deeper level than my day-to-day experience.
Finally, I took an old fashioned broomstick and swept it through the space, imagining that I was gathering up energies that I’ve tracked in and don’t want or need, and brushing them all out the door.
Active meditations like this aren’t necessarily about metaphysics for me but more about raising my awareness and owning my space. I’m telling my subconscious very clearly, “I only have room for what I consciously choose to bring into my life.” That’s a powerful message and one that makes room for the goals and activities I’m setting my mind to in 2017.
May your year’s end and the year ahead be filled with blessings.
[…] I also have my new 2017 planner and it’s the Winter Solstice, which is one of the two most important holidays for me (this and New Year’s—you can read more about how they’re connected in a post I wrote last night). […]