I have always had a fascination with solstices and equinoxes and never really quite understood why or even asked myself the question. Growing up, I instinctively felt a powerful energetic shift taking place on these days so as we approach the Winter Solstice on the 21st December, I meditated on its spiritual meaning.
Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, after which, days become progressively longer until we celebrate the longest day of the year around 21st June.
But more than just a celebration of the shortest day and longest night of the year, the winter solstice holds a deeper, spiritual meaning. For many cultures around the world it signals a powerful time of transition and has been celebrated and revered in ancient civilisations and indigenous cultures. Referred to as Yule in Pagan times, it was a celebration of the goddess energy of the Moon and it was believed that on this day, the moon would give birth to the sun. Celebrating the longest hours of darkness and marking the rebirth of the sun holds a powerful energy for regeneration, renewal and self-reflection.
The winter solstice then is the perfect time to take advantage of the unique energy and to honour, celebrate and welcome the descent into, and return of the dark, acknowledging that all beginnings emerge from darkness. At the Winter Solstice we reach the depth of that darkness with the longest night of the year.
Rebirth and the Return of the Sun
The spiritual and energetic significance of the winter solstice is that it symbolises the birth of the sun, symbolic of the birth of the spiritual sun within, reminding us that we are not separate from Divine Energy, as we have been conditioned to believe.
The solstice is essentially tied to a personal, spiritual awakening; we are born into our divine nature. Just like the moon and the sun cycling through the seasons, we are all on a journey – living, dying and re-birthing, finding meaning in our existence here on earth and then shedding our mortal cord and transforming into new awareness. We are the light.
The time of the winter solstice is a time of quiet energy; a time where you get the opportunity to look within yourself, to challenge, confront and shine a light on what you want and need. It’s also the perfect time to set goals and intentions for the coming year, to contemplate, examine and gain clarity on all that has happened as the year comes to an end, to let go of your past and to make changes within. It invites us to align with the energy of the season bringing us into greater harmony, balance and peace within ourselves and the world around us.
Honouring the solstice is something lost to most of us, but it feels deeply meaningful, in a mystical sort of way, to choose to connect with its powerful energy and to offer a prayer of gratitude. The Winter Solstice reminds me of who I am, and that who I am is so much more than my physical existence.
I wish you all a blessed Solstice and a blessed journey into your deepest self.
Enjoy the darkness and revel in the light. For we are both.
May the light within shine so brightly
That your path is illuminated.
May we uplift and elevate all those we come into contact with.
Blessings to all, light to all, love to all.
Patrizia x
Patrizia Pisano 