The Darkest Night...

Winter Solstice...

The shortest day of the year...

The longest night...

The longest darkness...

but also

the reversal of that darkening pattern...

Tomorrow the day will be just that little bit brighter...

for that little bit longer...

So on the Solstice,

it is time to celebrate the coming of the light...

"Winter Solstice also known as Yule, Christmas, and Saturnalia, occurs in mid December. It celebrates the birth of the new Solar year and the beginning of Winter. The Goddess manifests as the Great Mother and the God as the Sun Child. The God also appears as Santa Claus and Old Man Winter. Colors are Red, Green, and White. This is a festival of inner renewal.

Strengthen bonds with family and friends by visiting and/or exchanging gifts and greetings. Decorate your home with lights, greens, and holiday colors. Bless your home with a Yule wreath on your front door and sprigs of mistletoe inside. If you are part of a group, take up a collection of food and/or clothing at your Yule gathering and give what you collected to a social service agency to distribute to the needy. Place sunflower seeds outside for wild birds to feast upon. Greet the Sun at dawn on Solstice morning by ringing bells. Do magic for a more peaceful planet."

from the Circle Sanctuary - Celebrating the Seasons

I am going to celebrate the Winter Solstice consciously for the first time this year.

It makes sense to my heart.

This winter is different for me in many ways

.

The darkness has not been as harsh with me as it has in past.

In fact, I have often found it comforting

Like a coccoon...

Where I can begin a transformation...

My Solstice Celebration is going to include some of the following :

Lighting candles...

Creating a surround of love with things that mean a lot to my heart, like an alter of sorts,

(Included in my alter will be this fabulous gift I got in the mail

from my friend Linda who shared a Rock My World adventure with me at Squam -

a rock heart wrapped with a wire and with a beautiful train of goodies - I love this rock!!! )

Filling up the bird feader with those black sunflower seeds that the birdies around here love so much and getting some suet for the cardinals and jays...

Attending a special meditation class tonight with some other wonderful women, where the focus will be on inner renewal and the coming of the light...

I am bringing little "light" gifties, Rock Fairy style :)

And also, and most importantly for me right now, I am going to shine a light on My Self.

You know, the change has to happen from the inside.

I do a lot of talking about kindness and love and showing those precious things to my fellow woman/man kind...

And yet I still have a lot of work to do to learn to really shower my self with those life-giving gifts...

Time to walk the talk, I think...

So as I celebrate the slow but steady return of the light to our world,

I am going to celebrate the fact that I am loved and I deserve every kindness,

and that I am a child of light

and I am going to let my own flame burn pure...

Art journal page - December 21, 2009 -

"Let Your Own Flame Burn Pure"

Click to enlarge...