The dark and bright season of solstice
We have finally reached the darkest days and the longest nights. We might be sleeping more and moving less. The time has come to turn inward and to find the spark of light and fire within ourselves. We are no longer fueled by the blazing sun of summer and instead we must sit with the silence of the moon. However, the winter solstice reminds us that the sun is actually on its journey back to us though it will take time to arrive. Until then, we are pulled into our own underworld where we must surrender to the stillness of the barren landscape.
We are also about to experience a full moon on December 26 on the Capricorn/cancer axis. The sun has just entered Capricorn, the earth sign of integrity, hard work and growth. The sun will be in opposition to the Cancer moon. Cancer is the water sign of deep feeling, ancestral connection and our experience of home.
As humans, we often hold multiple truths that can sometimes feel contradictory. Despite our souls and bodies yearning to rest in this season, we live in a culture that demands that we speed up. We have to make money, buy gifts, travel to family and attend various gatherings. We are expected to be ON and to juggle it all. Perhaps you, like myself, also find yourself completely overwhelmed this time of year from all the stimulation and expectation. It can feel strange to celebrate when we really just want to curl up in bed and rot all winter.
It is natural to feel this call to hibernate. It is time to slow down and feel our feelings but this doesn’t mean we should dismiss the magic of celebration. We need each other, now more than ever, to remind ourselves that we are not alone. Our flame can burn brighter when we are surrounded by the protection and warmth of our kin. My hope is that you can find the time to rest, while also honoring the deep necessity of connection and celebration.
This time of darkness is an invitation back to ourselves, to our body, to our spirit. How can we honor that along with our other worldly responsibilities?
My personal path has led me to the gift of somatic practices. Most of us are accustomed to living in our minds, which can be a source of great stress. Even in therapy, we are still often using our minds to intellectualize our trauma. Years of therapy and personal exploration have taught me that the deepest healing comes from accessing the intelligence of the body. As we all probably know by now, the body keeps score. So this season, I invite you to engage with your body in a new way.
When the mind is racing and anxiety has us paralyzed, simply start by laying down and taking deep and intentional breaths. Once settled, scan your body from head to toe. Do this slowly. Rather than creating a story with our minds, we want to allow our body the space to communicate. This may come through as a feeling, a memory, a vision, a metaphor. We might need to cry, make strange noises, wiggle, scream, etc. Let it arise without needing to make meaning. What we want is to simply allow our body to communicate and release. No amount of words will dislodge our trauma, we must simply allow ourselves to feel it, however uncomfortable that might be in the moment. Once you have allowed your body to be witnessed, it’s time to invite in movement to let the stored emotions release.
My favorite way to do this is to shake. This can be done in many ways. You can start by moving your feet up and down while laying on a flat surface like the floor or on a yoga mat. Allow the movement of your feet to bring a gentle vertical shake to the whole body. You can complete the practice by turning on your side and letting your body rock from side to side. Imagine that there is a hand on your back, gently rocking you back and forth. Do this on both sides for a couple minutes. It may seem simple but this somatic practice is an incredible way to shift our nervous system into a parasympathetic state.
The card I pulled for this collective moment is the six of cups. The six of cups calls us back to childhood. That might mean that we are feeling nostalgic and being visited by memories and people from our past. Or perhaps we are being invited to simply engage with the spirit of childhood. This may be felt strongly in our dream landscape as well. This week I dreamt of old classmates and teachers while my best friend dreamed she was pregnant and taking care of children.
It is an invitation to let go of our adult concerns and remember what it is like to see life through the eyes of a child. Our past may come with challenging memories but our inner child always lives within us and yearns to be seen and heard. We may need to hold our younger self and let them kick and scream and cry.
But we also need to learn from this child how we can embrace joy and play in our adult lives. It is a mutually beneficial relationship which is symbolized in this card by the older child gifting a cup of flowers to a young child, who in turn smiles back with a contagious and pure love.
Let us take these darker days to integrate what there isn’t always time to acknowledge and hold space for in the longer, brighter, busier season.
Blessed Solstice and holy days to you and yours. May we find balance between our need to rest and our desire to celebrate, and feed the inner flame that will light our way through winter.
Jenna Diliberto is a herbalist, medicine maker, tarot reader, astrologer, educator, gardener and artist living in the Catskills. Email to inquire about booking a reading or workshop.