Blog

Solstice Shadow Self

By: Melissa Hale

Winter months are my favorite time of year, but it hasn’t always been so.

As we approach the peak of darkness, the Winter Solstice on December 21, there is a natural desire to turn inwards, to become still and to sleep. This is nature’s way of taking pause after a productive spring, summer and autumn months, a necessary reflection before the next year begins. After all, winter is a time where everything rests. It is programed in the marrow of our bones, this desire for a sacred pause.

So at what point did we become so immune for this need to rest?

For many years I felt the paradoxical joy and dread of the holiday season. Each year I put more on my credit card to purchase gifts I can’t afford, to show up to holiday gatherings that leave me more drained then renewed. And don’t get me wrong–I love my friends and family–and I do love the holiday season. In moderation. Yet there is rarely moderation to found in this season of lights, food, alcohol, shopping, over spending, and consumerism.

For most of my life I have ignored or shamed my biological programming to find stillness, and the slow, soft balance that my heart really desires. It wasn’t until I found the courage to listen to my own hearts desire that I became clear of what nourishing gifts nature offers us through the winter months. Now I relish the cold and dark as a intentional time to reflect on the past year, to let go of anything I’m ready to leave behind before another year begins. It’s as if I’m shedding the weight of my metaphorical leaves so that I can enter the new season lighter, with more playfulness and intention.

Trees lose their leaves each fall, as their life force draws into their roots so that they can grow taller and bigger each year. We too, need this time to draw our attention inward, a sacred time of reflection as we journey through the ending of another year. This season requires a knowledge of how to say no, how to return to our intuition, and how to realize all of the gifts found in stillness and dark.

Learn more about how to best cope with the winter months at Melissa’s workshop Solstice Shadow Self on Wednesday, December 19th at 6:30pm.