The Solstice; shortest or longest day of the year literally means to stand still….this is due to the way the sun seems to pause in stillness before reversing its direction. All part of the great wheel of life, of the seasons, of natural cosmic forces.
In a year where nothing and everything have seemed to stand still this is a welcome moment. A sacred pause. Stand still.
Take a moment today to feel it. To allow yourself time in stillness to connect with this infinite energy. The extra hours of darkness beckon us to fold in and look back. Look back on this year and really connect with what it has brought. The lessons we have learned and the feelings stirred up from the very depths of our collective souls.
On the surface this year has brought me personally a great deal of frustration and grief. Of loss, lack of direction, and purpose. But when I peer into the darkness I recognize the lessons. This year has brought a cleansing to much of what I thought I held sacred and dear. It has cleared away much of the fluff, the privilege and indulgences. It has brought more of what is authentic and real.
It has stripped my world and my work down to the basics. What is actually needed and what is truly nourishing. In other words my ego has stepped down and taken a back seat to the flow of what is best for the collective, for other people, and for the earth.
Kinda sounds like the work of Yoga…yes? Yoga is not a work out, or a fitness program, or a social club. Yoga is a spiritual practice which demands growth and self examination. At it’s core it is a practice of liberation through detachment. Or Moksha. Freedom from the movements of the mind. The cravings of the ego, the traumas of the past. And much of this practice is anchored in the act of standing still. In slowing down and reflection. In prayer and meditation, in sacrifice and awareness through suffering and subsequent acceptance. Surrender.
True surrender creates Moksha. Liberation by a letting go of our attachments and patterns. Those well worn grooves in the mind which keep us in a place of suffering. So I say thank you to this year of liberation. This year of fire and loss, this burning away of so very much. Why so many good people and families have lost lives and loved ones to this thing…that I do not understand. But those of us who believe this is real, a disease which is actually causing suffering and death, those of us who believe; we have sacrificed. We have grown and can be grateful for the lessons learned. We honor and mourn for all who have lost so much as a result of a global catastrophe beyond anyones comprehension. We can, and should, together cry a river of cleansing tears for those whose lives have been taken.
On the darkest and shortest day of the year. Stand still and say thank you. Thank those who have gone before, honor their memory, and send your blessings into the light of a new day.