how “yule” doin’?
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is happening today--the longest night/shortest day of the calendar year, and the Threshold to the season of Winter.
It's an important time for us Well-Seasoned Women--those of us who honor the deep wisdom available to us in the natural world surrounding us AND in the creative, feminine flow within us, for Winter is the Season of the Crone--and she has deep wisdom to impart about her time and season and purpose.
If you've ever stepped outside at night in late December/early January--and immediately been engulfed in the weighted mystery of Winter's darkness, then you know something already about the Crone. A winter night evokes something sacred in its silence, and something uniquely ancient in its cold clarity and bare-branched stillness. It's a darkness that invites us to pause and listen in solitary wonder.
For ancient cultures that lived close to the land, winters were a time of careful allocation of the resources at hand in order to survive until springtime--a physically high-stake, survivalist season. Although there are still those who find this time of year to be high-stakes in many ways related to our health--mental and otherwise, the Crone is much more about discovering beauty in darkness and comfort in the midst of coldness.
The Crone shows us how to relish being stripped of all artifice and embrace bare-boned truth. She advocates for cozy nesting and deeply restorative rest. She teaches us how to gaze clearly on the resources at hand and make coldly sober decisions about how best to allocate them. She helps us learn how to lie fallow and allow the sparks of our imagination to evolve into a heart-warming, soul-inspiring blaze. She shares with us the power of farewell, the goodness of the pregnant pause, and the enduring hope of Spring's promise. In short, the Crone shows us that through the darkest dark, Winter's (re)newing power is unleashed.
Here are some simple ideas to spark your own homegrown, Crone-Welcoming, Winter Solstice-celebrating, Yule ritual.
1. Nighttime Interlude. Go outside in the full darkness of night--even if just in your bakyard--and gaze upon the stars (and give the stars time to gaze upon you), allowing a sense of awe and wonder to pour over and through you. Whisper your Winter affirmation (see next section) into the darkness and throw your arms open to welcome the dark, sacred, winter night.
2. Give back to the natural world. Animals are preparing for their own versions of hunkering down for winter, so creating a Solstice snack bar for your portion of Mama Nature's diverse population is a beautiful way to honor Winter's arrival. Click here for video-inspiration (Note: this video is also fun to leave on while you're puttering around the house!).
3. Darkness/Light Meditation. Grab a candle & match & your journal & pen. Turn off the lights and sit in darkness and silence, gradually relaxing and slowing and deepening your breathing. For the next several minutes, simply notice what comes up for you--your thoughts, body sensations, & feelings related to quietness and the dark. When you're ready, light a small candle to decorate the darkness and notice what shifts within you in the presence of even a small bit of light. Afterwards, take some time to journal your reflections on the harmonious partnership of Darkness & Light.
For many of us this is a VERY busy time of year, so if your Welcome of Winter comes in the days folllowing the 25th, no worries. All is well. Greet the Crone when your schedule slows and opens up a bit.
You can savor all the holly/jolly of whatever the holidays look like for you, even as you begin to anticipate all the Cronish deliciousness that awaits you on the other side of the holiday celebrations--in the months of January, February & early March.
Until next time,
