Winter Solstice 2015 Newsletter

Blessings for the Season Beautiful People!

It’s that time of year again – a time of joy and celebration that can unfortunately also cause us undue stress. It all goes so fast. Once we hit Halloween (Samhain), the holiday frenzy sets in with Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, New Year’s and all the corresponding festivities. Once January arrives it can feel as if we were dropped right into a vast sea of cold and long winter nights, with no evidence of Spring on the horizon.

With the darkest night of the year less than a week away, it is a good time to reflect on the past, look at the present and set intentions for the next chapters to come. Personally I don't believe in predetermined dates that mark when decisions should be made (such as our western New Year’s resolutions). Time is fluid and flexible and things tend to unfold when the moment is right according to the cycles of life. It often occurs that I repeatedly set the same intentions, sometimes taking years to manifest; many of them are still in the works! But I do believe it is necessary and extremely effective to tidy up and organize our lives by taking some time out in self-reflection to evaluate where we are on our present path. This sacred solstice time – when darkness comes to a peak and light will begin to claim back the day – is the perfect time for letting go and setting your intentions for the year to come.

I want to share with you my way of celebrating the Winter Solstice, a way to honor your path in 2015. Ideally this is done on the Solstice proper (December 21st), but anytime around the New Year is a good time for this ritual:

• Take a bowl of water, paper and a pen and sit in a comfortable, quiet, undisturbed space. Light a candle and some incense, sage or palo santo. If possible, anoint yourself with some Letting Go, Uncrossing or Break Patterns and Addictions oil. Say a prayer or a blessing.
• On one piece of paper (I like parchment paper) write down all the things you want to let go of, mental emotions you want to release and blocks you want to remove on a physical, material, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Once you feel there is nothing more to add, focus your mind on the energy of letting go. Pass the paper over some purifying smoke before tearing it into narrow strips. Burn the strips by lighting them with the candle and then release them into the bowl with water. USE CAUTION not to burn your fingers!!
• Next, write down all the things that have transpired this past year for which you have gratitude. Acknowledge small and large matters as well as physical, material, mental and spiritual shifts that you’ve made.
• Finally make a list of all your intentions, wishes, hopes and dreams for this coming year. This can be written on the back side of the Gratitude page or on a separate piece of paper. Be as detailed as possible – nothing is too big or small.
• You may anoint the gratitude/intention page on all four corners with an Anointing Oil such as Venus, Woman See Bright, Sun of Success, or a Sacred Perfume like Quan Yin or Lakshmi (or use any oil that holds an intention of love, abundance and success). Then place it anywhere that is sacred to you, such as an altar, under a candle or vase of flowers, or perhaps somewhere out in nature, by a shrine that holds sacred energy for you.
• Finally, say a prayer of gratitude and let the magik unfold.

May we let go of what no longer serves us, or holds us back from tapping into our highest potential! May we share our gifts in 2016.

Sending you Blessings of trust, love, light, joy, clarity and abundance for this coming New Year!

With Love,

Kate