WINTER SOLSTICE MUSINGS

There is something about the changing of the seasons that feels timeless. A hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, a hundred thousand years ago, beings on this planet perceived the spirit of winter in exactly the same way we do.

Winter’s blanket of snow invites us to rest, to burrow deep within, to gather strength for the seasons ahead. Potential grows inside us, waiting for the right time to manifest.

Winter trees, devoid of the frill of leaves, are stripped down to the breathtaking simplicity of their core strength. They stand unwavering against the backdrop of the winter sky.

Like the lone wolf on the snowy plain, winter symbolizes walking alone through cold, dark passages of our lives, drawing from deep inner reserves to keep going.

Winter offers the opportunity to cultivate patience. As we wait for what we long for the most, we discover a myriad of unanticipated treasures.

Sometimes life seems dormant in the dead of winter. But if we listen deeply, allowing winter’s stillness to enfold us, we can sense the deep pulsation of enduring life.

In the cold, dark silence of winter, we can hear the whisperings of the spirit more easily than during other seasons of our life.

The light shining through the windows of our homes on a winter night reminds us that no matter how black the outer darkness, our inner lights never go out.

When bitterly cold winter days feel like a hardship to endure, it opens our hearts to the suffering of all those facing adversity on our planet.