We’re in fourth gear... well, I am, anyway. No matter how I try to slow and steady myself, the rush of the holiday season has me in tow. Sleep deprived, I am trying to meet deadlines just before the year ends, and of course, try to divide myself to attend the Christmas parties and gathering of my choice! Not to mention the “can’t forget to greet them” rush where, because of speed of life, good old friends who we just keep loving but who have not been part of my everyday life must not be forgotten.
Well, the fourth gear running won’t let up until it hits its peak on Christmas Day. And while I was struggling to keep a quiet mindfulness despite the tensions of deadlines, a part of me was reflecting how funny modern man really is.
For the ancient peoples and into present day contemporary indigenous groups, and even groups who align themselves with a more natural lifestyle, the Earth and Nature’s rhythm molded their behavior and consciousness. In the Western hemisphere, the changes of the four seasons were marked by transition points also called solstices. There is the Summer solstice, Spring equinox, Autumn equinox and the Winter solstice. We are fast approaching one called the Winter solstice which is characterized by this being the longest night of the year.
Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the winter solstice occurs sometime between Dec. 20 and 23. But some solar calendars center the celebrations upon the night of Dec. 24 leading into Dec. 25, which was considered to be the Winter solstice upon the establishment of the Julian calendar.
In the Christian tradition, the birth of Jesus Christ is aligned during the period of the solstice. There is a deeper meaning in that the solstice represents a period of rebirth towards the light. Jesus Christ is seen as the Light of the World, and He grounded the “Christ” light in the Earth plane by incarnating into a human form to live amongst men and teach them about the Light. Other cultures likewise celebrate this period with rites and celebrations. The festival of lights of other belief systems all share the essence of celebrating the Winter solstice. Logs and candles were kept burning all the way to the end, its extinguishing signaling an end to the unhappiness of the previous year. The fire symbolically burns away all that was negative of the past year, thus the essence of transformation.
There is an internalization of consciousness as symbolically represented by the ebbing of the sun’s presence in the sky. The energies of the period are deeply transformational if we know how to align with them and use them. It is first and foremost a period of reflection, to see where we can clean up and reverse things that are not helpful for growth. The “burning away” is that of not just letting go, but actually changing and transforming old habits and mindsets.
The holiday season of Christmas into the New Year carries the energies of the solstice. And if we are wiser, we would try to use this as a guiding force for our next two weeks or so. Light candles, take longer reflection and prayer time daily and develop an awareness during the day for more mindful thoughts and actions.
Despite the hectic pace of the days, the traffic jams, last minute shopping, the jolly carols and the cornucopic food on the table, let us try (me including) to move with the deeper energies of the Winter solstice. We do this not just for ourselves only, but also as a service to tame and lighten the wildly pulsating energies around us.
Inner peace and outer blessings to all of you! May your Christmas and New Year be joyful and meaningful!