Winter Solstice 2013

Winter Solstice (Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere): the event when the sun's direct rays hit the southernmost point on earth that they ever do (striking the Tropic of Capricorn). In other words, the northern hemisphere was tipped as far away from the Sun today as it gets. After this day, which is the shortest and darkest in the northern hemisphere, the direct rays of the sun begin traveling northward again toward the equator, at which time the spring equinox occurs. The sun's direct rays will then continue the northward journey until arriving at the northernmost point on earth, marking the summer solstice. All of this occurs because the earth sits on an axis that is tilted at about 23.5 degrees. This tilt is what gives us the seasons throughout the year. To me, it is fascinating and a reminder of how everything about earth, including its orientation to the sun and its tilt, has such a profound effect on all that takes place on this amazing planet. We are intricately impacted by this, but we often fail to think about it.  

 It is my belief that on some level, the human psyche is connected to all the cycles of our earth. Astronomical events and cycles have an impact on human nature and the human psyche. Not only are there astronomical events that make up the solstice, there are also many spiritual events associated with the solstice; rituals and celebrations, and I wish there were more. For me, winter is a time to reflect and look inward, to tap more into the spiritual level of my being. In contrast, I view summer as a time that is more focused on the physical. A lot of this ties back to what our ancestors have done for centuries, being so strongly interconnected to the seasons, to harvests, times of abundance and times of rest and restoration.

Below are some quotes about winter that I find quite lovely:

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
~ Anne Bradstreet

“Your path is illuminated by the light, yet darkness lets the stars shine bright.”
~ J.L.W. Brooks


“I will love the light for it shows me the way. Yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” 

~ Og Mandino




"The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory."
~ Gary Zukav

“Look round and round upon this bare bleak plain, and see even here, upon a winter's day, how beautiful the shadows are! Alas! it is the nature of their kind to be so. The loveliest things in life, Tom, are but shadows; and they come and go, and change and fade away, as rapidly as these!”
~ Charles Dickens 

“One kind word can warm three winter months.”
~ Japanese Proverb 

“People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.”
~ Anton Chekhov 

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”
~ Yoko Ono 

** Blessings **