Winter Solstice ✺ Spiritual Significance~

The Holiday of the Winter Solstice celebrates the presence of Spirit and the power of faith and hope that our visions of the future will come into manifestation. 

All we can do in the middle of winter is pray and hope that the light will return. Winter Solstice is not about having the light. It is about carrying hope and moving toward a vision that we will work to make a reality.

It is a time of patience, like that of an expectant mother who can sense the spirit of the child within but must wait until the actual quickening that physical life is truly within her.

We must wait in the darkness of Midwinter, and this is not easy for most of us who are not comfortable with the dark, silence, resting and dreaming.

In the darkest part of the year when the days are shortest, Nature asks us to slow down and enjoy a cup of warm tea, to be with loved ones, to listen rather than to speak.

Under the ground the earth silently sleeps. Seeds rest in suspended animation, and the animals hibernate. In contrast, we humans rush frantically to the malls, stressing ourselves with activity when we really need to rest, dream and gather strength in our bodies for the coming season of renewal. For many people in the United States, taking the time to dream and rest is seen as a sign of laziness.

However, nature teaches us that resting, drawing inward for a time, is present in all living things. Rest is necessary for growth that comes later in the season.

The Sun will return.”

~from RUTH BARRET