Use the Solstice to Align to Your Inner Truth
The winter solstice is upon us, marking a return to the light and a natural evolution toward the sun. These days of darkness are seemingly mirrored in the world at large, as wars rage on, the news continues to peddle in fear, and the fabric of society seems to fray at the very seams. It can feel daunting at best — and impossible at worst — to find a sensation of grounding and calm. But in a world and a society that functions and thrives on this fear, joy and peace are an act of resistance. Coming together in collective consciousness is the beginning of a revolution, and choosing to live and love in the spirit of interconnectedness creates currency. That’s what SYF2024, “All Together Now” is all about. We can choose to live in love and interconnectedness. We can share our gifts and bring light to the world, even as it is shrouded in darkness.
It may be a return to the light, but this week’s winter solstice energetically ushers in the season of an inward journey. Just as animals in the wild burrow and tuck away for the colder months, so too our souls crave the sensation of hibernation by taking the time to focus within. As SYF Communications Director Lisette Cheresson and her co-author Andrea Rice write in their book, The Yoga Almanac, “The quietness of the winter season gives us pause to reflect on the roader spectrum of life. It is in contemplative inquiry that we can via life from its deepest depths to highest heights and begin to understand that difficulty and ease can coexist.”
To say — we cannot change the darkness of the world, but we can welcome the light as a counterbalance, and we can look to be it when we can.
Some yogis in the northern hemisphere consider the winter solstice to be a portal, in which our inner mystical sun is connected to our share sun as it reaches its lowest point on the horizon. It is thought that the sun has properties that may help to open and nourish the third eye; we have an opportunity to energetically connect to these healing properties as the sun dips on the winter solstice before beginning its ascent to the summer solstice once again.
With our third eye — our seat of intuition and self-knowing — energetically roused, it is fitting that the solstice comes toward the end of the Gregorian calendar year, a time in which many choose to set intentions or goals for the near future. How will YOU use this solstice to align to your greatest truth?
Explore it, and then share with your intentional community this March 14–17 at the Sedona Yoga Festival. Tickets available now!
Lead photo by Charles Ruscher.
