Winter Solstice: The magic in duality
Let's talk about the magic of that gateway between the darkest dark and the brightest sunrise. Also, the latest from the Divine Feminist and beyond.
Well hello,
How are you? We’re well and truly in the midst of the season of many holidays now, with Solstice moving ever closer. And it’s the energy of that Solstice – one that is so much more potent than we often give credit to – that I want to talk about today.
Before I do that though, allow me to share four things that I have going on first up, they are:
Our next Project Earthwork event takes place on Wednesday, 21st December at 7pm UK-time. It’s over on YouTube and is completely free to attend, and we would love to see you there!
For a short time only I’m offering a number of 2023 Soul Readings. So if you’ve always fancied a Soul Integration Reading but couldn’t spare the time or cash then check out these smaller but just as potent offerings!
This January myself and Rachael Morley are inviting you to join us for an initiation into the transformative energies of Sekhem and I can’t tell you how much those initiatives benefitted me and my journey. Join us here.
Finally, throughout January and February I’ll be running a series of online storytelling sessions and workshops to Re-Kindle the Her Stories of those women who have been lost, buried and demonised over time. Pay whatever you can afford to join me.
The duality of Solstice
So here we are, only a few days away from Solstice. Where I am in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s Winter Solstice specifically, and wow is that potent.
It’s easy to think that Summer Solstice is the most important day of the year when it comes to embracing the natural energies of the seasons. After all, that is the one that gets the most mainstream attention. Maybe that’s because there’s very little competition for attention in June, unlike at this time of year when Wikipedia tells me there are over 40 different festivals, holidays, and celebrations; Or maybe it’s because those long days of Summer are much easier to celebrate in our light and action-focused world.
The truth is that Winter Solstice is just as important as its Summer counterpart. In fact, in many ways, I would argue it’s even more important – particularly for us and the world we live in today.
Why? Because at this time of year there comes a point when, just for one night, the dark appears to win.
Although I’m sure you’ve all heard me talk about this before, let me assure you that in saying this I’m not talking about anything “bad”, “heavy” or “low vibration” – the very fact that we align those ideas with darkness tells us just why it’s so important for the dark to get a season all of its own, dammit!
No, I’m talking about true darkness. About the peaceful, nourishment of the womb, about the limitlessly expansive potential of space, and about the deep stillness that comes when we allow ourselves to surrender to the deaths of the old without trying to rush ahead into our next new beginning.
I’m talking about the parts of our world that have been hidden and forgotten, and the places that hold so so much of our possibility.
For all I love spending time with family and adore the opportunity to get glammed up for a night on the tiles, it bothers me sometimes that this time of year is always so busy. Because when we allow ourselves to be constantly on the go, we are robbed of the opportunity to lean into that possibility as we feel and hear everything the dark has to offer us – even more than ever this year as Winter Solstice coincides with a powerful waning Moon.
But of course, Winter Solstice isn’t just about the dark. As so many of the myths built around this time of year tell us – let’s not forget that Jesus shares his birthday celebrations with at least ten other “illumined ones” said to be born via a virgin in December (deep breath: Horus, Buddha, Krishna, Hercules, Mithra, Dionysus, Hermes, Zarathustra, and Thammuz) – this is also a time when we celebrate the return of the Sun after a long period of darkness.
And that celebration isn’t only something that applied to our ancestors who worked and lived much more closely with the rhythms of nature; just yesterday my mum told me, “at least next week is the longest night, I always feel better once I know we’re heading back into warmth”.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the duality of this particular festival and how, during the sunrise following Winter Solstice we stand on the precipice of both the deepest dark and the brightest light. We bear witness to that most visible of dualities and, for a short period of time, are offered the chance to connect with the fullness of both within ourselves and the world.
And if we step back from the practicalities that have led people – just like my mum – to celebrate this time of year for centuries, perhaps this is the most sacred and magical thing of all about this time of year; that it acts as a gateway between dualities, between possibilities, and almost between worlds.
Over in the paid section of this space, we’ve been working with the Germanic Goddess Holda this month. Holda is a fascinating figure in so many ways, but one of the things I found about her story is the idea that she is both a foremother of Santa Claus and a guardian of the dead. I know, those two things sound like a contradiction don’t they? But of course, it makes sense – as a guardian of the dead, Holda is close to the ancestors; ancestors who of course wish to share love and gifts with their descendants on this side of life. As a Goddess that walks between worlds, why shouldn’t Holda be able to grant those wishes?
There is a lot of talk at this time of year about the magic that can be felt in the air, and that’s something that I certainly talk about too. I’ve always felt that the time between October and February – Samhain and Imbolc – is a time when the veils between and within our worlds are thinnest and that is never more the case than at Winter Solstice when we stand almost midway between the festival of death and darkness, and that of new beginnings and flame and are able to hold the energies of both of those in our hands and our hearts.
What do we do with that? I could give you a lengthy ritual prompt here, perhaps even a meditation script that leads you through exactly how to make the most of this powerful moment. But honestly, there’s no need.
Because this is a time for turning inwards – as hard as that may sound in a world that is trying to tell you otherwise. It is a time for the deepest rest and introspection as you grieve all that has been lost in or is ready to be released from the year that’s gone. And it is also a time to consider the most powerful rebirthing opportunity of the year.
Notice I said consider there, not to leap out and set intentions or make demands of yourself. No, stay cosy and let yourself move gently towards that bright flame as it dawns, allowing as you do the powerful alchemy of both dark and light to dance and spark within you.
Because it is within that dance that magic will happen, and it is from that spark that the greatest opportunities can and will arise for us if only we release our focus on specifics and allow possibility to take the lead.
Whatever you and your loved ones celebrate at this time of year, I wish you the most wonderful festive season filled with joy, laughter, health and abundance. And we enter this incredibly powerful dance, my wish for you is that you may always have the courage to both sit in the dark and step out into the light.
Love,
Ceryn xx
Some other things you may like to know
2022’s last episode of Love Light and Bullshit Bingo is out now via Acast and YouTube! Join myself and Yolandi Boshoff as we talk about drama llamas – yup you read that right – and ask, is it your intuition or is it a trauma response?
Meanwhile, the last Divine Feminist episode of the year will be with you on Tuesday. Be sure to catch up with last month’s episode and to subscribe on your favourite podcasting platform to be among the first to know when it lands.
Finally, The Divine Feminist Community will be meeting for the last time this year next Friday, 23rd December. If you’d like to join us and to learn about this month’s Goddess, Holda, subscribe to the paid section of this space on the button below.
Divine Feminism elsewhere
A roundup of some of my favourite Divine feminism-related stories and opinion pieces from the past month.
In recent months we’ve heard a lot about the ongoing protests in Iran, but it can be difficult to know which outlets to trust. This interview with Iranian-borjn scholar Homa Hoodfar gives a powerful insight into the lives of women in that country.
US President Joe Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act, protecting interracial marriages and those of LGBTQIA+ people in the country once and for all, and then held what sounds like a very cool event at the White House to celebrate.
An agreement between Barbados and The Nature Conservancy was announced this month which will invest $50m in funding to protect the marine ecosystem of the beautiful island nation.
OK, I’m a bit biased here but I LOVED this piece celebrating the success so far of a volunteer project called Women’s Street Watch Newcastle which is doing great things to protect women in my home city – here’s hoping the idea catches on even further afield!
And finally, need any more evidence of how incredible nature is? Take a look at these ocean-like clouds that formed over the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming recently - I have no words other than wow!