The Winter Solstice- a time for introspection

This blog is re-posted from 12/21/2009:  Today is the winter solstice and shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to the tilt in earth’s axis, the sun is shining directly over the Tropic of Capricorn- its southern most point. Now the sun’s migration changes direction and begins to move north again. Our days will start to get longer tomorrow.

In pagan and earth-based cultures, the Winter Solstice is a celebration of the feminine and the goddess. They celebrate this time of maximum darkness to awaken and acknowledge the unbridled power of the dark element in nature and themselves. The dark element represents the feminine, primal, yin, internal, rest, night, cool, dream, and receptive.

The Winter Solstice is when the dark element’s dominance over the light element hits is peak and begins to wane. It surrenders to the light element. The I Ching, Hexagram 24- “Return/ The Turning Point (Wilhelm-Baynes translation) describes this, “The time of darkness is past. The winter solstice brings the victory of light.” And later in the hexagram, “Therefore seven is the number of young light, and it arises when the number of six, the number of the great darkness, is increased by one. In this way the state of rest gives place to movement.”

In one tradition of the Native American medicine wheel, Winter Solstice represents the place of the north. It is a time of introspection for us to go inside and evaluate our life over the last year. It is our year’s existential crisis where we soul-search what is truly important to us. We can then assess whether we have been living our life consistent with what is important to us. If not, it indicates that a change is necessary for the new year.

So what is most important to you? Is the way you are living your life in harmony with that? If not, it may be time for an adjustment or change for the new cycle. It is, after all, the perfect time of year to reinvent yourself.

Happy Spring Equinox: Protect and support your new beginnings

The Spring Equinox occurred yesterday. It is officially Spring! One tradition of the Native American Medicine Wheel teaches that springtime (or the East) is the time of new beginnings- in nature and our lives. But the new aspects of ourselves have likely not taken form yet. They may exist solely at the conceptual level- in the form of pictures or ideas. It may not be clear as to how they are going to manifest in our lives yet.

The fact that it has not yet taken form makes this stage of personal growth highly vulnerable. The new beginning takes considerable faith and focus to be born. We must not allow ourselves to get distracted from it or talked out of it. I liken the new beginning to a tender seedling. It needs to be protected and nurtured until it gathers enough strength to stand on its own.

And likely not everyone is able to support our new beginning. It may reside outside of their comfort zone (let alone ours). They are used to us being a certain way that they can rely on. We may not fit into the box that they have us in anymore. When we start talking about developing new aspects of ourselves, they may wonder if they will still have a place in our world.

For these reasons, new beginnings require great compassion. We must have compassion for our new self- so it can come into being. We must have compassion for our friends and loved ones- because they may feel frightened and insecure.

You wouldn’t think twice about protecting a vulnerable child. Native Americans call them “undefendables.” Your new aspects of self require the same protection. Nothing is more precious or important.

Because… without your protection and support, the new you will never come to be.

Does it plant corn?

January is the perfect time for introspection. The perfect time to discern what aspects of yourself and your life to develop over the next year. A Native American teacher of mine used to ask me, “Does it plant corn?” when I was telling him of the new thing I was fired up about.

Seems like he was saying, “Will it develop into something that will reap value in the lives of you and your people.” Or, “Sounds like a great idea, but will it feed your people?”

Your time and energy is so precious. There are so many things that sound great in theory, but never really make a difference or accomplish anything of value. At one level these things are distractions. Distractions from the dreams we could be actualizing.

Economists and investors call this opportunity cost. Investopedia defines opportunity cost as, “the cost of an alternative that must be foregone to pursue a certain action” (link). In this case, the investment is your time and energy- the ultimate investment.

So I urge you to add, “Does it plant corn?” to the questions you ask yourself when considering which seeds to plant in your life this spring. A seed, after all, takes a lot of time and energy to cultivate.

And if it doesn’t plant corn- why bother? You could just as easy plant something that does.

Winter solstice: the perfect time to go inside

The winter solstice for 2010 occurred this morning at 3:11 am Pacific Standard Time and 6:11 am Eastern Standard Time. Last night was the longest night of the year.

So tomorrow’s daytime will be a little longer than today’s. It is the very beginning of a new year. During the solstices and equinox, Native Americans celebrate the energy of the earth. They do ceremony. The idea is to allign yourself with the energy of the earth to transition and grow along with it. This is the journey around the Medicine Wheel.

The  winter solstice is the time of introspection. It is dark and cold outside. Your field of vision is smaller when it is dark. Long nights make it natural to go inside yourself. It is the perfect time to reevaluate your life. You can look at where you have been and where you want to go. What you have completed and what you want to create next. What is working and what is not working.

It is time to envision the new. And to let the old die and fall away. It is a time to feel. A time to grieve and a time to heal. There ought not to be as much activity to distract you from yourself. It is a perfect time to let it be quiet. And to be sad.

Because before you know it, new things will begin to emerge. And the things that will emerge depend on what you are allowing yourself to envision now.

And the new things need the room that the old things have been occupying. Are you willing to let go of some things that no longer serve you… to make room for the new?

Fall Equinox: Time to reap your harvest and offer your gift

The Native American Medicine Wheel is a powerful ceremony and series of teachings that mark where you are in the cycle of  your life. The primary points of the Medicine Wheel are the seasons of the year which correspond to the four directions- like on a compass. The fall is highlighted by the Fall equinox or the first day of fall- which is Wednesday. In the tradition that I was taught, the fall equinox is in the west of the Medicine Wheel.

The aspect of self characterized by the west on the Medicine Wheel is inner strength. The totem of the west is that of the grizzly bear. The grizzly bear has no natural enemies- so it knows no fear. It can be the clown of the forest. It has nothing to prove- so it can be true to itself.

In the year cycle of the Medicine Wheel, the place of the west is fall and the harvest. It is the time to glean the value of the intention and dynamic you set (or planted) in the spring and developed in the summer. It is the time of mastery and completion. You now understand this phase of your life and can offer it with strength and confidence.

In the life cycle of the Medicine Wheel, the place of the west is maturity and adulthood. You have experienced the innocence of childhood, and the exploration of adolescence. You are in the prime of your productivity. You can offer the gifts you have developed back to your people. You can make a difference with your community and the world.

In the day cycle of the Medicine Wheel, the place of the west is 6:00 pm in the evening. You are completing and detaching from the dynamic of your day. The sun is going down and your visibility is decreasing. Your focus is drawing itself back inward to yourself. You are starting to feel the implications of the day as well as what is going on internally. Sundown is the most intense time of feeling of the day.

So… make sure you celebrate your fall equinox and time of the west. Honor all the things it signifies in the cycle of your life.