Meeting the Solstice just as you are
And a Solstice tarot spread to take you deep.
Hello dear One.
Whether you’re marking the rebirth of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere or the peak of her power in the Southern Hemisphere, I celebrate with you today. Whether you’re experiencing gratitude and joy or heartbreak and sorrow (or all of those), I’m honoring the day with you.
We all know how the holidays can be fraught with obligations and busy-ness. If we’re ill or deep in grief, the usual traditions can seem like cruel reminders of all we’ve lost. I hope you can show up for the holy-days in the fullness of who you are. I hope you can shake off expectations (your own or anyone else’s) and allow the earth’s rhythms to remind you that the sun will always rise again, even on the darkest night of the year.
Traditions can become old and stale, or their familiarity can be comforting. Creating new ones can bring sparkles of pleasure. What traditions are bringing you warmth and peace this year?
My personal Yuletide celebrations have involved a lot of sleeping so far. Sleeping, healing, and dreaming. Those times of rest have been interspersed with good company, walking in the woods, warm conversations, dancing in a candlelit room, sinking into heartbreak in my community and in the greater world, lighting candles on my Advent-of-the-Sun wreath, and dipping gluten-free ginger snaps into my coffee for breakfast. (We need to take our pleasure where we find it!)
My friend Waverly Fitzgerald (who crossed the threshold on St. Lucia’s Day in 2019, calendar maven that she was) had a personal tradition of spending the day of Winter Solstice in silence and using no electricity. She used to say that there was no better way to viscerally experience the short length of daylight and long winter’s night in your body. I found her “voice” on the Amber Lotus website from 2016:
“Many years ago I read in the Oxford Companion to the Year that December 21 was when the Romans celebrated Angerona, the goddess who advocates for silence with her finger to her lips. The connection between the shortest day of the year and silence intrigued me and led me to develop my favorite Solstice ritual: I spend the day in silence and without using any electricity. I don’t watch television or listen to the radio or work on my computer. I don’t turn on the lights. I don’t answer my phone. At dusk, I go for a long walk in the park near my home. At night, I light candles, take a bubble bath, and go to bed early. I love the way this practice places me inside a delicious pool of quiet and serenity, allowing me to move more slowly and to listen to my own thoughts and feelings more closely.”
I’ve attempted Waverly’s ritual many times over the years and will confess I cannot get through the day without reading. My aging eyes need more illumination than weak winter light through a window or flickering candlelight. So I follow Waverly’s lead but make an exception for my tablet or the crescent-shaped light I wear around my neck to shine onto paper pages. I think of her when I rise late with the dawn, light candles on my altar, and welcome the sunset in late afternoon.
I love knowing my Beloved Dead are surrounding me in the quiet Solstice darkness.
What Yuletide traditions do you like to repeat, year after year? What new ones have you created? Which ones bring you the most comfort and joy?
A Tarot Spread for Winter Solstice
Consulting the cards at Yule is one of those traditions I like to keep every year. A couple of years ago I came up with this little spread. I hope you can find some quiet time in the next few days to sit in the holy hush of darkness with sparkling candles, toss a few cards, and receive a deep message from your Holy Helpers.
Pull a tarot or oracle card to spark a response, then finish the following sentences:
The gift of the nurturing darkness is ...
The promise of the returning sun is ...
I find potential or hope for my personal life through ...
One action I can take to offer hope and renewal to the larger community is ...
Today, my Holy Helpers most want me to know ...
I’d love to hear about your readings, if you’d like to share in the comments below.
Thank you for listening.
I am so grateful you’ve chosen to be part of my community. Thank you for your presence in my life.
Blessings of Darkness & Shimmering Lights,
About me: I’m Joanna Powell Colbert, creator of the Gaian Tarot and the Pentimento Tarot, and co-creator of the Herbcrafter’s Tarot. I write and teach about tarot, earth-centered spirituality, seasonal & lunar lore, and creativity as a spiritual practice. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Facebook.
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Yule Blessings, my dear friend. <3. And Blessings on Waverly’s spirit and all of the wonderful traditions on which she shone a light. This spread really nourished me this morning. My gift of the nurturing darkness is 21~Gaia, the knowledge that all will be well and all IS well. Thank you, Holy Mother! The promise of the returning sun is 17 ~ The Star (my favorite card), the promise that dreams can come true and HAVE come true. Again, Thank you, Holy Mother! I find potential and hope for my personal life through 6 of Air, community, like-minded folks, kindred spirits and the shared human experience. I love that a little robin is in this card and it confirms for me that moving back home going to be a huge blessing. Today, my Holy Helpers want me to know 6 of Fire, that even though I’m at the tail end of an ordeal and a bit burnt out, rejuvenation will come from being in the magical embrace of my community and family once more. Grateful for this wisdom.
Thank you for remembering Waverley in this post! For myself, I keep Epona's Day on 18th, to remind me to stop for midwinter. I hope you are feeling better and that good, deep restoration continues to strengthen you! much love, Caitlīn