Create Your Own - Tara's Winter Solstice Celebration
Join me as I share my plans for my Winter Solstice Ritual and share some why’s around diving into this festive season.
Winter Solstice, also known as Yule or mid-winter, is one of 8 Sabbats on the year's wheel, celebrating when nighttime has reached its maximum length. It is a time to remind us that even though colder weather is ahead, so are brighter days.
I look forward to the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere every December. Even when I don’t carve out time to set an intention or do a ceremony around this celebration, just the thought that each day that follows, until the Summer Solstice, will be filled with more sunlight than the day before helps to cheer up any feeling I have of winter blues. Sinking into the earth's rhythm and trying to match Mother Nature energetically helps me feel more grounded, calm, and intuitive.
Winter Solstice has been recorded as being celebrated since the end of the Stone Age. As time goes by and less and less of Earth’s population work on the land and farms, we have progressed away from beings who depend on the solstice and equinox dates for survival. It can be easy to forget why they are important to honor our health and circadian rhythm.
With Today’s blog post, I hope to help remind us and give us some tools for appreciating and celebrating this time of year. What better time to tune ourselves into the energetic flow of the earth than when nature is most still?
Ways you probably already prep for Winter Solstice and the meaning you may not have been aware of:
Deck the halls - many things we’ve been taught to decorate our homes during the holiday season have a deeper meaning than you may know. Here are a few of my favorites and how they relate to Winter Solstice.
Bringing in evergreen, pine, and cranberries - This is a reminder that even though the weather is harsh, these plants still reach for the sunlight and survive in the most challenging environments. Think of these home reminders as our personal “You can do it too” affirmation.
Lighting Yule logs and decorating with candles - For Winter Solstice, in particular, lighting a log, fire, or burning candles has traditionally been done on the shortest day of the year, starting at dusk, to stoke the fire until the sun comes up. This is a way of cheering on the beginning of longer days ahead and is often done with friends or loved ones. If you're like me, chances are staying up all night isn’t in the cards, and that’s perfectly fine; you can still enjoy your fire elements on this Solstice and the winter days surrounding it while appreciating the change of seasons on your timeline.
Baking and cooking decadent treats - Cakes, roasts, mulled wines, are all ways many of us celebrate the holiday season. During Yule times, this can also be considered an offering to your ancestors, angels, gods, or deities that you call on during this Solstice. I'd like to point out that offers are typically made to show honor, gratitude, and respect. Choosing an offering that will be appreciated by those you are offering it to is a good idea. Could you take a little time to do some research on any deities you plan to call upon? Your guests and yourself consume most offerings; however, burning, burying, or getting rid of offerings may be more appropriate depending on your beliefs or religion.
So now that you have identified a few ways to prep for a Winter Solstice Ritual mark your calendars for December 21st-22nd, and let’s talk about ways you may already be working with magical practices in your life.
Any assistance or calling for assistance is considered magical work. For example, some magic you may practice without realizing it could be manifestation work or calling on passed ancestors or gods, and even working with energy by receiving or doing energy healing.
Times that tend to have a more magical charge are dusk to midnight and are a great time to do spiritual work. Winter Solstice can be an excellent time to focus on dark shadow work, reflective work, and divination. You may notice many churches offering midnight mass during Christmas Eve in alignment with these beliefs that there is a thinner veil and more accessibility to God(s) at that time.
Follow along with my intention to set a ceremony to ring in the Winter Solstice // Ritual focused on mediating and planning:
Often time it’s believed that a ritual has to be this grand event. I’ve found that, for me, an essential part of a ritual is the intention and focus from start to finish. To get started, I like to devise a plan and set up a magical experience/ritual. Here’s how I do it;
I start by brainstorming my goals and reasons for doing the ritual. For me, the winter season ahead is all about setting myself up for success with work and my private life. That means using the winter season to start paying attention to habits, creating guidelines for my emotional availability, and coming up with ideas to have more joy in the year ahead. I like to take a pen and paper and do a stream of conscious writing of everything that comes to mind when thinking of my life through the winter season and onward throughout 2023. After I have a full recap of everything going through my mind (written down), I take a highlighter, highlight the essential parts- sometimes writing them out - and address them during my ritual.
I follow my brainstorming by setting guidelines for performing my ritual. A ritual differs from my everyday manifestation and meditation work, so I treat it differently. I will be speaking out loud, chanting, meditating, and possibly singing as part of my process—this flow out when I am in the setting. I refer to my highlighted brainstorm and speak with conviction to those I’m calling to support me.
Note: Stay in your comfort zone. Start small and build your practice as you get more comfortable and confident. If you think speaking out or singing is too much for you, you can just go ahead and skip it.
While mentally planning the setting of my ritual, I know it will be in my cozy living room, lit by candlelight and holiday lights, starting at dusk. I like to set an altar of crystals and sage, offering bowls and glasses, matches, and other trinkets that have meaning to me. These are typically things I already have around the house. I also like my offering to include some treats, so I will ensure I have something on hand. I always have a journal and pen on hand for writing up thoughts and channellings that may occur during my ritual. In front of the altar, I place a pillow to sit on and some blankets. This is where I will be during my practice. If I realize I don’t have something I need after coming up with this plan, now is an excellent time to run an errand and get it.
Confidence is an integral part of setting up and performing my ritual. The prep I do ahead of time helps me feel confident. I also like to ensure I’ve prepped by choosing a day/time I am in good health, well rested, and have time to focus on the rituals.
I do all of this on the day of my ritual. However, If I plan to do more of a group Winter Solstice gathering, I will prepare food, beverages, and a guest list ahead of time. I enjoy giving everyone little tasks and reaching out ahead of time to see what feels suitable for the day of ritual focus.
Now that I know my intentions, goals, and settings, it’s time to start. The planning is done, and I am ready to perform my ritual, starting with prep.
Ritual prep is just as much a part of the ritual as any other. During my prep, I continue to stay focused on my goals and missions around the work I am about it do. I enjoy this work and perform it with gratitude. I love having mood lighting and good music for prep time.
Gathering an altar for winter solstice may look like candles and lights, evergreen and pine, sensory smells - bringing berries or oils, and an offering of wine, fruits, and honey. These items will engage all senses. I will have a bottle of red wine with two glasses and two bowls, one for myself and one for those I’m calling upon during my ritual. I like to have water on hand if I need to burn any journaling.
Then I mentally prepare myself by grounding and taking time to be present. I like to take a moment to pray, meditate, and write out any other last-minute thoughts.
I prepare myself physically. This is a special occasion. Similar to “Sunday best.” I feel more grounded in my ritual after bathing and anointing myself with special oils and cleansing products. I wash my face, do my Gua Sha, and dry brush. I put on special clothing and jewelry.
I turn off electronics and remove what I can that has radio frequency from the room. Electronics can affect the energy fields around us and interfere with our rituals. I set background music on my favorite meditation playlist for additional ambiance.
With each task, I like to take my time and keep my intentions in front of my mind from start to finish.
Now that I am ready, my ritual space is set up; it’s time for the magic of the ritual:
I start by working on energetically grounding myself within my space, feeling into the room, closing my eyes, and getting a feeling for the energy and aura of the area. I may see a color or feel a shift in the room density. I feel and energetically shift the space until I know it is ready and open for the work ahead.
Note: If the space isn’t feeling right, using sage and other space-clearing rituals can be helpful.
Next, I light my candles one by one, breathing gratitude and confidence in each inhale and exhale I take.
I then get cozy on my pillow, wrap myself with blankets as needed, and begin with an opening. “I’m calling on my ancestors to show appreciation for the support I know you provide me daily. I’m calling on my ancestors to help guide me through this ritual and help me see a clear path. I’m calling on my ancestors to support me throughout this next season as I follow the path and ask that you assist me in trusting my intuition in my day-to-day life. Thank you for being here with me, and asking that you share with me in an offering to show my gratitude.”
I will then pour a glass of wine for my ancestors and myself and make small plates.
I offer these, “ I am calling on my ancestors to share this offering of love, gratitude, and appreciation.” I then like to take my time and enjoy the tastes, smells, and feelings that come up, writing down any thoughts that come to mind.
I speak out loud about my goals and plans, knowing I am being supported and heard.
If limiting beliefs come to mind, I will write them down, speaking out loud, “this is not my truth,” and use a candle over my burn bowl to burn the list.
If I feel drawn to it, this can be a great time for moving my body by dancing or moving negative energy with chanting or singing.
At this point, I often feel drawn to sit or lay comfortably and let my mind wander with the assistance of those I’ve called upon. I write them out as thoughts, feelings, or visions come up during my ritual.
To wrap up my ritual, I always thank my ancestors. “ Thank you for the unconditional love, guidance, and support I feel from you. Thank you for showing up with me this evening to support me in the future. Thank you for all that you do. I am ready to support myself in my goals and will always call upon your divine knowledge and guidance as needed. Thank you.”
I then go ahead and blow out any candles that are still lit. I take my offering to my ancestors and bury them in the garden. I take my time cleansing my space with sage. I write out any thoughts or feelings, as well as any notes for changes I would like to make for future rituals.
This work's guidance, ideas, and feelings are essential to my life as a healer. Please take what you are drawn to from this and leave what doesn’t serve you. I hope that by sharing my plans for this Winter Solstice Ritual, I help encourage you to try something different for wellness, self-growth, and focus this Yule.