Perspective: The Winter Solstice: Honouring the Dark and Celebrating the Light

by Stacy Vajta

winter solsticeThe Winter Solstice. It’s a turning point as the wheel of time makes yet another cycle; where life will once again be regenerated as the sun’s light begins to increase, little by little.

It’s been dark out there as of late. And yes, the days have been growing shorter and the sun barely warms us with its rays shining practically horizontally…but, it’s felt really dark out there.

As we’ve been creeping toward this longest night, the energy has been begging us to go within and explore our darkest corners. The winter’s dark guides us inward—both literally and figuratively. We move inside in all ways, wrapping ourselves up in a womb-like atmosphere to guard against the cold and increasing darkness.

Yet, Nature, and her cycles, gives us the opportunity each year to find our own inner light, to help us manoeuvre through the darkest time. We use this light to connect us to the Divine, and it guides us in our healing.

The long dark nights also call us home. Winter is a time of celebrating community and family. In the days of old, we’d gather around the fire and storytellers would tell of our history and weave the path to where we were headed.

Honouring this spiral pathway out of the darkness and into the light is an important piece in marking our collective journey. And in this time of great transition—which it seems we are now in as we re-envision our global community and learn to move forward in new ways yet to be imagined—it seems critical that we find our way out of the darkness once again and learn to trust that the light will be there.

This transition, or transformation from darkness to light, is where we can recognize our own ability to transform. It is here, at this juncture, where things evolve into form.

It can be a challenge to hold the light in this time of darkness. But as we do, each year, we participate in the Great Mystery. We heal both personally and in community, and we learn to see the Divine in all. And the more we can do this…the more we heal our hearts.

So here’s to the darkness for all it holds to be discovered; and to the coming light, where we can take what we have healed in ourselves and bring an ever deeper healing to our world.

Stacy Vajta is a Master Energy Healer and Intuitive. She has spent the last 26 years teaching people how to transform their lives through energy work. She has a global healing practice where she helps people work with very grounded, practical and everyday energetic tools to create amazing life changes. Visit her website at www.ExpandedPathways.com

About the Authors

Renascent Alumni
Members of Renascent's alumni community carry the message by sharing their experiences and perspectives on addiction and recovery. To contribute your alumni perspective, please email alumni@renascent.ca.