As we enter the longest night of the year, I'd like to share some thoughts with you about honoring our darkness.

The hibernal Solstice (from the latin 'SOL' meaning 'sun' and 'SISTERE' meaning 'stand still') occurs every December 21st when the path of the sun is the farthest from the Northern hemisphere, creating the shortest day of the year.

If you have ancestors from the Northern hemisphere, they probably observed this day for thousands of generations, with a variety of customs and traditions. My own Celtic ancestors held ceremonies to bless the embrace of the darkest night, and pray for the return of the sun's live-giving warmth.

The Winter Solstice was and still is recognized as a time of endings and beginnings, the completion of one cycle and the initiation of another. AND, it just so happens that this New Moon falls on December 23rd, just after the shortest day. So now we find ourselves in the deep, deep dark, with both the sun and the moon withholding their light - an invitation for deep reflection.

As I sit in my bleeding time, I am reflecting on this darkness. These endings and beginnings. Blessings and releasing, loving and letting go.

In the moments before bleeding (or birth, orgasm, or death), there's a building of internal pressure, a demand from our deepest core to turn inwards and listen intently to what our bodies are telling us. What darkness do we need to embrace within ourselves? What needs blessing, what needs releasing?

Then there's a rupture when we bleed, an inflammatory response, maybe pain, that asks us to release what we don't need to hold onto anymore. What are we making room for? What light are we opening to receive?

What are the teachings of the dark?

As modern folk, we may perceive darkness as an enemy to avoid. I'm not so sure our ancestors saw it that way. They lived under both sun and moon, witnessed their evolving cycles, saw the light change, diminish and return again and again.

Our foremothers felt the flux of their cycles ebbing and flowing, increasing and releasing again and again. Death follows life, life follows death. We live in the dance of both. We carry life, we carry death, we carry rebirth.

I believe that my ancestors knew that regeneration was the true essence of the life/death/life cycle. I believe that, as cyclical beings, we are reclaiming the darkness within us as something to be revered rather than feared, a great teacher instead of an enemy to conquer.

The longest, darkest night of the SOUL-stice brings us an invitation to burrow within to find our own blessings.

I know the holidays are tough, and you probably already have plans. So I'm offering you the invitation to create your own Sosltice/New Moon ceremony at home!

My invitation to you this Solstice New Moon is to get still, take what time you need to reconnect with yourself, and listen deeply to what needs blessing and releasing in your life. Then honor yourself in ceremony, just as your ancestors would have. Bless and release.

SIMPLE BLESSING & RELEASING CEREMONY:

You'll need:

• A journal & pen
• A safe vessel for burning, such as a small fire pan, cauldron, wood stove , etc.
• Ambiance: candles, altar, etc.

Claim your sacred space, and the time you need to be in it (at least an hour). Light some candles, get still, breathe. Spend some time reflecting on what you're ready to release, and what you're making room for; write them down. Braid in whatever other elements you feel are appropriate for you: song, dance, prayer, etc. When you're ready, burn the paper (safely!) in your fire vessel. Bless and release.

Love you, sister, through the light and the dark.

See you next year!

Hadley