If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know that I love Christmas. Actually, it’s time again for my annual Christmas music shares. But before that, let’s talk about Winter Solstice. It’s December 21, a few short weeks away. The time when the night is longest, right before the earth turns to longer days and shorter nights.
I’ve handed down the torch of tradition to my daughter for being in charge of the family Xmas celebration. Not that she has to do it all, but I become more support than leader. I imagine there will be times I regret that. But over time, she and the kids shift into being a tight family of their own, as they should, and this is one part of it. I am, certainly, hoping and expecting to be included, but not sure to what extent that will be true. I’m pretty sure my feelings are going to get hurt at some point, and that’s just how it is.
However. There are some ways I can be proactive and make the holiday special for myself. One of those is by celebrating Solstice. I have never really done this before, so I’d love to hear from my witchy, pagan friends how they celebrate. I’m doing some research too, of course.
I know that light and fire are key elements. And one thing I definitely want to do is some ritual around intention, things to release from last year and setting intentions for the coming year. I also need to redo my altar – I guess I’ll decorate it specially for Solstice and then make some permanent changes later. Anyhow, expect to hear more about all of this.
And here’s some music to set the tone:
If you can’t access it from the blog, it is, of course, The Christians and the Pagans, by Dar Williams. Easily found on youtube. Enjoy!
Olivia 
I have a close friend who always sends me a winter solstice text on the day, but I’m not sure if she observes any traditions around it. I will check in with her! What are your thoughts around releasing intentions? I am a big fan of setting them, but I’ve never released unmet intentions as a way of moving forward. I’ve been focusing on “letting go” with my studies in Buddhism and this sounds right in line with that. Would love to hear more ❤
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Oh, cool, I’d love it if you checked with your friend! And – that sentence about intentions was poorly worded – I don’t know about releasing intentions either, although now that you’ve said it, it does sound interesting. But letting go has been a theme in my life for a long time – especially letting go of expectations and attachment to outcomes. I think I am hovering somewhere between Buddhist and pagan. With a touch of Wiccan, set in a foundation of Catholicism. That’s a mess, isn’t it?
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LOL…it sounds about as clear as I am about spirituality! XOXO
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💜
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Hi Olivia,
Soltice traditions, it sounds very interesting, especially around intentions. Not something I really know about but would be interested to know more about.
Hugs
Roz
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Thanks, Roz! I think I will write more about setting intentions – I’ve been working with that a lot for the last year or so and really appreciating it.
💜
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