Winter Solstice
THE COMING OF THE LIGHT
WINTER SOLSTICE marks the turn from Autumn into Winter, and in traditions around the world, it is a time for inward reflection and a celebration of the coming of "light." It is both the shortest day of the year, and conversely . . . the longest night.
Winter Solstice in any tradition is an ideal opportunity to contemplate the change of season, as each day hereafter will become incrementally longer (more daylight). The metaphor, both literally and figuratively, is "the coming of the light" and the contemplation of the darkness (Winter) we walk through to get there.
The origins of the Winter Solstice Dōngzhì Festival can be traced back to the Traditional Chinese Medicine principles of yin and yang, the two polar, yet interdependent energies of balance and harmony. It is the tipping point from the height of Winter's Yin energy, to a slow trek back towards the Yang of Summer.
The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I-Ching hexagram fù (Chinese: 復, "Returning").
Consider the WINTER SOLSTICE an opportunity for renewal, a shedding of "old" (whether habits, emotions or things) and an embracing of the new.
When we’re experiencing the shortest day of the year, it’s the perfect time to catch the late sunrise and early sunset – ordinary (but extraordinary!) phenomena that we can take for granted, if we forget to pay attention.
Let us reach for hope and restoration amid the long nights of darkness, and nurture the "light" within each of us, as the days once again grow longer and brighter.