A space of repose, to reflect on the year past, and prepare for the year to come.
Nature has decided to kick off the season in style in my neck of the woods, and we are choosing to hunker. I welcome it.
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Thank you for joining me here these past few weeks for Solstice Reflections. The stories and images shared by this year's contributors were a beacon of peace during what can so easily become a busy time of year.
Solstice Reflections 2012 is an online gathering of reflections by five lovely women on the spirit of winter. My hope is that this may offer you a momentary respite from a sometimes hectic season, allowing you to sit with your own reflections as you enter your personal winter. Click here for all posts to date.
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Since the start of summer, I have spent at least an hour every evening walking the towering tree lined streets of my beautiful neighbourhood. I have watched the way the sun changes and the descent into darkness has been a slow lingering affair, speeding up as December grew near.
On winter solstice, this part of the world has 7 hours and 23 minutes of daylight which is a far cry from the 17 hours and 9 minutes of daylight that joyously invigorates us during the summer solstice. I head off to work in the dark and the sun sets while I am still at work and so I commute home in the dark.
My evening walks have taught me that the dark is not really as dark as I once thought and as I walk in the hushed shadowed air, the snow crunching beneath my feet, I notice the sparkle rising up and flirting with the light of the streetlamps as stars slide down and dance around the ever falling flakes making love to the moon's powerful poetry. The weekends become precious markers of time as I head out three or four times during the day, excited to be walking in daylight. My eyes devour the light, often golden as the sun rises and the sun sets. I am learning the deep magic of the marriage of white skies and white landscape bouncing light, soft and strikingly pure filling rooms and eyes with a breath puffed in cotton. Daylight is stark clarity reminding me of white sheets blowing in a summer's breeze while the night is all mystery and sparkle magic revealing hidden secrets of the muse.
I have been shifting furniture and rearranging photographs and artwork, changing my curtains from deep jewel tones to the soft white mirror of the natural world, shifting the energy to hold light in. And I walk outside and watch the snow come down, sparkling shards of softness that pile up in mounds around me before I curl up in my nest while soup simmers on the stove and banana chocolate chip muffins turn golden brown in the oven.
The further north you travel, the less and less daylight there is but the earth compensates by providing the blinding white of snow and ice that starts sometime in the autumn and lasts through to the spring and these days I see all that snow as a gift from the earth. As the solstice grows nearer, more and more glowing lights find themselves wrapped around the trees and houses which in turn gives more sparkle and beauty to the hills of snow that blanket the gardens of summer. And I am more aware of the way we mirror the cycles of nature and the ways that many of society's traditions come from a deep place of honouring those cycles.
And I am grateful for the precious bits of sunlight even as I honour the mystery of the dark with the soft glow of candles and the twinkle of fairy lights strung around the room, my droopy eyes, soft pillows and down filled quilts. Winter solstice is a perfect time to dream, to manifest and create magic and allow our personal mythic journeys to unfold deep inside of us. The earth is holding her breath, resting and dreaming of the shifts that will start when the light comes back and she springs to action and lets her magic bloom outwards in growth. And I am holding my breath, resting and dreaming and knowing that the light will return my energy and I will burst open like the flowers currently sleeping seeds beneath the frosty blanket of night.
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Darlene Kreutzer lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and she is grateful for family, the light that casts beauty across shadows, music that lifts emotions, a little house and garden filled with colour and love, friends and inspirations, the beauty of nature, the cold spray of a wild lake, the soft barnacle skin of the grey whale and the possibilities that exist in life.
Solstice Reflections 2012 is an online gathering of reflections by five lovely women on the spirit of winter. My hope is that this may offer you a momentary respite from a sometimes hectic season, allowing you to sit with your own reflections as you enter your personal winter. Click here for all posts to date.
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The days leading up to the solstice for me can bring up feelings of joy and sorrow. The sun setting earlier and earlier each day bring the darkness into our lives in a way that reminds me to honor the waning of the light. There is sacredness to this time. A time to turn inward, to reflect, to hibernate.
My natural inclination is to stay home by the hearth, basking in the fire's warm on cold days, making hearty soups and stews. To gather and nest and nourish my soul. A time of extreme self-care that can be a challenge in the flurry of activity around here between the Thanksgiving and Christmas time.
By the time the solstice grows closer and the days turn again to growing longer, the spark of new hope starts to burn in me.
My writing always reflects what's going on for me and I wrote this poem as I reflected on the solstice.
THAW
for weeks pen lay frozen far from page emptiness seemed vast, eternal then a flicker starts like match to candle light grows brighter pen flows on paper blue rhythm of hand awakens soul the thaw begins again
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Karen Delaneyis a healer, through words and images, who is known for her empathy and her ability to deeply listen. She is a highly sensitive person, which she used to regard as a curse, but understands now is a gift. Currently trying to find her way through Art and Story.
Solstice Reflections 2012 is an online gathering of reflections by five lovely women on the spirit of winter. My hope is that this may offer you a momentary respite from a sometimes hectic season, allowing you to sit with your own reflections as you enter your personal winter. Click here for all posts to date.
~~~
THE SWEETNESS OF THE SEASON
'Mommy, Daddy, Santa came!'
'No way! It's not even Christmas!'
'Yes, yes it is! Look what I got!
And it's not even 5 am.
In our house, and it's a full one - along with myself, there's my husband, our 4 kids, a dog and a cat, the first winter snowfall immediately conjures up thoughts of hot chocolate, snow angels and candy canes.
There is also a feeling of anticipation and sentiment. The days are shorter and darker. This means I get to spend more time with my older kids, 'it's too cold to go outside, Mom...' and I get to get caught up on my reading list that got neglected during the warm, summer months.
It also means that I get to see the glow on my husband's face when he's asking me, 'What night do you want to go for our Christmas light tour?'
Every year for 15 years we've bundled up the kids and packed them into the truck. At first it was just 1, then 2, then 3 and then all 4 of them! We'd head to the nearest Tim Horton's and grabbed a double, double. We then drive all around the city, looking at the colourful lights on the houses, while listening to Christmas music. This sweet celebration is my husband's 'thing'.
Putting up our tree is also a wonderful time. We reminisce about who made what ornament and in what grade. We 'pretend argue' about why the burnt bulbs weren't replaced last year when we knew they were burnt and I take a ridiculous amount of photos the whole time! This time of year really brings out my inner photographer - so many beautiful moments and 'feelings' to capture.
As a family, we love food all year long. My daughter and I love to cook and bake and the holiday season brings out this primal urge in us both to spend countless days in the kitchen making treats for ourselves and any company that may pop in for a visit. Our favorites are Peanut Butter and Marshmallow fudge, Santa Bars, Nanaimo Bars and Butter tarts. The butter tarts began long before either of us were even born. My Dad's mom used to make the most delicious, right from scratch, butter tarts for her family at Christmas time. She continued to make them for my Dad and the rest of us for years until she got ill and couldn't cook anymore. I began to make them for my Dad. And when my daughter was old enough, she began to help me. Now, every year, without fail, we make copious amounts of butter tarts and devour every last one of them!
Here is the exact recipe that we use every year:
Golden Brown Butter Tarts
You will need:
12 tart shells (you can either make your own from scratch or, like myself, buy the Tenderflake ones and save a ton of time.)
1/2 cup of corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup of raisins (we love the golden ones!)
Preparation:
Place the 12 tart shells on a cookie sheet. After that, whisk together the corn syrup with the brown sugar, egg, butter, vanilla and vinegar. Put about 10 raisins in the bottom of each tart shell. Now spoon about 2-3 tbsp. of the syrup mixture over top of the raisins so that they are about 2/3 full. Don't overfill them as they get bubbly and will overflow during cooking!
Bake until a deep, golden brown - about 20 minutes at 375*C. Let them cool down before enjoying as they will be hot inside. They will also be yummy and sticky! Please note that this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
The holiday season also means that, as adults, we will get a few extra evenings together, alone, thanks to various work parties and gathering with friends. Being surrounded by those people that are most important to us is, by far, one of the best things about this time of year. Catching up, laughing, making future plans...these all come together and give us a sense of hope for the coming year.
My daughter in her favorite striped socks - this shot was taken a few Christmases ago and it instantly became a family favorite! I've made cards out of it, I use it as my screen saver and this year, I used it to make the badge for one of my e-courses.
This year also brought in a new tradition. Christmas Yoga! My kids have all grown up with Yoga in their lives in one way or another and this year we did something completely different - we made a little video of Ethan and Emily demonstrating their favorite holiday-inspired poses. These can be enjoyed by children of all ages. They're so much fun, plus, you can't do them wrong! I now plan on making a version of this every year while the kids will still wear the antlers. Ha!
I wish you and your family all the best for the coming holidays,
~~~
Jodi is a Certified Holistic Life Coach and Yoga Instructor who specializes in teaching women and their families how to live actively, seasonally and creatively. Using the principles of Yoga, Ayurveda, Reiki, Coaching and Creativity, you will explore what it means to nurture yourself, and, in turn, how to nurture your family in a more heart-centred way.
Solstice Reflections 2012 is an online gathering of reflections by five lovely women on the spirit of winter. My hope is that this may offer you a momentary respite from a sometimes hectic season, allowing you to sit with your own reflections as you enter your personal winter. Click here for all posts to date.
~~~
A few things I love about this time of year:
~ when I can see individual snowflakes glittering and glowing a shiny silver beneath the light of the full moon.
~ hauling wood and keeping the woodstove going. Warmth from a woodstove is like no other source of heat. It warms you to the bone and relaxes your muscles. With it comes a feeling of gratitude for being kept safe and comfortable.
~ tea. soup.
~ playing in the snow! -- taking snow shoe meandering walks through the woods with my family. The woods all coated in white are magical, still, dreamy. Cold coupled with some 'hearty' activity is invigorating for the body, mind, and soul. And, there's nothing quite like the feeling of following snow play with a hot lunch and a dark beer.
~ kneading dough. baking bread.
~ oversized, fuzzy, warm woolen sweaters and hats.
~ listening to the song of river ice -- moaning, shifting, cracking as the river flows beneath.
Friday, December 21, 2012 at 12:38PM 
