December 2021
Greetings and well wishes to all!
Can you feel winter coming??!? Burr! Here in the North East it’s been hitting us like a brick wall! I used to hate winter but now I see it as a part of my spirit’s journey. The quiet part. The renewing part. The self-care and self-love part. The time to dream and sow those dreams in fertile soil. That is why the winter solstice is such an integral part of how I approach the winter season now. It transformed my previous dread into marvel and adoration. It gives meaning to the long nights and quite hours and wonder to the cold days and gray skies.
During the Winter Solstice -also known as Yule or midwinter or longest night-the sun is at the lowest point in the sky. This day we experience the shortest hours of sun and the longest night. This marks the start of winter and the sun moves into Capricorn. Hereafter, the cycle of light returns with days getting ever so slightly brighter and brighter until the Summer Solstice, which, conversely is the longest day and shortest night.
“The longest night gifts us with time to enter the darkness, fully. We hold our breaths with nature, where life is suspended waiting in extremis. The stillness behind action gathers as we empty and trust in our renewal. What will you give/lose to the night?” Oak Chezar@Mother Tongue Ink 2019.
On this longest night, we are invited to go inward, to get still, to pause and reflect. What lessons did we learn from last year’s journey? What did we grow and create? What are we holding on to that no longer serves us? Allowing this deep exhale to release, give gratitude and create space for our new breath of light and wisdom.
Ceremony ~What celebration and ceremony means at this time~
For thousands of years people have been coming together to celebrate the winter solstice: from Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland, to the Yuzu baths in Japan, people from around the world have create ceremony recognizing this day part of their cultural tradition.
These ceremonies and rituals allow us to pause and to be present. They allow us to ground into the moment and to take a bigger look at what is going on around us. This moment can offer us more sympathy, empathy, compassion, understanding, contemplation, love, and assurance. It can also help us create healing for wounds or loss we’ve experienced. It can realign us with our purpose, our dharma, our goals and our dreams, helping to keep us in track. Ceremony connects us to our inner nature and our community on this planet. It allows us to be more human.
This ritual will be combined with a meditation to sow the ‘inner seeds’ of this symbology into our hearts and souls.
The Invitation:
I will be holding two circles & meditations this December: one live online on Sunday 12/19 at 4pm, and one in my home office at 6pm on 12/21 in Northport NY. Decide which will work best for you.
What you will need :
- a candle
- a stone or crystal
- small bowl of water
- a feather, wand or leaf
- a journal and a pen
- anything you may want to grab to make you more comfortable while you sit for the meditation.
These Workshops are FREE. This is my seva to this community and I offer it as a part of my dharma, to serve and create sacred spaces. If you feel like you would like to contribute to a cause I am fundraising for the rest month of December to the Retreat. This nonprofit organization helps women in domestically abusive environments get the support and protection they need. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I know the holidays are the hardest times of year in these situations. Substance abuse often accompanies these types of relationships and the holidays spike substance dependencies and create more violence. Please help if you can to assure more women and children are saved and out of harm’s way this holiday season. This gift of peace and safety can help to uplift and change their lives forever.
Also, if you aren’t able to join for the Solstice Circle & Meditation in person or the online group and are interested “The Creating Your Own Winter Solstice Ritual Guide (PDF)” I’ve created, please reach out to me and I will send you one right to your mailbox!
I will leave you with the lyrics of my favorite songs to listen to this time of year; “Long Time Sun” by Snatam Kaur.
‘May the long time sun
Shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light
Within you
Guide your way on
Guide your way on
Guide your way on
Sat Nam’ (God is true and everlasting)
Be Blessed,
Shana
Related posts…
‘You Must Believe In Spring…’
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” Anais Nin. The Cycle begins again… Birth. Emergence. Becoming. Newness. Freshness. Blooming. Budding. Moving. Ascending.
For many decades now, I have come to live in harmony with natures seasonal changes and create rituals around them. I suppose my interest started at first as a child because I was always very observant to nature and what was happening in my outside world. Now, even the years that I am not quite as attentive, I still feel a buzzing in my body come late March that continues through to June. To me this sensation is spring….
….Think of the sort of “anger” one has when playing a sport, or the “anger” one has when playing a game, or the burning sensation that one might feel when a highly valued project or endeavor hits an avalanche of an obstacle. It’s the sensation of being so alive and so on fire that only a blood curdling cry can truly demonstrate the depth (like the NZ Maori’s war dance, the Haka). It’s that kind of anger that runs rampant during these spring months. If this anger is felt and understood and then, most importantly, let go of, it is useful in allowing us to forge ahead. It gives us resilience and strength despite our possible uphill battles. However, if this anger is nurtured and feed, it can become a noose around our necks and follow us everywhere we go. Not relinquishing its hold can poison even the most tender of moments, even the sweetest of relationships…..
What a Little Moonlight Can Do
The full moon is a super-attractor: meaning- whatever you are feeling will be 200% accentuated during this moon phase. Feeling crazy? Well, get ready for more Cra-cray. Feeling amorous? Here comes more mojo! Feeling sad? You better grab those tissues! The full moon amplifies EVERYTHING.
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
“Intimacy is being seen and known as the person you truly are.” Amy Bloom
Ever want that connection… but not THAT connection? And, doesn’t that sound so much more than sexy Victoria’s Secret lingerie? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with sexy, but sex and intimacy aren’t necessarily interdependent. And, for many people, it’s harder to be intimate WITHOUT the sexy part than WITH the sexy part. When the “private part” is one’s own vulnerability the stakes are higher than when the clothing comes off. It’s no wonder, then, that true intimacy is somewhat of a rarity.
After all, it’s hard to open up and allow someone else to see your tender underbelly. It’s frightening and creates anxiety; it brings up all kinds of stuff. However, if we can’t go “there”, the other stuff is just a roll in the hay which may be fun in the moment or a whole lot of regret down the road.
Love and Happiness
…and left me alone in our hotel room. That is when the anxiety got really strong. “Oh shit. What have I done? My world is caving in and I have LOST all control”… I felt my breath shrink and then quicken, and my heart pound…. I sat down on the bed and looked at the duffel bag that housed some of our clothes and toiletries. I noticed one of the books from that book club peering out of the open zipper as if to say, “Here I am, help is here”.
About the Author…
Shana is a New Yorker and a native to Long Island’s east end. A lifelong passion in food, health and wellness led her to become an advanced 500 hour registered Yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance, a Licensed Body Worker, a trained Herbalist, a Reiki and PEMF (Pulse Electro-Magnetic Field) Practitioner.
She has studied abroad in India, as well as studying functional and integrative nutrition at IIN (Institute of Integrated Nutrition), is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), and Certified Hypno-counselor.
She is well versed in ancient theologies and eastern healing systems such as acupuncture and Ayurveda. Working with these philosophies, and integrating holistic nutrition, yoga and meditation is how she serves and supports her clients to heal and transform their lives. Shana currently lives in Northport, NY where she works as a Holistic Coach.
Did you know Meditation can reduce insomnia by 75%?
It can reduce anxiety by 60%?
It increases heart, hormonal and gut health!!
The problem is… whenever you’ve tried it, a voice goes off in your head and the laundry list of to-dos rattles off, or there’s the train you need to catch or the dog that has to go out or the kid that’s late for school. Sound familiar
That’s why I made this FREE Yoga Nidra recording.
To make meditation EASY, ENJOYABLE and DOABLE so that you can gain ALL those benefits by literally just lying there! An easy first step to ultimate health.
Start with an “ahh….”