December 21st is the Winter Solstice. The longest night of the year.

It is a time to go inward. Be silent and still.

A time to rest.

A time to reflect on the year and its lessons and experiences.

A time to sink into the darkness unafraid and prepare for transformation.

The energy of the Winter Solstice is powerful – it gives us the chance to purify and release, to journey inwards and to face deep seated fears. Just like a seed needs the darkness of the soil to germinate and grow, we too need the dark night to rejuvenate and refocus our energies.

This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year’s threshold and unlocking where the past lets go of and becomes the future: the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar.

Margaret Atwood

Of all the seasons, winter holds a particular mysterious, magical and restorative energy. Everything in nature is resting – releasing the threads to the past year and preparing for rebirth.

For me, the Winter Solstice brings forth imagery of taking a warm bath at night. I can hear the cold winds blowing outside as I slowly sink into the dark, welcoming water. I submerge my head and surrender to the heaviness of the water. The silence fills my ears. I feel safe and at rest and allow the water to cleanse my spirit.

I also picture myself as the Snow Queen with a magical white robe and crystalline crown. I slowly walk through a forest, trees heavy with frost. The moonlight illuminates the fresh snow and seems to explode into a million sparkling diamonds. The moon is full and the air crisp. Stars appear as tiny beacons of light in the cold expanse of the inky black sky.

Winter is a magical time!

Tap into the transformational energy of the Winter Solstice by focusing on personal and home-centered activities to welcome in the darkness, release things that no long serve you and celebrate the return of the sun.

Winter Solstice Candle Meditation

I love to do this in a forest at night, but any open outdoor space works well.

Gently sink four or five tea lights into the snow in the shape of a circle. Sit on a blanket to protect yourself from the cold. Take a few minutes to slow your breathing and connect into your physical body.

Visualize the energy of the night sky flowing into the top of your head, moving through your heart, belly and then finally releasing into the earth through your tailbone. Offer up all your fears, disappointments, anger and sadness to this energy and let these deep feelings bubble up and be released into Mother Earth.

When you feel complete, take a deep breath and exhale with a loud sigh.

Now, call upon the brightness of the stars and the sun. Visualize this energy as soft and thick like golden white honey. Allow it to flow over your head and down your body, collecting into a beautiful pool at the base of your pelvis.

Feel the warmth of the energy and ask it to replenish your spirit and give you inspiration and hope for the coming year.

Again, when you feel complete, take another deep breath.

Finally, come up with a few intentions for the new year and light a candle as you state each one out loud.

After all the candles are lit, take a few moments and gaze at the flickering lights and give thanks for the Winter Solstice and its gifts of reflection, healing and rebirth.

Want to add an extra special element to your meditation? Download O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen – Choir of Merton College, Oxford & Benjamin Nicholas from iTunes. It is the most beautiful, ethereal piece of music I have ever heard and lends itself perfectly to a Winter Solstice ceremony.

Don’t forget to blow out the candles before you leave!

Winter Solstice Home Cleansing Practice

Honour the cleansing aspect of the Winter Solstice and purify your beloved home. Smudging is an Indigenous technique involving the burning of plant materials. Sage is commonly used, but also consider rosemary or pine.

You can make your own smudge sticks by wrapping the dried herbs with cotton twine, or they can be purchased from new age bookstores or even a health food store. After lighting the smudge, let it burn for a moment and then blow it out. There should be smoke rising from the glowing embers. Use a fireproof container underneath to catch the ashes.

Walk through each room and allow the smoke to gently fill the space. Take care to cleanse around doorways and windows, as well as sleep and work areas. You might like to speak a cleansing affirmation as you work:

“I call upon the healing energies of the Winter Solstice to cleanse and clear my space of all negativities and fill it with love and light”.

If you don’t wish to use smoke, make a batch of rosemary cleansing spray (check out my Instagram or Facebook feed for the recipe) and complete the practice.

The Winter Solstice is also an appropriate time to organize your belongings and improve the energetic flow of the home. However, with Christmas just around the corner, I’m thinking this may not be the best time to start purging and cleaning!

I personally feel January is the perfect month for this activity, so stay tuned for a new blog in the next couple of weeks focusing on how to do an energy audit on your home. If cleaning in general is not your thing, reframe your thinking and consider it an act of service to your home.

Many blessings to you and your family on this very sacred of nights. Rejoice as we all sit at the cusp of a new cycle of growth, nourished by the return of the sun.

That’s the HomeHearted way.