Downshift for the Winter Solstice
Hello, curious soul ~
A whole season has whooshed by. Here we are, landed in Winter, the season of dreaming and settling into our roots. Winter Solstice blessings to you!
I woke up reflecting about last year — how during late Summer I was itchy to lead rituals and candle classes throughout the fall. What a different Autumn this was as I found a new rhythm with working retail, creating products again, and joining with other amazing, intentional entrepreneurs to support their businesses.
This fall I didn't feel the spaciousness to schedule regular candle classes, yet I felt their absence in the best way possible as I burned the last of my visions candles and my altar felt noticeably empty.
I'm planning to craft one more candle this year to close out 2024 and lean into the dreams for 2025 (or, more accurately, for my creative, curious spirit)… and you're invited to join me!
This year the lunar cycle supports creating an easy off ramp from the highway speeds some of us experienced this fall. We're in a waning moon cycle right now through the New Moon on December 30, which is the day I'm leading candle class (details below).
While intellectually we may know that Winter is the season to slow down and go inwards, culturally we're not supported in this notion. We have to create our own boundaries and figure out how to slow down for ourselves.
For many years I drove around the country doing art fairs for years. After 2 long days of driving, my body would be vibrating. When I arrived at my destination, it took time to settle even though I was at a hard stop. It required walking, engaging with the world and people, eating mindfully, and other practices to downshift my body, mind, spirit and whole emotional psyche to presence.
Have compassion for yourself if downshifting is hard to do during the holidays. View this time as a long exit ramp from busy-ness and obligation.
This can help practice presence, which immediately helps slow down the “wishing for things to be different” that keeps us racing around in hopes we get it all done so *then* we can stop.
Pressured moments can give the gift of cracking you to the point of envisioning a new way.
Take a bit of time to write down or contemplate how you'd like to slow down and what that looks like for you. Ponder what you may need to change to create this shift. See what you're doing now as part of easing into a new way of being, like you've at least put on your blinker to move to a slower lane.
Hard stops are jarring, so you can also practice gratitude for any fullness or being-pulled-in-a-million-directions feelings you're experiencing right now. Gratitude makes it easier to break the habit of overcommitting.
When we acknowledge and appreciate what we have, it stops the cycle of complaining. Gratitude helps us see what aspects we love even if the circumstances make us crazy.
If you're able to join me for candle class, gathering in quiet ritual with like-minded souls supports this seasonal shift. We'll create calm resonance and connection in a low-stimulation environment while we invite our creative spirits out to dream while we craft with our hands. I'm also holding class slightly earlier to honor our bodies' desires for quiet & earlier bedtimes. Details below and click here to save your spot.
Stay curious,
Kat