A Time of Ceremony

December 21 marks the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere. This time sets forth new beginnings and an opportunity to honor the light within and around us. This is truly a symbol of birth, life, death, and rebirth. This is a beautiful time to close the chapters of the past year and embrace the new which will bring about many blessings. So, know that you may keep going about your business if you so choose or you may intentionally invite in the connection to sacred realms. If you are interested to invite in the connection, ceremony is a powerful and heartfelt act. During ceremonies, the veil between worlds dissolves and the gates to our soul open while the hands of our ancestors and guides cradle us.

Hope, healing, and miracles all live in this place.

Performing your Winter Solstice Ceremony:

1. Set an Intention. Intention creates action. Take a moment for yourself to reflect. Being in nature is a good practice to sit quietly and practice deep listening. If this is new for you, I offer this to you. I believe the helping spirits, the creative force of the universe, know what we are asking for on a spiritual level, even if our conscious mind does not. This goes back to that trust of deep heart-truth.

2. Preparation work. Call in your helping guides and compassionate spirits as well as the helping ancestral spirits of the land. Always giving thanks for the connection.

3. Keep it short. Some of the most powerful ceremonies are those where we open the door to invisible realms, state the intention, and keep the ceremony to the point. A key is to a successful ceremony is concentration and focus. Ceremonies do not need to be complex to be powerful and meaningful. Thank goodness. 😊

4. Create an altar. An altar is a gathering of sacred items. Altars are typically filled with elemental treasures and personal treasures. Mine includes rocks, crystals, a small branch, blessed tobacco, plant life, metal that my grandfather once wore, and a candle.

5. How you engage. Step in fully with all of your senses open and alive. This isn’t a time to observe. The key to participating in an intimate and meaningful way is making sure you have stepped fully into the unseen worlds and the landscape where the ceremony is taking place. Surround yourself with light. Surrender. Trust. Let go.

6. Opening. This is the moment to move the energy from a thinking space to heart space. Ceremony is a space that carries the energy of love, honor, and respect. Relay this as you feel called. You may use breathwork, followed by a meditation, setting forth the intention that the ceremony work is beginning now.

7. Release and receive. Ceremony can be a beautiful opportunity to release what is no longer serving you while being open to receiving the new. In this space, you may truly open your heart to create positive change while assisting healing in what is falling away.

8. Support. You may leave space for shared messages, journaling, prayer, emotional release, a fire offering, use of instruments, etc. Use the tools that support the highest intention for your ceremony. Your heart will guide you in knowing what tools to bring forth.

9. Closing your ceremony. Always close with a heart of gratitude for all that supported, protected, and guided you during this sacred time. I have found that sweet berries and herbal offerings left to the fire and land is a beautiful show of gratitude. Finally, ground. Grounding will help you feel completely rooted into yourself and to the earth after your ceremony.

10. Perform alone or not. You can certainly perform ceremony to honor this time on your own. However, there is a power of bringing in others to perform a ceremony. Inviting others to honor these changes creates a powerful witnessing and provides support to those experiencing transitional healing. There is a place for virtual ceremony too! Energy and intention have no limit! FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom are awesome vehicles that may support your virtual ceremony. Trust me, you and others will be glowing from the beautifully shared energy virtually or in-person. 😊