December Solstice
December solstice! It’s one of the biggest festivals, experiences in our year.
If you live in the northern hemisphere, your December solstice is on December 21st, and it’s the center of your winter. That’s right, it’s not the beginning of winter. It is actually the center of your winter. Because in Chinese medicine, the Taoist lunar calendar and the Vedic solar lunar calendar, we actually follow the energy of the year.
So the center of your winter, meaning you’re halfway through! The light begins to return after the December solstice. I live in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Northern latitudes. And so I actually get one minute of light a day after December 21st. So, it’s a day of celebration!
Lowest Energy of the Year
Prior to December 21st, the energy is moving very low, and so if we’re looking at the solar lunar calendar, every year, the new moon before the solstice ends up being the lowest energy of the year. Â And this is why I teach you about the red days, because this allows you to understand your own natural circadian rhythm.
When you do this, and you understand that your energy might be low, or that you might want to stay inward, but still tend to and listen to the rhythms of what you need; that it is often not a time to be scurrying about getting gifts or being super social.
Slow Down
It’s winter time in the northern hemisphere. The natural energy is to be introspective, to still get fresh air, but to move more slowly, to actually cultivate the water and earth energies within you, according to Ayurveda. This will help ground you so that you’re not dried out in the dry winter.
Southern Hemisphere
And if you are in the southern hemisphere, it is your summertime, and it is the center of your summer and not the beginning of your summer. It is the longest day of the year and the most solar energy.
You are in the center of your summer and your days begin to get shorter once you pass the summer solstice. So it’s the most yang time of the year if you live in the southern hemisphere and you want to make sure you try and get drops of yin on December 21st if you’re in say Australia, New Zealand, or South America. So that is a way to actually use the December solstice.
Northern Hemisphere
If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, this is your shortest day of the year. The solar light is at its smallest and everything turns around. This is why the ancient traditions from Stonehenge to the Standing Stones you see in Scotland, our ancient selves Watched the movement of the sun and heralded it and celebrated the return of the light.
Cultivate Quiet
That is your December solstice. So this is your message to listen to yourself, to cultivate quiet, to allow yourself to be a little more quiet and maybe not in party season, but perhaps spend a little more quiet and maybe make some craft gifts instead of going out and shopping and spending money.
What could you do in the quiet environs of your home and at the same time have deep connections with others? That’s what winter time is for. We’re inside, we have different conversations, and we experience more quiet. Everything happens for a reason and the seasons are here to help us live in a more balanced way.
