THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR

I love history and every year I look forward to the Winter Solstice, so with that in mind, I thought I’d share its meaning from both historical and spiritual aspects. I know that can get dense, but there's a payoff at the end. And for those readers who enjoyed my last post, Fashioning the Self, thank you.

Now I'll dive in. Since ancient times, the Winter Solstice (December 21) has held a revered esoteric significance and has been celebrated universally. In old Europe, it was Yule, a pagan celebration with roots in Norse and Celtic cultures. Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere celebrated Yule for 12 days, which centered on the rebirth of the sun. In ancient Egypt, it was the birth of Horus who was the son of Isis, the goddess of health and love, and Osiris, the god of the afterlife. For ancient Romans, it was the Unconquered Sun which was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In Persia, it was Yalda, which was the birth of Mithra, the mythological goddess of light whose birthday was on December 25. It is also celebrated at ancient Neolithic sites such as Newgrange in Ireland, Stonehenge in England, and at the pyramid of the feathered serpent in Chichen Itza Mexico. And, for Christians, as the birth of Jesus. These ancient traditions of celebrating Winter Solstice also symbolize the celebration of the creative process that gives birth to the universe and its divine oneness with humanity. Within each of us is a spark of spiritual potential that awaits our recognition to be born into its full brilliance, into full consciousness of who we truly are. To become fully awake to this reality is why ancient spiritual texts always guide us toward attaining higher more expanded levels of consciousness as the path to enlightenment. What is an awakening? While there is no one definition, we can say that awakening is an intimate, active experience of expansion into higher realms of consciousness. This experience consists of a deeper, more meaningful, profound state of awareness and relationship with all life – all kingdoms in nature and planet Earth itself. The way to achieve this is through meditation. It is through meditation we place ourselves in the awakening process. An awakening, as spiritual beings, is to shift humanity’s focus from separateness to Oneness. Oneness consciousness is the realization and acknowledgment that there is but one, interconnected, interdependent human family, of which we are all part. We create a limitless source of Purpose, which is Love and Wisdom that will catapult us over the crest of the oneness wave and achieve one of the most important tipping points the world has ever experienced.

So as are about to enter this new year, with all of its challenges and opportunities, let us remember to meditate to successfully navigate the current in our lives and transport us onward with serenity, wisdom, happiness, and success. May the year ahead bring the meaning of true Oneness into your heart of hearts, and may you freely share it with your fellow sisters and brothers as part of all Humanity.

Here's to a meaningful winter solstice and a joyous Merry Christmas. And now on a lighter note because the mistress of this blog has a child in her that loves fun happy music, listen to two of my favorite Holiday songs.