Winter Solstice Meditation
Ritual, Reflection & Practice for Your Solstice
Saturday, Dec. 21 is the Winter Solstice for those in the Northern Hemisphere. The least amount of light and the start of the winter season.
Today’s episode of Our Mindful Nature - a live recording of my Winter Solstice meditation retreat - is the perfect practice to welcome in the winter season. A mini meditation retreat you can do at home!
The Winter Solstice is always a discussion of light and dark. Mythology abounds, as do rituals of celebration and reflection.
In this episode, you will hear some of the mythology surrounding the Winter Solstice. We will explore what it means to ‘harvest the fire’ in this season; we will talk about caves, bees, fire and honey.
At the end, you will experience a longer, guided meditation that takes you through a reflection of the year and an inquiry into what is to come next in 2025. You can use this as a time to set intentions for the season or the new year.
So grab your tea, light your fire, and settle in as we welcome Winter.
In this episode, you hear:
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
Wintering by Sylvia Plath
Sounds of the natural world recorded by Nick McMahan
I hope you enjoy! This is the last episode of 2024. We will back in 2025 with all new episodes, guests and practices to share ❄️🔥
**Thank you to Nick McMahan for today’s video, nature field recordings, video and sound design, and editing; and thank you to Brianna Nielsen for production and editing support of this episode.
For Your Solstice
A Recipe & Reflection From Catnap Botanicals
From Catnap Botanicals founder (and superb yoga & meditation teacher) Michelle Bradley:
Make yourself a cup of Yule tea
- black tea for strength
-orange for love & success (also the sun - seeing)
- honey or sweetener for positivity or sweetness in life
- cinnamon for happiness & prosperity (also for fire for clearing away)
- cardamom for courage & enthusiasm
- clove for clarity and protection
if you like, add a bit of grated nutmeg for insight & understanding.
Enjoy your tea outside if you can under the blanket of Nyx, the goddess and personification of the night.
Journal Prompt: What is primordial night? We are connived in darkness, held in our mother's wombs in darkness, and yet somewhere along the line you were taught to fear the dark. Who benefits from your fear of the night? What dream or power can you uncover by gazing up at the night sky?
TBR: The Place of All Possibility
by Adina Allen
Winter is a season of deep creativity - the quiet, the dark, the unrushed time, it all innately calls us inside to reflect, to dream, to create. The intersection of meditation and creativity is a fascinating place, and one I could happily explore forever.
Adina Allen’s new book, The Place of All Possibility, offers the perfect breath of fresh, winter air for our creative practices.
“The Place of All Possibility is a paradigm-shifting work that reframes the whole of Torah as a contemporary guidebook for creativity. Drawing from the deep well of Jewish sacred texts, and the radical interpretive strategies of ancient rabbis, The Place of All Possibility provides teachings and tools for those who seek to employ creativity as a force of transformation. Putting spiritual wisdom in conversation with the contemporary disciplines of art therapy, liberation theology, and creativity research, this essential book invites us all to rediscover our place in a world of mutual thriving. Packed with practical exercises to inspire your creative practice, The Place of All Possibility is for all people—from any tradition or none who want to seed a world of imagination, abundance, and joy.”
#HighlyRecommend
2025 Meditation Teacher Training
As a meditation practitioner, you already have a deep commitment to healing and growth. Many of you also have a commitment to supporting others on their journey - perhaps as a teacher, healer, caregiver, community organizer or mental health professional. You understand the power of mindfulness, compassion, and presence. But have you ever felt called to take your practice and your ability to serve others to a deeper level? Have you wondered how to bring the profound, transformative effects of meditation into your work or personal life in a more intentional and impactful way?
This is your moment. My Awakened Heart Meditation Teacher Training is designed for you – the passionate guide, the dedicated healer, and the compassionate leader.
If you’ve ever thought, “What’s next in my journey of service?” or “How can I deepen my practice and help others do the same?” then this training was created with you in mind.
Wondering what other meditation teachers have to say about this training?
Is 2025 your year to go deeper?
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*all of the content shared in my podcasts, newsletters & meditations is written by me {Meryl Arnett}. If you catch a mistake or typo, I hope it makes you smile knowing a real person is behind every word published 💛