Celebrate the Power of Regeneration
Congratulations! If you are reading this you have survived the season of “shop ‘til you drop”. You waded through all of the special deals on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers offer steep discounts on products for their customers to increase their sales, in search of that perfect gift or perhaps something special for yourself. Maybe you waited in line beginning at midnight on Thanksgiving and joined the horde of excited shoppers lined up to be the first on their block to score that flat screen TV or GI Joe with the kung fu grip at a price you can brag about.
And if waiting in line at the shopping mall for the doors to open is not your thing, there was always Cyber Monday, the second-biggest shopping day and the biggest online shopping day of the year. You can execute your shopping search and destroy mission without leaving the comfort of your couch. This year, Cyber Monday and Black Friday seemed to morph into Cyber Week or even Cyber Month to enable the slow afoot to catch up before real holiday shopping kicked in.
But between all this shopapalooza and the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, it is easy to overlook the Winter Solstice which occurs on December 21st. It marks the astronomical moment when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn and we have our shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of daylight. Regardless of what the weather is doing outside your window, the solstice marks the official start of winter.
However, throughout history, societies across the world have held festivals and ceremonies marking the winter solstice, the day of the “sun’s rebirth.” Most often, winter solstice celebrations honored the symbolism of fire and light, along with life, death, the rising sun, and the moon. Indigenous people continue to mark the solstice with storytelling and ceremony.
The winter solstice offers us a reminder to honor our connection to the natural world. It is a time of rebirth and an opportunity to celebrate the change in seasons without the distractions of the commercialization of the modern holiday season. Instead, take some time to focus on the power of the sun to regenerate and renew and honor yourself with your favorite personal rituals and self-care. You deserve it.
Happy Holidays!
Dave and the First Crop Team
