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Winter Solstice

TRANSFORMING

WinterMoon

DECEMBER 2023 -

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GIVING THANKS

JMoon

DECEMBER 2022 -

Here we are on the threshold of the Winter Solstice, coming closer to the end of the year that has been. Before moving on, it can be good to stand still for a while, and remember.

Remember what this year has brought you. What you have learned and received. Decisions you made and choices that became clear. Teachings from the Spirits or Nature that have changed your life. What do you want to put down now and what you want to take with you?

Stay for a while and listen. Listen to …

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THE DARK & THE LIGHT

AsbMoon

WINTER SOLSTICE 2021

This year, the Full Moon and Winter Solstice come very close to each other. In the darkest night, there is also light. How do we allow Dark and Light to dance together in us, and in our lives? So often Light is used to mean “good” and dark to mean “bad” but in Nature this is not true at all. Light is simply light, and dark is dark. They both have great and important qualities, and both are needed to keep the balance of Life. There are many nocturnal animals that depend on d…

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LISTEN TO THE SILENCE

foxinsnow

WINTER 2012 -

Here in Scandinavia it is the darkest time of the year, the days when the Sun begins travelling North again – Midwinter, a time of celebration! Asking my Teachers how to celebrate this Solstice, they answered not only my question but also deepened my understanding of how to live. They told me that this is the time to remember those who have gone on before me, not only my blood-line ancestors, but all those who have made my life possible today, from the smallest organism to the gre…

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THE EDGE OF DARKNESS

edgeofdarkness

MIDWINTER 2014 -

Years ago on a workshop in Finland, a friend asked me, “What do you do when you get tired?” “I drink a cup of coffee,” I answered. He smiled. “That’s one possibility,” he said. So I asked him, “What do you do?” He smiled again. “I take a nap.” For me it was a very deep teaching that I often reflect on, especially at this time of year.

In these days before the Winter Solstice, we are at the edge of darkness. And what do we do when it’s dark? We turn on the lights. Well, that’s …

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HARVESTING THE YEAR

solsticesun

WINTER 2015 -

The Winter Solstice is one of the great turning points of the year, and celebrates both the deepest dark and the coming of the light. Solstices and Equinoxes are thresholds - invitations to stop for a moment, to consider what has been, where we are, what is to come. When we pause during these changing times it can lessen feelings of being lost, out of step, or racing too fast. It helps to connect us to what is, right now, and to the power of the season.

The Winter Solstice is an …

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THE GIFT OF TIME

midwinter18

WINTER SOLSTICE 2018 -

Often in everyday life we find ourselves under pressure or caught up in a rush, trying to reach a destination, achieve a result, or find an answer. Both time and space are entities many people feel they do not have enough of - but Time is an elastic magical creature and we can work shamanically with it. Consciously deciding to make more space and take more time are strong intentions and essential tools of a spiritual practice. We can slow down and come into ourselves, we…

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DREAMING THE WORLD ANEW

solsticelight

WINTER SOLSTICE 2020 -

In Scandinavia, we are arriving in the dark time. The time of going within, resting and dreaming. Of finding deep knowledge and guidance for the time to come, opening to new possibilities that are beginning to grow.

The gifts of Winter are many. It can be easy to look past them, wishing for brighter warmth, but this is the time now. As always with shamanic work, it is easier to work with Power than against it, and so it is with the Seasons. Every season is alive. Every s…

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ÅRSGANG - en MidVinter Ceremoni

Solhjulgsmall

MIDVINTER 2020 - af ANNETTE HØST

VinterSolhverv-Jul-Nytår er som én sammenhængende ceremoniel tid i nordisk tradition. Og gennem århundrederne har Vinter-højtidens rituelle ydre form selvsagt ændret sig, – ja  selv datoerne har flyttet sig.  Og i de vintre, hvor Corona har lukket meget indendørs fællesskab ned, bliver der igen kaldt på ændring og nytænkning: Måske kan du ikke holde juleaften på den måde du plejer, i en kreds af dine nærmeste, i familien? Måske er du for første gang nødt til at …

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SOLHVERVS HØJTID – Magisk Tid

midwinter18

DECEMBER 2018 - af ANNETTE HØST

VinterSolhverv, den korteste dag, med overgangen til et nyt Solår – og hele tiden derefter med Jul og Nytår – er Naturens egen, vidunderlige overgangs ceremoni, som åbner for mange muligheder for os.

Som i alle overgangsriter træder vi først ud af det gamle. Dernæst ind i en magisk tærskeltid mellem verdener, liminal fasen kaldes den, hvor vi står afklædte så at sige – åbne og modtagelige for ny vision, for åndernes belæring. Og således styrkede og velsignede ka…

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