Our first step onto this
path begins with the winter solstice and why we chose this day to launch our
blog.
Why are we launching on the
winter solstice?
Chantel’s Thoughts
Today is the winter solstice,
and the longest night of the year (in Earth's Northern hemisphere); it is the
beginning of winter, and a turning point in which, starting tomorrow, daylight
and the sun's energy will begin to increase. One reason to launch
"Engaging Inner Wisdom" on the winter solstice is because it is a
metaphor for our journey inward, and reflects the journey I hope this blog will
take you on.
Like earth traveling around the
sun, you too are traveling, and like earth you have seasons - seasons of your
life that are punctuated by meaningful events and "turning points" in
which you experience various emotions, needs and desires. One such need is that
of going inward to gain insight, and illuminate core aspects of yourself. The
winter solstice echoes this need; darkness and winter are a time for staying
indoors (inside), contemplating and preparing, so that when the thaw comes we
are ready to "spring" into action and participate fully. Some people
think of the winter solstice as "sacred night", because it symbolizes
a time when we go into darkness intent on discovery and inquiry, with the idea
of emerging with a greater understanding of who we are and how we might move
forward.
In launching this blog on the
longest night of the year we pay homage to our inner stillness, our "inner
night", our inner depths and quiet spaces. Night is shrouded in darkness,
cloaked in silence - it is within our own silent darkness that we create space
to listen and observe unencumbered by the frenetic chaos that surrounds us - we
rest in our silence, and begin to notice our own inner stirrings and desires -
our knowing. Blanketed in this stillness we can begin to touch places within
ourselves that are often buried in the cacophony of daily life and its endless
busy-ness. We rest, and in so doing, we settle. Just as winter snow gently
falls and settles on the landscape covering it in a warming layer of quietude,
so too will our contemplative time spent listening, cover us in a greater sense
of peace and well-being.
If we are willing to slow down,
to go inside, to rest in our inner space - we will hear the vibrant, pulsating,
meaningful voice that speaks so clearly and vociferously when we dare to let
it.
I hope you will join us on our journey with "Engaging Inner
Wisdom", and that in so doing you will be inspired to listen more intently
to your own personal wisdom.
Karen’s Thoughts
For us (in the northern
hemisphere), the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. But, what does it mean? The shortest day? When I was a kid, all it meant to me was
that it got dark very early. We
couldn’t play outside as long as we did in summer. Only as I grew older (and, I like to think, wiser) did the
nuances of this day become clear.
Yes, it is the shortest day, but the next day is slightly longer and the
next slightly longer than that. In
short, the winter solstice signals the return of light, a kind of beginning.
What better way to begin to
engage our inner wisdom than by celebrating the beginning of the return of
light? While we sit in the long
darkness of this day, we can look inward and contemplate our inner wisdom. We can embrace our own processes and
initiate or build on them as light provides us the opportunity to do so.
In Iceland, where darkness
rules the winter months, they used to spend those dark hours telling stories,
stories of their families and the kings and queens of Norway and Denmark, but
also of their great pagan gods.
This was their wisdom and how they engaged it – poetry and storytelling. Not only have we gained many of those
stories, but they have led to others like The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, even
Harry Potter. By engaging their
inner wisdom, the Icelandic skalds (poets) told incredible stories that led to
a literary culture, which still inspires others.
We can empower ourselves and
others in the same way. On this
shortest day of the year, we harken back to those practices, realizing the
creative wealth and sense of community they provided, and we breathe. As daylight increases, we feel more
hopeful and energized, ready to unleash our creativity and follow our true
path. For, with light comes
optimism; we can see things more clearly, bring our plans to life, and carry
within them the thread of inner wisdom that we embraced through inward
contemplation in the darkness whose end is at hand.
I hope you will join us on
this journey as we explore what inner wisdom is and how to engage it.
Practice Engaging Your
Inner Wisdom
Start a journal that captures
your personal wisdom for future
reference. Take five to ten minutes to "free write" about your
connection with your inner voice; have there been times when you have not
listened, and should have? Have there been times when listening made all the
difference? How does this inform you?
