Night Light

 A Winter Solstice Poem

© 2022 by Joyce Mason

We are light:

universal energy

flickering Godstuff

illuminating the Path to Love.

Ink sky reflects light:
the cusp of winter
the Darkest Night.

Against this backdrop
light pops: the irony of contrasts,
the Yin and Yang of Life.

“You are the Light,”
said Jesus and other wise men.
Once we grasp this, we are Magi.

All the winter celebrations
full of candles, strung with lights:
love spelled out in carols, votives, menorahs,
the Christmas Star and in the Light of Laughter.

When the circuit connects
at the socket of the heart
joined flames have the power to heal
even at the speed of light.

~~~

Photo Credit: © Gorshkov13 | Dreamstime.com

The Longest Winter

 

 

Poem © 2020 by Joyce Mason

 

We avoided winter like the plague

until a plague gave us a winter so long;

there was no escaping it.

 

We cannot dodge, deny or wish away

the All-Year Winter of 2020.

We cannot avoid the present.

 

The effects that go from zero to death,

the bodies in makeshift morgues,

the devastating symptoms that linger for some.

We can no longer in good conscience escape orders to stay home,

to bask in enough quiet to hear ourselves think,

or to mask whatever smiles we have left.

We live in a prison of care for ourselves and others

with no promise of release short of

a one-year sentence.

Some of us are in solitary.

 

But do we really want a jail break?

To turn down the present,

the gift of an adventure in inner space?

This year, so winter-like, casts its shadow

over the other seasons magnifying all of winter’s qualities,

quadrupled in time to prepare us for what’s next

as our whole world falls apart for reconstruction.

 

Winter prepares us for the energy burst we need

to go from dormant seed to wildflowers

from death and dying to resurrection.

We overlook this season’s benefits for our manic need

to keep moving, duck the least bit of discomfort,

to look away from the ice and snow artwork or

turn a deaf ear to the sanctity of silence.

 

It is time to revel in winter as the Dark before the Light,

the Silent Night of the Soul,

the archetypal step before we save ourselves

and truly create Peace on Earth.

 

In this year of the longest winter,

Jupiter and Saturn conjoin to form a Star of Bethlehem.

History repeats.

Prepare your soul ground.

Your masks, quarantine and centering at home and hearth

are cleansing you, making way for a new epidemic of love.

~~~

Photo Credit:  © Maren Winter| Dreamstime.com

 

 

 

Incubation

A Winter Solstice Poem

© 2019 by Joyce Mason

I have felt you

Deep in the dark

Seeds gather energy in tiny spaces,

Incognito ‘til spring

The pressure intensifying bit by bit

Bursting like fireworks through soil
at the Vernal Equinox.

But you’d never know ‘til then.

The action is invisible above ground.

We are babes in the womb this time of year.

Our winter seeds are review and renewal,

Rest and letting go--

Quiet “just being.”

Seedlings are whole-y,

Inching their way in the dark

To completion.

We need full gestation at its own pace

To have all our fingers, toes and wits about us.

If we don’t incubate bread, it’s half-baked.

If we don’t incubate spiritual renewal

We are simply in the dark, parts of ourselves undeveloped,

Not prepared for the Natural New Year as Pisces turns Aries.

Hug the dark and wear winter like a warm coat.

Protect your growth

and your soul’s full flower.

You’re worth the wait.

~~~

Photo Credit: © VeronV | Dreamstime.com

Prelude to Winter

Poem © 2018 by Joyce Mason

I have felt you in my bones

shivering in darkness

the lights-off trial run

after turning back the clocks.

You warn in a stage whisper,

Do not turn your back on me.

Don’t hide from the black tunnel.

It is the rebirth canal.

And so we draw ourselves in

working up our courage and energy

to put a toe in the bleak chute.

There we must live on the faint sound of carols,

on memories of flickering candles.

Faith is our sustenance,

our light at the end of the tunnel,

the spring that always follows winter

like clockwork

regardless of daylight savings time.

~~~

Photo Credit: Wallpapers app

Living Astrology: How to Prepare for Winter Solstice

Article © 2016 by Joyce Mason

The Winter Solstice is a sacred times of year—one where we’re meant to let go of outer concerns to contemplate our candlelit inner life—candlelit because it’s a season of waning light as we mourn the loss of sunshine and live in more darkness and the slowdown of nature. Our bodies become a church or temple in the soft light of meditation and from taking time to “just be.”

From a metaphysical perspective, it’s the time for rest, reassessment and simply being in harmony with all of nature as it hibernates or replenishes in the darker months of the year. Yet how many of us actually do this?

The earth-based religions are the most avid observers of the solstices and equinoxes, the Cardinal Crossings that mark the changes of season. Many of us no longer live on beat with nature, yet our zodiac is derived from these shifts. The truest way to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes is to spend more time in nature attuned to the Turning of the Wheel of Time—and to mark them in some ceremonial or reverent way.

In astrology we often quote the great Hermes Trismegistus, “As above, so below.” Yet many astrologers and astrology students stay focused on the sky and abstract symbolism of these changes, rather than digging their toes into the earth and feeling with all our senses the meaning of these turning points. We’re good at “as above” but not so hot on some of the more literal parts of “so below.”

Be Prepared: The Cardinal Rule to Access the Blessings of Winter Solstice

Long-time readers know that I’m wired for planning in my own astrology chart. Planning isn’t as easy for some people as it is for others, but to get the most out of winter solstice, advance planning is mandatory. The spirit of winter calls us inward on or about December 21 each year while the outer world is a nearly a maniacal vacuum, sucking us into frenzies of holiday activities and preparation. How do we rectify these opposing forces?

This year, we have a double pull inward as Mercury goes Retrograde on December 19. Hopefully, this will increase magnetism toward winter’s true purpose of introspection and hibernation--or at least as much deep rest as we human mammals will allow ourselves.

In practical terms, this means getting most of your running around, parties and marathon baking done by December 18. This post in early December may seem like not much warning, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you can front load the very active part of your season for the first three weeks of December, you’ll have the valuable, intangible gifts of winter under your tree. You’ll be in harmony with life on earth.

Ways to Meet Winter

As a Group. Indigenous people have taught us that these changes deserve ritual. As I’ve shared many times, I created a circle of like-minded women in 1988 with another friend to celebrate these key passages. Now in our 28^th year, the Solsisters continue to thrive on a patchwork quilt of multicultural spiritual ideas, sewn together with the thread of relevance to today’s spirit-minded people and their concerns. We find ourselves traveling the spiritual spectrum from the earliest days of Sun worship to gleaning the gold from today’s religions or sacred practices—and anything in-between. We have no barriers except that the prayers, ideas and tools resonate to us now.

For more on how we do this and to create ceremonies of your own, see the post Fully Seasoned: Astrology and Ritual and round it out with Silver Solstice. Is this your year to catalyze a life-changing practice to live astrology out loud?

Another idea: Create a group on Facebook or wherever your Astro- and metaphysically minded friends hang out. Talk about the season and its symbolism. Share prayers, poems and ideas for a virtual solstice celebration through the solstice itself.

The best Winter Solstice celebrations wax into and out of the Cardinal Crossing itself and involve both individual and group activities.

By yourself. Introverts will be happy to know that you can do the same thing, as we used to say when I was growing up, with “me, myself and I.” Since winter solstice heralds a season of going inward, it’s easier for those who already do that on a regular basis. Yet even the most gregarious Aquarius needs to take this Journey Within as autumn turns winter. Here are some ideas on honoring winter solstice on your own:

• Every day, take at least a 10 minute walk, regardless of weather. (OK, you can skip a day during a blizzard or monsoon.) Appreciate the smells, the beauty and the uniqueness of how nature is expressing itself now. Realize you are a part of it, and contemplate how you change during this seasonal shift. If possible, walk to or in the most natural setting you can find—harder for urbanites, but even New York has Central Park. Do it through December so that you can feel the changes in nature and energy from Sagittarius to Capricorn, autumn to winter.

• Collect some Yule prayers or poems and start each day with one of them from now until the Solstice.

• Set aside time for meditation daily, even if it’s only 10-15 minutes—or even one minute. I participated in an experiment with the Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment years ago,where we measured the results of these minute meditations. They were surprisingly centering, relaxing and uplifting. For an example of an amazing one-minute meditation to help heal the USA from all its divisiveness, see Wise USA’s Liberty Bell Minute Meditation.

• Read about the Yule/Winter Solstice and increase your knowledge of this amazing time of year. Recommendation: The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas by Matthews, John (October 1, 2003) Paperback by John Matthews, a lushly illustrated history of Yule, Christmas and other holidays surrounding the winter season. Try a simple internet search on winter solstice for starters.

• Read poems about winter and waning light. What do you learn?

• Wish people a Happy Yule or Solstice, and be prepared to answer questions from those who don’t get it—and embrace the joy of discovering kindred spirits among those who do.

Ditch Extremism

Let’s not get ridiculous about it. Since many people celebrate Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanzaa and other holidays during this time of year, don’t figure on chanting Om in your meditation corner while the rest of the family revels. There’s no need to give up any of your own traditions, just add on. Dip in and out of the usual activity, and from honoring the winter in ways we have explored, you’ll find your interactions to be more meaningful. You’ll pop insights for further exploration during your winter downtime. You’ll be eager to get to the peace of falling snow from your front window or from the window of your soul.

My journey with the Solsisters started with Winter Solstice, so my entire ceremonial alter ego, where I become a “groovy urban goddess” several times a year, revolves and evolves around this turning point. Over time, you’re likely to merge with each shift of season, find its highest good and expression. Best of all, you’ll feel part of something much bigger—the universe and our star, Earth. Or to share my favorite affirmation I learned from Spring Forest Qigong:

"I am in the universe. The universe is in me. The universe and I are one." —Chunyi Lin

~~~

Photo Credit:  © Charles Henry – Fotolia.com

Radical Reposts: Winter Holidays Extravaganza

From poems to quotes, from articles to jokes: Winter on The Radical Virgo has always spanned the ridiculous to the sublime, the holy to the ho-ho-ho.

The Winter Solstice prayers, poems and meditations have already been posted. Onto the other categories with warmest wishes for a holiday season filled with laughter, wisdom and love.

Articles

“Happy Holidays,” Another Kind of Peace Sign (12-Dec-11)

Happy Holidays is not so much a matter of being politically correct or externally polite. It is greeting that acknowledges of all beliefs. An essay on including everyone, with a reminder of the pain that can be caused by ignoring what others hold dear when it’s different from your perspective.

The Gift of Uncertainty: Presents of the Uranus-Pluto Square (23-Dec-12)

I saw my friends and I allowing ourselves to be in I would call “positive vulnerability.” It’s a kind of openness that’s not an invitation to victimhood but rather the bedrock of honesty. Nothing but another person’s truth can enter the space once this “truth of your being” is expressed. It’s an environment that catalyzes deep change, because it goes to the heart of your issues and how your own heart will deal with them. There’s an energy around it that is post-traumatic, the part where the pain or strain is “venting” off your body and spirit like a mist, leaving behind only a pure and empty vessel of new creation. This place is sacred. 

The Winter Signs: A Quiet Contemplation of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces (30-Dec-12)

Whether you’re in introvert or extrovert has a lot to do with how you manage winter. The zodiacal process expressed from Capricorn through Pisces represents, going from most dark to the cusp of increasing light—from slowdown to preparing to “spring” into new activity. Here are some thoughts on how this works.

What Is Your Instrument of Peace? (7-Dec-14)

I thought we could go around the zodiac and look at the various “instruments of peace” that might be played by the 12 archetypes of the zodiac—one for each of the 12 Days of Christmas, if you like. (The universe does love the number 12.) This, of course, involves seeing each sign in its highest potential.  And, of course, read with your combo of astrological influences in mind, not just your Sun sign.

Humor

Gifts for Every Chiron Sign (9-Dec-10)

Let’s face it. The holiday season can bring up old wounds like nobody’s business, especially when you combine high stress with relatives. Here’s my suggestion. Shop their Chiron signs!

Carols and Tinsel Time Tunes ‘Round the Zodiac (01-Dec-13)

Every holiday carol is likely to be loved by some signs more than others. I asked my alter ego, Auntie Joyce, to scratch her head and share her ideas and acerbic wit on which holiday tunes go with which singers in the zodiac. Here’s a taste of her which-craft!

The Twelve Days of Solstice—and Other Cracked Carols (10-Dec-13)

Years ago, I worked in a place where we did outrageous holiday entertainment at our parties. One of the traditions I started was to create Kinky Carols, where we twisted the verses of traditional holiday tunes to suit our whims. This is an example, hot off the presses, just in time for this ChrismaSolstiHanuzkaa.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Winter Gifts on the Cusp of Christmas (24-Dec-09)

Links to the two main ceremonies I do with my Solsisters every Winter Solstice, the Ceremony of Recognition and Burning t he Old. You can do these individually or in a group. A great tradition!

Silver Solstice: 25 Year of Celebrating Life’s Turning-Points (21-Dec-13)

My Solsisters group is a quarter century old! I consider the practice of doing rituals at the Cardinal turning points—many add the cross-quarters —to be the most practical and experiential astrology we can practice.

New Year’s

New Year’s Quotes for the Signs (28-Dec-09)

Aries ~ New Year's Day is every man's birthday. ~Charles Lamb …

Zodi-Yuks: New Year’s Resolutions from Aries to Pisces (26-Dec-10)

Gemini: I’m good at writing. Doorbell. Hi, Max! Oh, I have to TiVo my four programs that are on at the same time. What am I supposed to do again? My phone is ringing.

Cusp: A New Year’s Eve Poem (30-Dec-14)

Winding down:

quiet as snow falling

Calendar switching

hushed as a church

before midnight

Darkness

awaits

dawn …

 

Quotes

Holiday Quotes for the Signs - 2011 (6-Dec-11)

VIRGO: One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.  Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

~~~

Photo Credit: © Michele Paccione – Fotolia.com