Happy Winter Solstice

 

Today, Thursday the 21^st, is the Winter Solstice here in the US.  For the first time ever, last night I ventured over to the Parowan Gap to catch the solstice sunset as it disappeared into the gap.  It has been unusually warm and dry here this month, and the air temperature was a balmy 54° when I got there.  I went last night instead of tonight because the sky cleared up in the afternoon, and I wanted to take advantage of that.  There is always a 5 day window for the solstices, as the movement of the sun appears to slow down and stop before moving again. So you have at least 5 days to do your ceremony!  The photo above was taken by someone else.  Note the snow on the ground!

I wasn’t quite sure about where to stand for the viewing.  This is a hilly area, and it required going up and down some steep slopes while I lined up my view and waited. 

These photos are of the sun approaching the gap.

Unfortunately, the horizon was a bit cloudy.  Here I caught the sun’s glow along the left side of the gap just before it disappeared in the haze. 

I would expect that a good photo would be had on a much colder day without any haze in the air.  Now I know where to go and can plan for next year. 

The Winter Solstice is the start of my New Year.  It is a time to look back over the past year and let go or come to completion with any events that no longer serve.  Then, there is an opportunity to create a new energetic for the coming year.  This is where a bowl burning or any other ceremony comes into play.  I will be doing my burning tonight, releasing the old and embracing the new. 

BTW—I will once again be presenting my on line workshop “Setting Your Energetic Template for 2024” on Angela Zabel’s podcast on January 2^nd.  More on that as we approach that date.  

So, Happy Solstice New Year to all of you.  May the coming year be the best ever for everyone.