Light Up Your Winter Solstice

Beautiful Lights in Scotland

I have just returned from visiting Edinburgh, Scotland as part of an ancestral pilgrimage I have wanted to make for as long as I can remember. (I still have the rest of Scotland to see, but this was definitely a start). My parents went to Scotland for the first time when I was 8 years old, and I loved the pictures and stories they brought back. As we were able to trace our lineage back to the Davidson clan, my parents brought back a skirt for me and a kilt for my brother in our tartan and took our Christmas pictures in them that year. Both parents ended up returning to Scotland a few times over the years. In this newsletter, I talk a bit about Edinburgh at this time of year, a little souvenir cold I brought back, upcoming celestial occurrences and my favorite way to celebrate winter solstice!

Edinburgh is one beautiful city and with the Christmas Markets already started up, the entire place was glowing with lights and buzzing with holiday spirit making it hard to be in anything but a joyful mood. Although we experienced two sunny days on our trip over, this time of year is usually rainy, cold and a bit dreary there and the juxtaposition between that weather and the beautiful lights and festive spirit really tells you the importance of celebrating even in the darkest times of the year. The menus in all the restaurants were also sporting featured holiday dishes from Christmas themed beverages and butternut squash soup to elaborate roasts and delectable deserts - my new favorite desert being sticky toffee pudding! Holiday tunes played everywhere you went and the holiday market included an outdoor beer garden style beverage tent and there was even outdoor (covered) ice skating. The whole atmosphere was contagious and truly brought back my love of the season which had definitely waned over the last two years from being filled with loss and grief. This was an empowering reminder that letting in the light & making room for joy can help brighten the darkness in all of us.🕯

Winter solstice or Yule occurs on December 21st at 10:37p (EST) in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun reaches zero degrees of Capricorn. This is the day with the shortest daylight and longest night of the year. This time of year includes many celebrations across the world. Hanukkah, Christmas, and Yule are just a few that share lighting candles, bonfires, a yule log and/or placing lights on trees included in them.

I honor Winter Solstice itself as a separate celebration from the other holidays. I crave deep connection to what is occurring in nature and her encouragement to prepare to 'winter in' for the next few months is a key part of maintaining positive mental health for me during these darker months. There are many ways that you can begin a solstice celebration, and it doesn't have to be complicated. Simply lighting a candle and taking a moment to reflect can be enough. As for myself, my perfect solstice celebration includes turning all of the artificial lights off in the house and using candlelight and the fire from the fireplace for light instead. I prepare a hearty stew to enjoy by the fire and afterwards, try to take a warm mug of wassail or tea and enjoy a walk outside beneath the stars. This evening of allowing myself to viscerally experience the darkness on a more intimate level helps me to adjust, embrace and welcome in winter more fully.