Every year we are given the opportunity to take charge of our lives, make new choices, transition out of old habits, and put into motion our intentions for the year ahead. Winter Solstice, Christmass & New Year’s Eve all happen within a short period of each other in probably one of the most powerful transition points seasonally & energetically, as we close out our year and begin a new one. The winter solstice, celebrated and revered in ancient cultures is a sacred day and also a powerful transition point between seasons that astronomically marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.
The winter solstice holds deep symbolism within it, with parallels that are seen across many of the worlds ancient cultures & civilizations. When I think of winter solstice, I am flooded with images, I am reminded of the mysteries of stone henge, I imagine Druid ancestors gathering in the forest to sing songs around the fire , I imagine indigenous tribes doing their ceremonies, I imagine Incan or mayan medicine people doing corn dances, I think of egyptian priest & priestesses anointing initiates, aligning them with their intentions for the year to come. All of these ancient cultures had similarities in that they operated in the understanding that our fundamental experience of reality was one that is spiritual in nature. The foundational wisdom & spirituality of these cultures were harnessed through esoteric practices, ceremonies and teachings focused on bringing one closer to a fully awakened state, towards enlightenment or ascension. These pathways, teachings and practices may vary but the overlaps are profound to witness and the fact that a fully awakened state was the goal and focus of these ancient cultures reveals some of the contrasts and distortions of our modern cultural narrative. Imagine a whole culture and value system dedicated to spiritual advancement, imagine how that dictates the choices of everyone participating in that society and how the system is set up for people.
I have always had an intrinsic fascination in where these esoteric teachings shared parallels culturally. With each discovery of a new parallel it proved itself to be more valid in my rational mind; I was so passionately intrigued that cultures thousands upon thousands of miles apart in different areas of the world had a different name for the same thing!
The winter solstice is one of such overlaps, one of those markers that was so deeply honored, celebrated and revered across the board from ancient civilizations to smaller shamanic & indigenous cultures that there must be something there to explore. New Year’s eve and christmass being within days of this significant event is not a coincidence. One of the most fascinating synchronicities is the parallel of “the birth of the sun” and the birth of Yeshua aka Jesus; which might even draw up further questions around the placement of christmass at this time of year; as no one really knows the actual day that Yeshua was born. Most of our consumer holidays or organized religious holidays were intentionally placed on the calendar to replace a previously existing, deeper pegan or shamanic ritual point of the year.
Most of us grew up not knowing this and innocently participated in the more modern rituals surrounding the holidays, knowing not of the deep esoteric foundation behind most of them. I share all of this not to make our modern holidays wrong, rather to reinvigorate the power that is available to us to at this time that we can learn about from these wisdom cultures. With so much of this vast ancient wisdom washed away in our modern society, surrounded by intense consumerism during holidays, the shamanic origins of christmass hidden within its many symbols of the holiday (a whole other discussion), we see streets lit, bombarded with pressures to buy things and there is a buzzing energy, as bells ring and Cocoa Cola created Santa Clauses yell Ho’ho’ho… Even now, despite all that, there is still so much beauty and as sense of magic around this time of year. That magic is available to us if we so choose. Collective consciousness is powerful and we are affected by whatever “grid” or “collective agreements” we adhere to; whatever culture we participate in we draw sets of values from. And though there is beauty to gathering with family, sharing love through gifts, food and celebration, I personally enjoy & have found great meaning & purpose in the deeper esoteric mysteries that these seasonal transition points offer us. Whatever your path is; there is ancient, scientific magic to draw from, that across the board invite us deeper into our spiritual path at this time of year; that invite us to start a new.
I’ve always enjoyed and utilized the power of “resolutions” and have empowered myself through ritual around these transition times as a way to stay on track with my long term visions, goals and soul desires. Equinoxes and Solstices carry a unique code of primordial energy, somewhere deep in our DNA there is remembrance that our ancestors worked with these cycles of time way before the creation of corporatized, religious or colonized holidays. Before our modern era began to slowly disconnect humanity from its shamanic origins, tribal roots and the natural cycles of the seasons in which the wisdom of these ancient cultures were in synch with; we as earth people found sources of power and ritual at these key junctures in time.
The spiritual & energetic significance of the winter solstice is multi-layered, but the most direct relevance is that it symbolizes the birth of the sun. The story of the birth of a divine child is not isolated to christianity alone, on the contrary it has been shared by belief systems of Egypt (birth of Horus) Persia (Mirthras) and the Druids (Son of Alban Artham). The commonalities behind all of these high beings is that they grew up to represent, embody and disseminate very high teachings to the world. Each one of these avataric beings were directly associated with the SUN. The sun representing the absolute love of the creator, the source of higher knowledge and of providing for life itself, of Illumination and the cessation of suffering. The birth of these higher beings at this time of the solstice was symbolic of the birth of the spiritual sun within, that we are NOT separate from the creator, as we have been conditioned to believe that we are less than divine beings. This is imbued in the gnostic teachings of Jesus “You can perform greater miracles than even I”, “I and the father are one”…. Pointing to the “christ” energy that lives in all beings. The LIGHT of the SUN. These stories point towards a foundational knowledge that the winter solstice brings the energy of “being born a new”; just like a child is the most vulnerable at birth so is the sun at it’s “weakest” during the winter solstice, laying a foundation for the year to come building strength toward the summer solstice.
We have the opportunity at this time of year to tend to the deepest aspects of our inner nature, to turn inward, away form the myriad of distractions, of over stimulation, of yearning, of longing, of loss and create ritual space to nurture the birthing of our own spiritual sun within. To realign our choices to the greatest of intentions for what is to come. These ancient technologies are an incredible resource for personal gnosis (direct knowing or revelation) and of reclaiming our inherent divinity, out of the conditioning we have received from a modern consumer culture that thrives on the exploitation of nature, the very thing we come from.
May we utilize this time of year for the greatest benefit of all beings, starting with tending to our own inner light, our inherent divinity and the divine child that lives within.
Join Us for a Special Global Solstice Ceremony
You’re invited to join Alokananda for a Free Live Stream Solstice Ceremony, Meditation and Activation Streamed on the Meditation Masters FB page : https://www.facebook.com/events/374863062861860/
In this ceremony we will be closing out 2016 in a clear way, finding resolution with the challenges the year brought us and enter into a powerful activation for co-creating and manifesting in 2017. Through invocation, ritual and other sacred tools we will co-create sacred space to clear out residues and powerfully align with one of the most powerful years ahead of us.
The focus of this blessing is to come to deeper peace & completion with the past.
The focus of this activation is greater self-empowerment, service, self love and co-creation with the year ahead.
About Alokananda
Alokananda is a highly gifted & attuned multi-dimensional healer, earth wisdom advocate & mentor with over a decade of experience. He is a lineage holder in multiple sacred traditions and has apprenticed under some of the worlds most renowned master healers, teachers, wisdom keepers and elders of our time. Learn more about Alokananda : http://alokananda.com/
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