At the darkest point of the year, something ancient stirs. The light returns, slowly, quietly, not with fireworks, but with a promise.
The Winter Solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day. A hinge in time. An invitation into stillness. While the world speeds up, end-of-year deadlines, festive frenzy, New Year pressure, nature does the opposite. She pauses. She sleeps. She prepares.
This is the point in the story where the heroine chooses to keep going, even when she can't see the path.
What is the Winter Solstice?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice typically falls between 21st and 22nd December. In 2025, it lands on December 21st. From this day forward, the light begins to slowly return. It's a subtle shift, almost imperceptible, but symbolically powerful.
On the Wheel of the Year, the Winter Solstice is Yule, the rebirth of the sun. In ancient traditions, it was celebrated with firelight, storytelling, and rituals of hope. The Crone gives way to the Child. The darkest night births the first spark of light.
But it’s not a sprint into daylight. This season is the sacred in-between. The liminal. The womb of what's next.
What does the Winter Solstice symbolise?
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Darkness: Not something to fear, but to honour. The fertile void. The space before becoming.
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Rebirth: A quiet rising. The sun returns, not loud, but steady. A seed in the soil.
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Initiation: The moment between endings and beginnings. Where we’re asked to sit with what is, before we rush into what’s next.
What are the archetypes of the Solstice?
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The Crone: Keeper of wisdom, death, endings, truth.
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The Midwife: Holder of thresholds, births, becoming.
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The Flamekeeper: One who guards the light in the dark.
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The Shadow: Not the villain, but the teacher.
How to Honour the Winter Solstice:
This isn’t about productivity or perfection. It’s about presence. Here are a few ways to honour this threshold:
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Create a Solstice Ritual: Light a candle in the darkness. Sit in silence. Ask: what is being reborn in me?
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Burn a Fear: Write down what you're ready to release. Burn it safely. Watch the smoke carry it.
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Keep Vigil: Stay awake through the longest night, or rise early to greet the returning sun.
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Gather in the Dark: Host a firelit dinner. Share stories. Honour what the year taught you.
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Tend to the Inner Flame: Rest. Nourish. Reconnect to your own source.
Journal Prompts:
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What part of me is ready to die?
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What truth has the darkness revealed to me?
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What light am I here to protect and grow?
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How can I honour this season without rushing to the next?
Final Thoughts:
The Solstice doesn’t demand big moves. It whispers. It waits. It wants us to remember that rest is part of the cycle, that light is never truly lost, and that beginnings are born from stillness.
This is the deep pause. The sacred dark. The spark before the flame.
However you mark this turning point, may it be a return, not just of the sun, but of yourself.
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