“Let’s soak ourselves in the medicine of replenishment.” –Chameli
As the shorter days in December wrap us in darkness, we turn with the seasonal wheel to welcome winter. This is the time of year to reconnect with the sacred. It is a time to pause and remember who you are and what you are made of. What truly matters to your hearts is visible in the darkness of winter.
The pagan celebration of the winter solstice is known as Yule, one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. Here in the northern hemisphere, we are coming closer to the winter solstice portal on December 21. It is the time in our seasonal cycle when the Sun reaches its lowest point on the horizon, and the world pauses to take a breath.
This is also the 1st Solar Gateway and the Return of the Sun, with the portal of energy amplified three days before and after December 21.
Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol for “Sun” and “sistere,” which means to stay still — a time outside-time brimming with spiritual wisdom and soulful initiation.
I celebrate solstices and equinoxes to honor the changing seasons. I make it a ritual to “pause” and replenish myself with the medicine of intention and flower essence aromatherapy. I celebrate new energy at these beautiful turning points as an opportunity to interrupt the momentum of habits and energy patterns.
In this blog, I’ll offer insights regarding the winter solstice and invite you to connect with the Sacred Feminine, the Mother of Darkness. Within this context, you may partake in a beautiful replenishing sacred bathing ritual to release stagnant energy and welcome the return of light.
The Light & Dark of Life
Winter Solstice is one of my favorite holidays. I love the magical paradox of winter solstice: it is both the longest night of the year and, simultaneously, the return of the light to the Earth.
Light and dark, night and day, share an integral synchronicity, and we cannot deny the power and importance of either. Now we have the opportunity to open to the spirit of the solstice and attune to the yin energy of renewal, regeneration, and rebirth.
The light does not simply exist where the darkness is not; instead, it exists between two darknesses: the darkness of negation and the darkness of transcendence, dimly visible as we welcome Mother Winter.
What a wonderful opportunity for us to pay attention and explore the darkness and the light held inside, to let go of what’s in the way of our becoming, healing, and transmuting what no longer serves us. It is an invitation to evolve oneself intentionally.
Tending to the Sacred Feminine
The Sacred Feminine is the vital primordial spirit of feminine energy moving through the Universe. She embodies archetypal, instinctual, intuitive, and creative power, and each woman living embodies her.
As we women are – selves-in-relation to All that is. Tending to your relationship with yourself, the world around you, and the Universe you are a part of, you’ll strengthen your connection to the Sacred Feminine’Feminine’s energies. Her support allows spiritual replenishment at the deepest level.
When we speak about the Sacred Feminine, we speak of the Goddess and her different qualities. We touch upon the different layers of her body, her being, her essence. This includes the physical, psychological, emotional, archetypal, mystical, mythical, and imaginal aspects of Her incomprehensible nature infused in each of us.
There are no rigid or final boundaries between these parts, as they are all nurtured within the whole of ourselves. You might think about a beautiful tapestry woven as a multidimensional hologram. We can enter into a relationship with her through many doors.
Mother Winter reminds us that stillness arrives when we cease activity and go within. Giving yourself the gift of peace and non-doing allows the seeds of potential to activate in the spaciousness of silence — and stillness.
Receptive to the impermanence of beginnings and endings, our visions and dreams, and our most profound memories help us to engage with the world around us. The Sacred invites us into intimacy with the one who breathes you!
“Like a scent reaching me from a garden below the garden; a pulsating abundance; a dimension of myself and of life, where we are deeply connected and nourished; where the root of who I am, of who we all are, belongs in something sacred.”
During the winter solstice, we tend to the sacred with ritual and intention, opening the door to her mystery and re-awakening a universal, holistic connection with all of life and all our relations.
Connecting intentionally with Mother Winter during this time, we can draw upon timeless energies to illuminate and restore our healthy, natural, and innocent sacred essence. We are nudged to connect to the authentic spark within to retrieve unwavering support, renew intuitive guidance, and recover instinctive wisdom.
The Spiritual Journey Begins Through Darkness
“Mother Winter, Queen of the Deep Dark, waits for us here, whispering to us in a language underneath the language, sparking visions that bubble up from unknown, yet strangely familiar territories.
A spiritual journey feels different for everyone. In our collective journey, as the days become shorter, so does Earth’s cycle around the Sun inherently withdraws its outward energy.
In the dark, we all intuitively yearn to enter one’s sacred space of inner stillness and connect with Source. Without a doubt, finding pockets of silence benefits all aspects of oneself in a loud and distracting world.
The winter solstice portal calls us to rest, reflect, rejuvenate, and imagine. It is an opportunity to breathe fully and deeply, lean into the spaciousness of your interior world, and be.
“Resting in Her emptiness we can receive, replenishment, support, breath, love. She opens all our eyes so we can see through the veils of our dusty assumptions and remember wonder, roots, and magic.”
Because darkness is more than the absence of light, awareness depends on light, and light depends on darkness. The winter Solistice is an invitation to slow down and look inwards. It is where our bodies rest in the fermenting dark soil of transformation.
“In the darkness, our senses sharpen, illuminating for us the space in between. Here where the dance of shadows, the soundless sounds, we take advantage of Her embrace in the magical fertility of rest.”
During the winter solstice, you have an opportunity to connect to the fertile soil of your intuitive instinctual nature—plant intentional seeds to nurture new life, new ideas, and new inspiration into your life.
Drawing inward in its gestation phase, the spiritual movement from one season to the next, winter solstice invites us to observe the inner luminous light. Attuning to this spark, we may feel vulnerable, humble, and awe-inspiring as we close out this seasonal cycle and welcome the instinctive feminine principle that flows within us.
Stillness — A Sparkling Opportunity
Through the whirlwind of activity, we can forget how the body is the temple of our sacred self. Distractions come in all forms during this season. For women, finishing last-minute shopping, caring for others, entertaining work colleagues, or attending Holiday parties often precludes taking time to care for ourselves.
Taking time to connect with ourselves from a quieter place within, to look and listen with soft receptivity, we discover a vibrant inner world full of resources that guide us through life’s journey. In moments of quiet solitude, we can genuinely connect with our brilliant soul light, higher self, intuition, wisdom, and authentic knowing. We know this space, it’s familiar, but it is also unknowable.
Cultivating stillness, our ability to see, hear and discern becomes knowable only because the inner spark of light illuminates the way between the worlds. In the dark, still silence, we open our minds and hearts to our intuition and notice what calls our attention for healing, release, and transformation.
In fact, we use our inner intuitive light to see into the darkness to explore what is ready to transform. In silence, we surrender to listen deeply to the quiet soul whisperings that call to us from beyond the mind. When we listen to the soul’s wisdom, we listen impartially, without judgment, and with receptive openness.
Indeed, the present-moment recognition humbles us, melts our hearts, and strengthens our capacity to live authentically. By establishing present-moment awareness in silence, we become inspired to unleash our soul’s gifts to fulfill our destiny through our one precious life.
Water Wellness is Sacred
Any part of daily life can become a ritual or ceremony. Tending to the mind, body, and spirit is a deliberate daily practice–from greeting your day, caring for your body (or a loved one’s), witnessing your thoughts, intentionally learning from your ancestors, and settling into deep restorative sleep.
By prioritizing simple ritual practices with at least one relaxing activity every day, you’ll cultivate healthy habits that sustain your most profound happiness. This month, make a simple plan for 30 minutes each day to soak yourself in the healing waters of replenishment.
The Winter Solstice Bath Ritual
The Winter Solstice Bath Ritual is a mindful way to clean and renew our energies through the healing powers of Sea of Life Bath Salts, aromatherapy, and vibrational healing.
I can think of no better way to prepare for the cold days ahead than with a relaxing, aromatherapeutic bath in candlelight. To “be” in silent stillness, in water, is one of the ways I love to retreat into myself, indulge my senses, and breathe.
“In the darkness, I relish the silence and the warmth of the water. I am in the mother’s womb, wrapped in Her body’s healing essence, the medicine of replenishment.”
I invite you to enter the healing water of renewal in ritual space. Don’t just fill the tub and hop in, letting your mind race for 30 minutes. Allow the ritual act of bathing to rinse away and release what no longer serves you. Allow yourself to be renewed in the medicine of replenishment.
This bathing ritual is best done before bed and after the kids are down, and you won’t be won’t be disturbed. This is your sacred “me time.” Take as long as you like and enjoy the sensuality of warm water.
Set your Intention
An intention is an act of setting a purpose or desire to manifest a specific outcome. When we create space for our intentions, they are more powerful. When we write them down, we bring power to our intentions.
Use this bath ritual as a time to hone in on the details of your desires. Perhaps you intend for your body to be vital, healthy, and strong. Whatever the intention, prepare to meditate on that thought as you soak.
Gather your Ritual Bath Tools
- Prepare your bathroom for sacred work. I prefer to do this ritual at night. I use candles and a Salt Lamp to light my bathroom. This provides ample light and sets the right ambiance.
- I recommend the healing gift of silence. Please refrain from background music.
- Hope Spray.
- Ritual Essences of Purification or Awakening.
- Sea of Life Bath Salts.
- Fleur Natural Linen Bath Mitt.
- Use any Fleur Body Oils, including Shanti Serenity Oil, Praśānta Calming Oil, or Amore Love Oil.
Fleur Bath Ritual Steps
- Light candles and place them on the counter nearby.
- As you light your candle say aloud: “I light “his candle in honor of the Sacred Feminine. Mother of Winter Darkness, embrace me in your nurturing water.”
- Turn off any electric lights.
- Fill your tub with warm water.
- ADD1 pouch of Sea of Life or 50/50 Sea Salts.
- Say some words in gratitude along with your hopeful intention as you mist Hope Spray into this space.
- ADD 6 drops of Awakening or Purification Ritual Essence to your bath water.
- Say: “With the “e drops, I receive the blessing of healing water.”
- ADD 2 pumps of Shanti Serenity Oil, Praśānta Calming Oil, or Amore Love Oil to your bath water.
- Say: “I honor my body, mind, and spirit with the sacred scent of healing.”
- As you sink into the warm water, imagine yourself being purified, cleansed, and replenished from your feet to your head.
- Allow yourself to relax in the water and imagine all you have experienced this year – positive and unpleasant.
- Envision the old and unnecessary thoughts and feelings being washed away by the energy of your ritual bath.
- Honor your shadow self and offer your fears to the Mother of Darkness. Let Her give you the courage to rebirth them into something new and positive.
- Allow any remnants of self-doubt, playing small, shame, worthiness, etc., to be continually dissolved.
- As you soak, ask yourself, “Are there patterns or processes I need to change?” Some answers may come up that can help you manifest your intentions, so be open to hearing and accepting them.
- Use your Fleur Bath Mitt to gently wash your body, dissolving the build-up of dead skin and symbolically washing away what no longer serves your intention.
- Move into “no mind” and focus on the sensation of warmth surrounding your body.
- As your bath comes to a close, reflect and review.
- Contemplate and gather medicine from the triumphs and challenges of the year that has passed, and offer dream seeds from your heart into the emerging dawn of the year to come.
- Visualize a pure sparkling radiant white light filling you from the inside out.
- Bask in the expansive, vibrant beauty of your inner spirit and the light that shines.
- Feeling cleansed, replenished, and renewed, step out of the bath.
- Envision the energy you cleansed flowing down the drain.
- Massage your body with any Fleur Body Oil to lock in your skin’s moisture.
- Look into the mirror to see your glowing radiance, and smile!
Be Open to Realignment
Winter solstice shifts are meant to evolve us. Undeniably, transitions can be hard, which is why it’s wise to harness celestial changes for help in realignment. It’s easy to stay complacent in our ways and live in our minds. Approaching these shifts with intention and ritual, we offer the advantage of a partnership with ourselves and the sacred energies of manifestation.
Take a moment to journal what you have discovered in your ritual bath. Resolve how you will approach the following day(s) between now, Yule, and welcoming the New Year.
How will you empower your sacred essence each day?
What will you do differently?
Who are you becoming?
What is the world asking from you?
Welcome the Return of Light
The return of light is mirrored in the nature of life all around us.
“Like the seed that blooms into a flower, the seeds buried in the darkness of your solstice bath ritual begin to emerge once again through you with the life-giving rays of the Sun.”
Emergence from the darkness into the light is a tender and incremental journey meant to replenish the soul as much as the body. To be connected to your soul source as you embody yourself as the Sacred Feminine, you may experience
- A sense that time slows down.
- You are fully connected to the wisdom of your beautiful heart.
- You are healing through self-forgiveness and acceptance.
- You trust living with the natural cycles of life, from the seasons, the moon cycles, and times of the day.
- You live in flow with a sense of being more connected (to self and source), yet disconnected from drama and story.
- Your ability to step back and see patterns in your life is heightened.
- You are more connected, empathic, and loving without getting drained.
- You are connected to your higher self and your infinite truth.
- You are living your life with integrity and authenticity.
- You are comfortable in your skin and not looking for outside validation or approval.
- You maintain a high vibration and set an example, encouraging others around you to do so too.
- You are happy!
- You approach each day with childlike wonder and look for the clues of the Sacred Feminine flowing in your life.
What else do you notice? I’d love to hear about your personal experience.
May the Sacred Feminine’s presence be illuminated in the aromatic traditions and rituals, old and new, tied together by the invisible thread of love that weaves and unites our lives.
Make your alchemical wellness self-care routines a daily ritual. Our flower essence aromatherapy solstice bath ritual can assist you through the darkness as you turn inward to create space, embrace stillness, open the heart and mind, and soak yourself in the medicine of self-nurturing replenishment.
All my aromatic love,
Vidya
