Winter Solstice

Welcoming the Darkness – ND #14

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Sunset 21 December 21 – Photo: L. Weikel

Welcoming the Darkness

Sunset tonight was so starkly vivid and raw with color, it was as if the atmosphere itself had lit a celebratory bonfire welcoming the darkness.

Certainly the temperature plunged to a seasonal degree. I’m glad it did; it felt weird to be walking barefoot on the grass a few days ago. But the frozen ground really is unyielding. The puppies didn’t know what to make of it and seemed confused by how much it hurt when tearing across the tundra after their stuffed toy.

Perspective – Photo: L. Weikel

Survival Mode

Practically every single person I’ve spoken to in the past week mentioned how bone-tired they’re feeling. Some have even termed their outlook to be ‘in survival mode.’

And we thought we were exhausted last year? Ha! If nothing else, hopefully we’ve learned the folly of challenging ‘worse.’

As we welcome and embrace the winter season, let’s commit to finding a way to truly rest our weary bones and rejuvenate our spirits. We probably shouldn’t naively believe that everything’s suddenly going to turn around over the next few weeks. But we can prepare ourselves to meet those days with refreshed perspective.

What activity (even if  – perhaps especially if – it is a non-activity) can we bring into our holiday season to honor our inner weariness? How do we replenish our inner wellspring of hope?

I’m feeling a yearning to read, to laugh and play games, to snuggle and be with the people I love most in the whole world. Maybe even to write a few words.

If we’re finding ourselves in survival mode – let’s make a point of surviving well.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T+14)

Solstice Is Upon Us – ND #13

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Solstice Eve Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Solstice Is Upon Us

Late this afternoon, I managed to capture a glimpse of the sun just before it descended below the horizon. Yet another raptor darted from the bushes to my left – a falcon this time – crossing my path and weaving effortlessly amongst the saplings and grapevines. Hawks had accompanied me the entire length of my extended walk; I’d seen at least four, not counting this smaller, dark brown falcon. “The Solstice is upon us!” the falcon cried. “Time to fluff our feathers and hunker down. You need to get home,” it added.

And so the longest night of the year began with a messenger swooping before my eyes. This must have been Spirit’s last ditch effort to gain my attention, since a Red-tailed Hawk had literally executed a combination swoop/jump from tree branch to tree branch in front of me, spanning a quarter of a mile, its massive wings cupped forward, beckoning me to follow.

No photos of those quick hops from branch to branch. The best I could do was snag one of it facing the setting sun, turning its back to me, facing the wild unknown most bravely.

Hawk Facing West – Photo: L. Weikel

Pensive

I’m feeling decidedly pensive this evening. I was keenly aware of the impending darkness this evening, especially the fact that tonight the darkness would last the greatest amount of time. Our fire is burning gently, reminding us of just how cold it became tonight – all of a sudden, too. I know I’d looked at the Weather Channel app several times over the past 24 hours and not once did I see the call for such frigid temperatures as those we awakened to this morning.

The cold only drives us deeper within.

Contemplating the dreams we wish to manifest over the next three months is our focus at the moment. What changes are we seeking? What messages will we be delivering? What is the coming year going to teach us about ourselves? How can we best honor the our heart’s desire?

So many questions. Such freezing temperatures driving us inside, making sure we hunker down.

Tomorrow we’ll awaken and the days will begin lengthening ever so slowly.

Enjoy the night. Revel in the silence. Or is that the call of a Great Horned Owl I hear?

(T+13)

2020 Solstice – Day 770

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Saturn & Jupiter two nights ago – Photo: L.Weikel

2020 Solstice

I’m writing this on the eve of the final 2020 solstice, but it’ll likely be read on the day itself. Thus, in keeping with the significance of this celestial event, I invite you to sit with me for a moment and embrace the darkness.

This is the day in the Northern Hemisphere when we have the fewest minutes of actual daylight. With the sun rising at 7:20 a.m. and setting at 4:37 p.m. ET, we will have a total of 8 hours and 17 minutes of ‘sunshine’ today: Monday, December 21st, 2020 (at the latitude where I live, anyway).

Yet for many of us, our skies may be enveloped by cloud cover. Sadly, this will obscure our view of the Grand Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter tomorrow evening, which happens only once every 20 years, but has not happened in this particular part of the sky for 200 years. And not to put too fine a point on it, but this conjunction hasn’t taken place in an Air sign in 800 years. (We’ve been collectively experiencing this conjunction in Earth signs over the past 200 years.)

Meanings and Mythologies

There are reams being written lately about the configuration of the planets and the meanings or significance we might ascribe to those positions. I urge you to employ a healthy dose of discernment with respect to anything you read or hear. Use your brain and your heart. Find that middle ground where intellectual curiosity and intuitive resonance meet and create a spark of knowing within. This podcast by Rick Levine explaining the significance of the Grand Conjunction is fascinating, far less ‘sensationalized’ than what many people are claiming, and explains a lot.

As far as how the solstice and Grand Conjunction might impact us astrologically (according to our personal sun and rising (ascendant) signs), Chani gives a quick analysis that’s thought provoking and fascinatingly applicable.

Darkest Before the Dawn

This time of year can be equated to that moment in our daily 24 hour cycle when the sun has been gone from us for the longest sustained period. It’s akin to that moment in time that immediately precedes the dawn – that darkest of moments when the night grows coldest and our ancestors had to hold on to the belief that the sky would soon begin to lighten ever so perceptibly on the horizon.

Literally and metaphorically, that’s where we are now. Times are dark. As stated above, we will only enjoy a total of 8 hours and 17 minutes during which the sun will be above the horizon (here at 40.4 degrees latitude). If the weather is overcast, which is likely, the day may feel even shorter; possibly more dismal. And depending upon the circumstances that unfold as the day progresses, potentially teetering toward hopeless.

Create the Spark

The precise moment of the solstice will occur at 5:02 a.m. ET. So perhaps you early birds can sit a moment in conscious awareness of that precise moment of stillness. In that moment, if you are awake, you might consider lighting a candle, or a hearth fire, and celebrate together with our sisters and brothers across the globe (in the Northern Hemisphere) the return of the light.

But first, before lighting that candle, it feels important to sit with and fully appreciate the darkness, even if only for a minute or two. It’s when we sit in the darkest of darkness that the light of a match or a candle, the spark of insight, wisdom, or compassion, can be most fully and deeply appreciated. And when we share that light with others, the possibilities suddenly seem limitless and, somehow, attainable.

Let’s share our light with each other. Embrace the darkness that’s overtaken us, see it for what it is and has been, and the consciously and affirmatively call in the light. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and the cloud cover may part, allowing us to catch a glimpse of that long awaited Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

(T-341)

Closer and closer – Day 768

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Saturn & Jupiter 12/18/2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Closer and Closer

If you haven’t taken a walk at sunset lately, I implore you to do so soon. Like tomorrow. And Sunday. Better yet, walk at sunset on Monday to celebrate the Winter Solstice and behold the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the western sky. As I’ve been documenting with photos and the occasional post, these two planets are inching closer and closer to each other, culminating on the same day as winter officially begins here in the Northern Hemisphere.

One thing I’ve come to realize from writing this 1111 Devotion is that I’m an astronomy nerd. I never realized just how much I cherish my ability to look up. I’ve also discovered how much joy it gives me to share the awe I feel whenever we have the chance to witness the many mysteries that surround and visit us here on Earth.

I also realize that when I want to deliberately refrain from writing about the comings and goings and doings and undoings of our fellow human beings, it helps for me to focus on the stars and the planets and the luminaries.

Tomorrow Night

Perhaps tomorrow night I’ll write a little more about the significance of the practically simultaneous occurrence of the Winter Solstice and the so-called Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. I suspect you’ve noticed that occurrences here on Earth have rather reliably been tracking the influences the movement of the largest (and furthest away from us) planets in our solar system, specifically Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

These planets are much more slow moving and have a distinctively different ‘flavor’ of impact upon us humans than the more rapidly moving planets. The movements of those outer planets is definitely more profound.

In the meantime, look up, my friends. Appreciate the wonder that surrounds us and unfolds in amazing ways, right above our heads, every single day.

 

Jupiter and Saturn getting very cozy – 12/18/2020; Photo: L. Weikel

(T-343)

Eyes on the Sky – Day 757

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Saturn (left) and Jupiter (7 Dec 2020) – Photo: L. Weikel

Eyes On the Sky

As many of you may know, eight hours after the precise moment of the Winter Solstice this year, on December 21st, 2020, we’ll have the opportunity to witness a pretty cool astronomical (and astrological) phenomenon: the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. But since these planets move so slowly, we won’t need to train our eyes on the sky at the precise moment of 1:20 p.m. ET. In fact, we won’t be able to see them then anyway. But we will be able to see them (weather permitting) just after dusk. And they should be quite a cool sighting.

Technically these two massive planets meet up with each other in a phenomenon known as a Grand Conjunction or a Great Conjunction (lining up in space from our perspective on Earth) every twenty years or so. But this year what we observe will be especially dramatic because the planets will be separated by only 0.1 degree. The last time these two met each other in the sky this closely was in 1623, but that took place so close to the sun that our ancestors may not have noticed. Indeed, it’s thought that the last time these two planets achieved this close of a conjunction that we could see from Earth was in 1226. Think of it! And the next time they’ll be almost as close will be in 2080 – a mere blip on the cosmic calendar to Jupiter and Saturn. But for us?

What About the Moon?

Luckily for us, the grand conjunction on December 21, 2020 will be taking place at a primo location in the sky for all of us to be able to witness the phenomenon. We’ll actually be able to see what appears to be a single, much brighter ‘star’ in the southwestern sky (if we’re in the Northern Hemisphere), which is actually just the two snuggling up very close to each other. There is conjecture that such a very close or tight conjunction of these two planets may have been the Christmas Star of Bethlehem.

Making this event extra special is the fact that it will be occurring at a time and place in the sky where the planets’ light won’t be drowned out by either the sun or the moon. Beyond the degree of closeness the planets achieve to each other, the presence (or absence) of the luminaries in the sky also determine how dramatic a conjunction appears to us – or if we can see it at all.

Yet another gift of 2020 (this time ‘for reals’ – an actual gift!), only a few days before Jupiter and Saturn technically conjunct, a waxing fingernail crescent of the moon will appear just below the two planets. We’ll be able to observe the three of them conversing in the southwestern sky just after sunset on the evenings of December 16th and 17th.

Perspective

While Karl and I were walking this evening, I managed to get a decent photo of Saturn and Jupiter, which I included at the top of this post. (It’s actually much more obvious and clear when observing with our naked eyes.) I’ll try to provide a few more shots of them over the course of the next two weeks as Jupiter really starts picking up speed, documenting their positions in the sky as they approach this grand conjunction.

Just to make things interesting, I’m including a photo (above) that I included with a post I wrote back in July, when I first started noticing and paying attention to their flirtations with each other. As you may recall, astrologically, we’ve been reaping the effects of Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto all hanging out together in Capricorn since January of 2020 (heralding the arrival of Covid-19, among other things).

Tonight I’m focusing upon the astronomical aspect of the conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter. I’ll save a discussion of the astrological implications for another evening.

In the meantime, I can’t recommend highly enough the invigorating exhilaration you’ll feel by bundling up and taking a just-past-sunset stroll over the next several evenings. Watching the planets approach each other and realizing that it will be another 60 years before anyone gets to witness what we are now is just…cool.

It’s the little things in life. Or maybe it’s the cosmic things. Either way, I love sharing them with Karl and with all of you.

Sunset – 7 Dec 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-354)

Cool Numbers – Day 707

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
T & M’s Exquisite Dahlias – Photo: L. Weikel

Cool Numbers

I wasn’t initially intending upon writing about the cool numbers associated with this blog post, but they caught my eye as I saved the first draft. I can’t remember if I thought about these same numbers when I was ‘only’ on my 404th post, with 707 left to write.

Apparently not. I just checked, and the post I wrote on that day was all about the Winter Solstice (2019) and my participation in the I AM Solstice Symposium the next day.

As I recall, the Solstice last year was a day filled with intensity and drama. It was unpleasant and tough to witness, even if vicariously, for I cared very much for the safety and well-being of those involved. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a few weeks later that it had all been an elaborate ruse, a ‘hoax,’ if you will, apparently strung out over months – if not years.

This has me hopscotching to the upcoming Winter Solstice, nine weeks from tomorrow (technically ‘today,’ when this is read). There is a major astrological aspect that’s going to occur on that day, December 21st, and while I can’t remember what it is at the moment, I know it is significant.

I’ll check on it and get back to you with details.

In the Meantime

In the meantime, let’s face it. December 21st is nine long weeks away. Yes, in some ways it is but a stone’s throw from now. But good grief, I do believe we are all weary, wary, and wise enough to realize that an unbelievable amount of change – for good or for ill, or perhaps both? – can occur in that period of time.

Indeed, I do want to call upon all of you to please, no matter where you live – in the United States or elsewhere in the world – please take good care of yourselves. Social distance. Wear a mask whenever you’re out and about. Only go out and about as infrequently as possible. Zealously wash your hands.

We hear these admonitions all the time, but my spidey-senses are pricking my ears and I’m feeling a sense of urgency that we double and triple our personal and collective vigilance.

Maybe it’s the 707/404 combo that’s bringing home to me the 1111 of it all.

Stay safe, my friends. And drink in the cosmic color and energetic vibration of these exquisite dahlias when you need a boost.

Friends Sharing the Sweetness – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-404)

Winter Solstice – Day 404

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
First Lights – Photo: L. Weikel

Winter Solstice    

When you read this post it will be December 21st, 2019, the shortest day of the year. Hence, it is also the longest night.

I don’t know about you (although I can guess), but is sure has felt like a long, dark night all week.

I’m ready for the light to begin filtering back into our lives.

Speaking of Which

Of course, speaking of darkness, it seems only appropriate that I mention probably one of my favorite things about this time of year: the lights; especially the lights on our Christmas tree.

I adore sitting in our living room, all the regular lights turned out, the tv off, and just the candles in the windows and the tree lights illuminating the darkness. A couple of evenings over the next two weeks or so – perhaps even tomorrow night (who knows?) – I’d love to spend the entire evening reading, the fire burning in the fireplace, the lights twinkling, and the darkness remaining at bay outside.

In the Meantime

I want to remind you that the I AM Solstice Symposium is taking place tomorrow (Saturday, December 21st, 2019). Tune in! There’s a great lineup of inspiring speakers who will be sharing all sorts of insight, wisdom, strategies, lore, and opportunities for connection.

I’ll be speaking live at 5:30 p.m. (EST). With the theme of this year’s I AM Symposium being Navigating Turbulent Winds, I thought it might be helpful to discuss some strategies I’ve learned over the years on how to “Batten Down the Hatches.”

It’ll be dark outside (around here anyway) by the time I start speaking. So light a candle, bask in the glow of the holidays, and invite the lights of peace, hope, and optimism (and maybe a little mirth thrown in, too) to enter all our lives. Snuggle up on your couch and join me for a fireside chat.

Wishing you a Joyful Solstice. Give birth to the light within your Self.

Photo from Deborah Hinton’s post on The Wyrding Way

(T-707)