Winter Solstice — Holding Light and Darkness Together
Grief, Resilience, Loving Connections: Pathways to a meaningful life. We are approaching again the grand finale on the wheel of the year: Winter Solstice, Yuletide in the Celtic calendar. It is notable among year-end celebrations, warming our hearts and brightening our days by signalling the return of the light. At the same time, and on the other hand, being the darkest day of the year, Winter Solstice invites quiet, contemplation, completion, rest… Let us treasure and honour both — the coming of light and the presence and present of the dark — in ways that suit our lives, temperaments, and circumstances.
We Are in This Together
I relish the experience that we are all in this together, that we can help each other learn, grow, grieve, celebrate — and that this sharing and connection enriches us all. My hope is that some of the insights, learnings, lessons, trials and triumphs shared in these posts may resonate with you, encourage reflection, and ripple out and out. Feel free to pass these ideas along, creating widening circles of awareness. Your comments, responses, feedback are always welcome.
Making Space for Grief
While I typically focus on the good, the positive, the uplifting, I have been reminded recently of the importance of being aware, Acknowledging and Feeling Our Deep Grief in the face of the numerous losses and tragedies in the world today, and for many of us, in our personal lives as well. So I would like to offer a triad as the theme for this post: Grief, Resilience, Loving connections.
Letting the Experience Flow
There are countless moving and inspiring books, essays, podcasts and more on each of these topics. I would like simply to suggest that you let each of these experiences sink in, flow through you, see what they bring up, and how they might apply and be relevant to you. You’ll find a brief line on each topic with a link to something that was meaningful to me. May this flow — through feeling (y)our grief, building resilience and loving connections — be a guide through this holiday season and the year to come.
• Resilience:Being able to deal well and “bounce back” from difficulties is not an inborn trait. It can be learned and developed.
• Loving connection: If we are to survive the challenging transitions, shifts, and polarizing disasters of our times, recognizing that we are all connected, all one, is vital.Love stands at the center of the human experience, intertwining with our basic need for connection. It transcends mere affection or attraction, embodying the deepest form of understanding, compassion, and mutual respect between individuals.
Arthur C. Clark, a renowned Sci Fi writer said: “I have great faith in optimism as a guiding principle, if only because it offers us the opportunity of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. So I hope we’ve learnt something from the most barbaric century in history — the 20th. I would like to see us overcome our tribal divisions and begin to think and act as if we were one family…” May it be so!
A Seasonal Wish for Peace and Renewal
I wish you a holiday season both calm and bright. May it contain peace and joy, rest and relaxation, fun and frolic, music and magic. And let us do what we can to see that the new year brings a return to the connections and kindness we value so highly, as well as some deep changes and movement toward sanity, sustainability, and decency.
With love, blessings, and gratitude for your presence,
Jill
Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth. Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Your feedback, forwards, shares, likes are most welcome.
