Sacred Pause

It is the Winter Solstice today. It is the longest night of the year tonight, and tomorrow the day light will start getting longer. It is also almost new moon making our sky particularly dark. It is a perfect time to pause.

On the days that marks the change of seasons on our calendar, different traditions have different rituals to acknowledge the passage of time. Since we’ve had our house in the mountains, we often participate in ceremonies facilitated by local tribe elders or shamans. These ceremonies often involve acknowledging whatever happened in the recent time, letting go of what needs to be let go of, and making space for something new and something that helps us better to come in.

We seem to always say to each other around this time of the year how quickly the year went. Indeed, the time is going by so fast that it wasn’t just this year, but all the years that I have lived so far have gone by very quickly. That’s all the reason why it’s important to pause and reflect on how this particular year has gone and reset our mind for the next year.

As I ask myself what can I let go, there is actually a lot of material things that I would like to release. No matter my intention and desire to live as simple as I could, “things” seem to accumulate. I love the feeling of purging items that have been cluttering my rooms. I can’t expect myself to do it perfectly, but I do plan on working on decluttering in these couple of weeks before the new year.

Also I would like to let go of the beliefs that lead to certain habits or behavioral patterns that are unwholesome. What would help my body to feel more healthy and vibrant? What would help me feel more emotionally spacious and loving? I would like to let go of whatever that hinders me from experiencing a deeper sense of myself. Yes, a deeper sense of who I am. Thus the sacred pause so I can get in touch with the Source, the Higher Power, the Spirit…