Shownotes
Special Edition – Holidays
2022!
Well, not all the holidays, this special episode is about
Winter Solstice. About creating blessed
endings so you can have fresh beginnings.
Winter Solstice has a special meaning in the Northern
Hemisphere. It marks the shortest day of sunlight in the year and consequently,
the longest night. All throughout Fall, we were prepping for this moment and
now, many of us find ourselves drawn to it, regardless of whether we resisted it,
were unaware of it, or welcomed this change. Maybe you’ve found yourself quieter
lately, more contemplative or introspective?
While some of you may be resisting this quiet time, not wanting to listen
in the darkness.
It is an ideal time to honor those endings that no longer
serve us and to create room for new beginnings-practices, habits, people or
goals. We must create space by saying
goodbye to something, or there will be no room for the new, and remember that what
we are focusing on now will be what we see come spring.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
· Why allowing a blessed ending is mandatory for your wellbeing
· Easy ways to create blessed endings
Winter solstice on the equator
Transcripts
Hello.
Rev Karen:Hello/
Rev Karen:/ and welcome to the holiday edition
Rev Karen:And by holiday.
Rev Karen:What I really mean is solstice, but it could be.
Rev Karen:Synonymous with happy new years as well, because.
Rev Karen:It's about the ending of one thing in the beginning of the other.
Rev Karen:Although in addition, I do want to recognize everyone celebrating Christmas
Rev Karen:and Hanukkah and Kwanza and Festivus so.
Rev Karen:Happy happy holidays to everyone.
Rev Karen:What I really want to concentrate on is the winter solstice, which is as I.
Rev Karen:Record this.
Rev Karen:Is coming up in two days.
Rev Karen:In fact.
Rev Karen:As I look around out my window outside.
Rev Karen:It's snowing.
Rev Karen:And it has been off and on for a couple of weeks, which is pretty
Rev Karen:unusual for the Seattle area.
Rev Karen:We don't usually get much snow, but we've seen.
Rev Karen:A few days of snow so far, this winter.
Rev Karen:I can see the evergreens out the window.
Rev Karen:And the Maples without any leaves.
Rev Karen:Covered in snow.
Rev Karen:And they're beautiful.
Rev Karen:It's beautiful.
Rev Karen:There is snow falling slowly.
Rev Karen:As I look outside and it feels to me.
Rev Karen:Like, this is what solstice is.
Rev Karen:This is the picture of solstice.
Rev Karen:Snow covered trees.
Rev Karen:It's peaceful.
Rev Karen:It's quiet.
Rev Karen:People tend to stay inside if they don't need to go anywhere.
Rev Karen:Spending time with.
Rev Karen:Their loved ones, their family, their pets.
Rev Karen:Or alone.
Rev Karen:Like winter solstice, it can be a time of introspection and contemplation.
Rev Karen:So winter solstice is literally the time.
Rev Karen:In the Northern hemisphere, which is the shortest day.
Rev Karen:It's the day that the sun.
Rev Karen:Is up for less hours.
Rev Karen:Of all year.
Rev Karen:Which means that the night is the longest than it is.
Rev Karen:All year.
Rev Karen:This day, and this night has long been celebrated in the Northern cultures.
Rev Karen:For example in Scandinavia, they call it you'll.
Rev Karen:And you might.
Rev Karen:Recognize that word from Christmas traditions, like put a Yule log
Rev Karen:a you a log on the fire, right?
Rev Karen:It has to do with evergreens and reads and.
Rev Karen:Exchanging of gifts.
Rev Karen:Which sounds a lot like Christmas, doesn't it.
Rev Karen:But they're celebrating new beginnings, rebirth and transformation.
Rev Karen:And as such
Rev Karen:the primary intention of all the celebration.
Rev Karen:Was to literally say goodbye to the dark and welcome into the sun.
Rev Karen:Every day now, from now.
Rev Karen:Until the summer solstice.
Rev Karen:In the Northern hemisphere.
Rev Karen:The sun will be up a little bit longer.
Rev Karen:Every day and the nights will get to be.
Rev Karen:A little bit shorter.
Rev Karen:I really love this time of year because it's naturally quiet.
Rev Karen:It's a time for introspection for me, for contemplation.
Rev Karen:For listening.
Rev Karen:Listening to my soul listening.
Rev Karen:To my divine wisdom.
Rev Karen:Listening to what God says.
Rev Karen:Or the universe.
Rev Karen:And this is exactly why some people don't like this time of year, because
Rev Karen:they don't like what they hear.
Rev Karen:They're afraid to listen to their soul.
Rev Karen:They're afraid to listen to theirself.
Rev Karen:But I find it a great opportunity for growth.
Rev Karen:All the things.
Rev Karen:That we are holding in mind right now, holding in our hearts in our thoughts.
Rev Karen:These are the things that we're going to see next spring.
Rev Karen:The seeds that we plant now , in our hearts, the bulbs that were planted
Rev Karen:last fall in the ground outside.
Rev Karen:That's what we're going to see in the spring.
Rev Karen:It looks like nothing's going on, but it is.
Rev Karen:So we need to be aware of what we're contemplating or concentrating on.
Rev Karen:We need to be aware of what we're thinking about and holding
Rev Karen:deep in our hearts right now.
Rev Karen:And as the Scandinavians did.
Rev Karen:Celebrating the darkness on the way out.
Rev Karen:It's a matter of celebrating an ending.
Rev Karen:To give.
Rev Karen:A fresh new birth.
Rev Karen:To what is arriving.
Rev Karen:So we need to learn to.
Rev Karen:Bless.
Rev Karen:Endings.
Rev Karen:Endings are often messy and troublesome.
Rev Karen:Careers and relationships sometimes don't end very well.
Rev Karen:And because we don't like change.
Rev Karen:People tend to resist endings, even looking at them.
Rev Karen:They don't even want to talk about them.
Rev Karen:, even though we look forward to something new.
Rev Karen:We don't want to have to say goodbye to something.
Rev Karen:We don't want to have to look at it critically.
Rev Karen:To see if there were any lessons learned.
Rev Karen:Or anything we need to get rid of.
Rev Karen:And what we'd need to release could be anything.
Rev Karen:It could be feelings or people habits.
Rev Karen:Goals.
Rev Karen:Because it's change.
Rev Karen:We often resist.
Rev Karen:But what if we can learn to bless what we've had, what we've experienced.
Rev Karen:And move on.
Rev Karen:And this is where our power is.
Rev Karen:To be able to say goodbye, a gracefully.
Rev Karen:So we can say hello, freshly.
Rev Karen:You know,
Rev Karen:You can't wake up in the morning, refreshed.
Rev Karen:If you don't go to sleep the night before.
Rev Karen:You can't begin a new.
Rev Karen:Without closing.
Rev Karen:The old.
Rev Karen:And what do many of us do before we go to sleep at night?
Rev Karen:Many people have a gratitude practice or a short visit.
Rev Karen:Education.
Rev Karen:Because we know that by celebrating the day.
Rev Karen:By giving.
Rev Karen:Thanks for the day.
Rev Karen:And by closing it down.
Rev Karen:We rest better.
Rev Karen:And we wake up better.
Rev Karen:It's similar if we're losing.
Rev Karen:A loved one that is transitioning or passing on.
Rev Karen:We want to be able to say goodbye.
Rev Karen:We want to tell them how much we love and how much we appreciate them.
Rev Karen:We want to be able to let them know how much they meant to us.
Rev Karen:And that we're going to miss them.
Rev Karen:Because if we don't have the opportunity for this.
Rev Karen:If we can't.
Rev Karen:Say goodbye.
Rev Karen:If we don't celebrate and put an end to the day.
Rev Karen:We have nightmares.
Rev Karen:We are restless.
Rev Karen:We are haunted by the things left unsaid.
Rev Karen:So it's important to learn how to say goodbye.
Rev Karen:Uh, graceful ending.
Rev Karen:And then once you allow that graceful ending.
Rev Karen:There's a regeneration time where it looks like nothing is happening.
Rev Karen:When you're asleep in your bed at night.
Rev Karen:To most people,
Rev Karen:it looks like there is nothing going on with you.
Rev Karen:But I think we all know that that's when our body.
Rev Karen:Is healing itself.
Rev Karen:. And regenerating.
Rev Karen:Even if you look outside.
Rev Karen:It looks like trees might be dead.
Rev Karen:Flowers might be dead.
Rev Karen:The bushes aren't doing well.
Rev Karen:But they're not.
Rev Karen:They're deepening their roots.
Rev Karen:It's time for sleep and regeneration.
Rev Karen:It's time.
Rev Karen:That we say goodbye.
Rev Karen:And we go into this period of regeneration.
Rev Karen:So that comes spring.
Rev Karen:We see everything that's been created.
Rev Karen:We see the two lips.
Rev Karen:We see the flowers starting to butt out and the leaves starting
Rev Karen:to come back to the trees.
Rev Karen:And this is the connectedness of everything.
Rev Karen:This is the rebirth process.
Rev Karen:In the Northern hemisphere.
Rev Karen:We don't always see what's going on.
Rev Karen:We just have to have faith and trust.
Rev Karen:And that when spring comes.
Rev Karen:There's fresh new beginnings.
Rev Karen:We will see what we have been so gladly anticipating.
Rev Karen:So it's time to move now from a state of contemplation.
Rev Karen:Into releasing old habits and thoughts.
Rev Karen:To intentionally focus on.
Rev Karen:What we want to flower in our lives.
Rev Karen:And I know that for many of us that are celebrating.
Rev Karen:Christmas and Hanukkah and there's activities.
Rev Karen:And there's.
Rev Karen:Performances.
Rev Karen:There's a lot going on.
Rev Karen:It's hard to find time.
Rev Karen:It's hard to find time to be contemplated and know what we need to let go.
Rev Karen:During the busy-ness of life right now.
Rev Karen:And if you're alone, if this is a blue Christmas for you, if you've lost someone.
Rev Karen:It's hard to be alone.
Rev Karen:It's hard to have this contemplation time because.
Rev Karen:These thoughts and memories come back to us and it hurts all over again.
Rev Karen:So I recognize and acknowledge that it's not always easy.
Rev Karen:And if we want to have growth tomorrow.
Rev Karen:We need to look at what we're doing today.
Rev Karen:We need to look at what we're focusing on today, because that's
Rev Karen:what we're seeing tomorrow.
Rev Karen:So I encourage you to ask yourself what needs to come to an end.
Rev Karen:Is it a habit?
Rev Karen:Is it a person?
Rev Karen:Is it a job?
Rev Karen:If you really listen to your soul, to your own divine wisdom.
Rev Karen:Ask it.
Rev Karen:What needs to be released for my fresh beginning.
Rev Karen:Probably you have big plans for 2023.
Rev Karen:I know I do.
Rev Karen:But that means I'm going to have to release something,
Rev Karen:say goodbye to something.
Rev Karen:For something new in 2023, I have to be willing to leave something behind in 2022.
Rev Karen:It might be emotional, physical, spiritual, energetic.
Rev Karen:Anything.
Rev Karen:But we don't know until we get quiet and we ask ourselves
Rev Karen:what needs to be released.
Rev Karen:There are ceremonies going on, both for solstice and the
Rev Karen:new year releasing ceremonies.
Rev Karen:That you can participate in, but you can do it by yourself as well.
Rev Karen:You can sit and get quiet.
Rev Karen:And just ask yourself.
Rev Karen:What.
Rev Karen:Do I need to release.
Rev Karen:And do it today.
Rev Karen:Don't wait another week or another month.
Rev Karen:Do it today.
Rev Karen:So you move through the holidays.
Rev Karen:. More present.
Rev Karen:If something comes up in the next two weeks, that really
Rev Karen:throws you off your game,
Rev Karen:you want to be ready for it?
Rev Karen:You want.
Rev Karen:To be grounded.
Rev Karen:And clear.
Rev Karen:And for those of you that are listening later in the year,
Rev Karen:not during the holiday season.
Rev Karen:No, that you can always do this.
Rev Karen:You can always make your own beginning, but in order to make the
Rev Karen:new beginning, We must say goodbye.
Rev Karen:When you rather feel appreciated when you leave a job.
Rev Karen:Than just having no one say anything and you slip out the back door.
Rev Karen:Doesn't it feel good to know you've made a difference.
Rev Karen:I
Rev Karen:find those things in your life that have made a difference, good or bad.
Rev Karen:Thank them.
Rev Karen:Bless them and say goodbye.
Rev Karen:And since you can do this, all the air, you can create your own
Rev Karen:beginning whenever you need to.
Rev Karen:So remember.
Rev Karen:During this time.
Rev Karen:Here in the north.
Rev Karen:Of little sun.
Rev Karen:To say goodbye to something it's mandatory for your wellbeing.
Rev Karen:It's mandatory for your rest and regeneration.
Rev Karen:And you can do this by simply asking yourself what needs to be released.
Rev Karen:If you can find a ceremony, do it, but you can create your own ceremony.
Rev Karen:You can write it down and light it on fire.
Rev Karen:You can sing it into a song.
Rev Karen:You can bury it in the backyard.
Rev Karen:And you can simply bless it.
Rev Karen:And say,
Rev Karen:Hello sun, my old friend.
Rev Karen:Let's see that new beginning.
Rev Karen:I wholeheartedly wish everyone happy holidays, no matter
Rev Karen:what you're celebrating.
Rev Karen:Wherever you are.
Rev Karen:Whatever holiday you happen to be listening to this.
Rev Karen:There's always a chance.
Rev Karen:For rebirth.
Rev Karen:Always a chance.
Rev Karen:To begin again.
Rev Karen:The sun always rises.
Rev Karen:Always sets.
Rev Karen:And we are allowed to do the same thing.
Rev Karen:If we are in our connection.
Rev Karen:With the natural world.
Rev Karen:We know that these cycles continue and continue.
Rev Karen:So happy holidays.
Rev Karen:Blessings to you.
