Winter Solstice, 21 December 2010,  is the festival of the “rebirth of the light”. This year on the 21 December Winter Solstice we see two other astronomical conjunctures: Full Lunar Eclipse and Full Moon!  Rebirth that is accompanied by a state of heightened awareness and connection with our emotions.

Winter Solstice is celebrated in many cultures as an important date as the Sun reaches its minimum in the Northern Emisphere and it’s the shortest day ( in terms of daylight ) of the year. As we get to solar minimum  we approach an important transition that is the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one. It’s a time of stopping and restarting.

It is quite important that we can synchronize ourselves with such big events as they affect us not only externally  but also internally. Both our internal clock ( regulated by Melatonin , produced in the pineal Gland, third eye) and the “Happiness Hormon” Serotonin are strictly correlated to amount of daylight that we are exposed to .

The end of the year  is a time of let go and renewal. This is an amazing occasion ( and deadline!) to do your yearly written Sankalpa ( intentions) for 2011. Take your time to recollect your ideas, thoughts and feelings about the past year, feel gratitude for all the experiences and relationships that this year has brought you. Write down what you are grateful for and cultivate this feeling ” bhava” inside you. Then come back to stillness as nature does.   After this moment of stillness  is time to shift your energy and restart: write down on another page your “Swa Dharma for 2011”, a plan for your personal development for the next year. It should include a section of self development and one of  projects. This way you honour the closure of an important cycle , a year, and inaugurate the one that is just about to start.

Keep your written intentions for 2011 in a special place ( like a box or a pouch on your altar if you have one ). They serve you as a steering wheel and compass to navigate into the new year!

Namaste’

Alessandra