Winter Solstice Cleansing and Blessing
We’ve been gliding into the season like graceful swans, slowly approaching Winter Solstice, preparing festivities and coming to the very end of yet another year. Wow! And 2018 has been quite the intense year! Many of us often forget to celebrate Winter Solstice as we are less connected to Mother Earth and more focused on city life. Winter Solstice, literally translated from Latin, means “sun stands still.” The sacred monument known as Stonehenge is exactly aligned to the sunset of Winter Solstice, the place where so many celebrations and rites were once held, and still ongoing today. The Solstice has been celebrated by Scandinavians, Germans, Irish, Scotts, Romans, Iranians, Japanese, Chinese and Native Americans. It is the shortest day of the year and the longest night, and only 10 days away. The metaphor of this dark, long night is often referred to as the day of “death (of the old) and rebirth” (of the new) – turning us towards more Sunlight and new horizons.
We’ve looked at the spirit of giving in mindful ways, revealed the enchanting Icelandic tradition of book exchange, and offered 5 fabulous authors in the Middle Eastern region to wet your palate this season. There is one fundamental process to experience as we move closer to the celebration of Winter Solstice: going inwards and cleansing oneself of the past and blessing the New Year that approaches us. We’ve put together some very simple, worthy processes to help you cleanse and heal in preparation to welcome the blessings of the New Year with a clean canvas and a new healed you! How fabulous is that?
Judgment Detox
Most of us believe that we’re not judgmental, that it’s actually other people that are busy making harsh assumptions about others. The real truth of the matter is that most of us are guilty of judging others and ourselves on a daily basis. Judgment runs rampant in our society where social status dictates our beliefs, and racial and religious divisions seem to grow stronger by the day. It’s rather refreshing to stop and consider what we truly believe and digest on a regular basis, don’t you think? That’s where ‘judgment detox’ comes into play. This method, outlined by a well-known author and teacher, Gabby Bernstein, sheds some light on judgment in order to heal us from toxic thoughts. She states, “Unconsciously we believe that if we put our pain onto someone else, we won’t have to feel it.” Most of us don’t even consider that our judgment has something to do with an aspect of ourselves, but if we dig deeper, we’ll find some void within ourselves.
“I cannot overstate this: Judgment is the number one reason we feel blocked, sad, and alone. Our popular culture and media place enormous value on social status, looks, racial and religious separation, and material wealth. We are made to feel less than, separate, and not good enough so we use judgment to insulate ourselves from the pain of feeling inadequate, insecure, or unworthy. It’s easier to make fun of, write off, or judge someone for a perceived weakness of theirs than it is to examine our own sense of lack.’
Watch this quick Judgment Detox video and follow this link for a free download to begin your Judgment Detox journey.
The Four Agreements
Author Don Miguel Ruiz’s Four Agreements are very simple, yet have the ability to break through any old beliefs, limiting thoughts or negative thinking patterns. The agreements are based on the ancient Toltec wisdom from Mexico and, if followed, they can radically change your life – bringing greater freedom, happiness and love into your existence.
In the words of Dr. John A. Johnson (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cui-bono/201012/agreeing-the-four-agreements), the “key to freedom is to become aware of our irrational and limiting thoughts so that we can replace them with healthy thoughts. In short, this book could be a primer for cognitive-behavioral therapy.” And if we all have healthier thoughts and became mindful before we speak and act, we would all be more joyful, healthy, and maintain a positive outlook on life. We can walk peacefully into a new year with a clear conscious and celebrate those we love in better ways too!
Watch this short inspiring video:
Ho’oponopono
Around this time of year, most of us gather together to eat, sing carols, pray for peace, and ask for forgiveness in order to start a new year with more clarity, love,, and hope for brighter days. There is a very magical prayer that is called ‘Ho’oponopono’ developed by a Hawaiian therapist. The wild thing about this prayer is that Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len managed to cure an entire ward classified as the “criminally insane” without every laying eyes on one of them. This is really not a joke; it is a true story and well worth your attention because it works! Repeating only these four phrases and miracles just might happen in your life:
In the words of one writer, “The secret is there is no such thing as “out there” – everything happens to you in your mind. Everything you see, everything you hear, every person you meet, you experience in your mind. You only think it’s “out there” and you think that absolves you of responsibility. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: you are responsible for everything you think, and everything that comes to your attention. If you watch the news, everything you hear on the news is your responsibility. That sounds harsh, but it means that you are also able to clear it, clean it, and through forgiveness change it.”
When you simply observe the four phrases, you realize that repentance, forgiveness, gratitude and love are the only magical forces at work – but these forces have an amazing power to transform us. Let’s cleanse our minds and hearts to rebirth the best version of ourselves.
Here’s a short video to work with:
That’s all, folks. We hope that this inspires and encourages you to devote some time to any of these practices as we approach the Winter Solstice. We also want to wish all of you, from The Wellness Project, a merry festive season that brings more love, peace and forgiveness in your hearts. Let’s let go of the past and start anew. Many blessings to all of you!
References:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/72659/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-winter-solstice
https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/winter-solstice
https://www.spiritedwellbeing.com/lessons-from-judgment-detox/
https://www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/hooponopono-4-simple-steps/
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