The Winter Solstice is the shortest day, the darkest day, a time to gather around the fires which warm us during these welcoming days of growth. A time when those species who burrow into the earth give birth, nurture their young, and wait patiently until the earth begins to warm once again, to emerge with a welcoming of the longer days of light and a chance to give this 'new life' a strong start into the world.

Most Northern Hemisphere cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals other celebrations around this time.

Our Ancestors have handed down traditions to each generation following generation, and this is a time to honor and explore these traditions that have made us who we are today. Take time to honor the Ancestors, create your own rituals and celebrations to pass along to the next generations as your living legacy, honoring this wonderful season of our lives.

This Solstice will happen each year but this particular Solstice will only happen once in our lifetime, so make it memorable for you and your familial tribe. Dance, sing, drum and rattle the beauty of this season and this Solstice as the special time of year it is. This is a time to make the Ancestors proud of us for recognizing the importance of the teachings they have handed down thru the generations.

The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous months.

Starvation was common in winter between January and April, also known as "the famine months". In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began.

Today the chance of starvation during this period is less likely for us in the Northern Hemisphere. But not so for our Ancestors who struggled through these times and prayed for the coming of the Sun as it returned to Mother Earth in the following months.

So we turn to the Winter Solstice with welcome arms, a perfect opportunity to go deep within and re-learn and re-new ourselves. A chance to bury those seeds from harvest in our spiritual larder, to give birth to our higher self when the sun returns closer to the earth as we approach the Spring Equinox.

Let us Celebrate this Winter Solstice in a very special way in honor of Mother Earth, the Ancestors, and most importantly Ourselves.