The Winter Solstice for 2022 happens on Wednesday, December 21! This is the astronomical first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day of the year. After a Winter Solstice, we start to get back our sunlight, little by little, until we make it to the summer solstice.
Winter Solstice 2022 – December 21!
The term solstice is derived from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand, so solstices are days when the sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The Winter Solstice, also known as the pagan festival of Yule, marks the mid-point of winter and brings the promise of new beginnings as we move out of the darkness and into increasingly lighter, warmer days. It signals the return of light after the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, as from this day forward a new cycle begins of increasing daylight as the sun begins its journey Northward, each day becoming a little bit lighter.
Winter Solstice 2022 and New Beginnings!
This Winter Solstice seems to disobey the laws of nature but it is true. After that day, although the sun shines longer and longer on the Northern Hemisphere, it does not get gradually warmer. This is because seas release a very large amount of heat when the earth’s temperature drops, and the ocean accounts for 70% of the Earth’s surface. This causes the earth to receive solar energy from the Sun – which is much less than the lost energy of the seas, so the weather in the Northern Hemisphere is getting colder and colder.
The Winter Solstice 2022 can Affect Us!
How does a Winter Solstice affect people? You may feel lethargic and generally exhausted because your exposure to sunlight is limited during the Winter Solstice. It can also affect your sleep pattern. You can cope with this feeling through a Vitamin D supplement or using an electronic light box to augment your lack of exposure to sunlight. Boost your Serotonin levels. Because the sun sets earlier and the amount of sunshine is limited, there will be a drop in your Serotonin levels. It can make you feel a bit melancholy and moody. Self-care is important every day of the year, and more so when winter arrives.
Outside Activities During the Winter Solstice!
You can give your Serotonin levels a boost through yoga, leisurely walks, meditation and deep breathing. Take a walk in nature and be mindful of the dormant state of the land. Contemplate what needs to transform in your life as you commune with the natural world around you. Look for omens in the animals, the trees and the clouds. Doing any or all of these activities can improve your general well-being and your mood. You may get bad headaches due to the changes in the weather during the Winter Solstice. Prevent tension headaches by taking warm baths. You can boost your mood and soothe your headache by adding essential oils that will keep you calm to your bath, such as chamomile, lavender, rose or jasmine.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice 2022 with Light!
Since this time of year is associated with light — celebrate with string lights, sparklers and candles. Join in the Jewish tradition of the Festival of Lights, with 8 days of ritual illumination or participate in a community bonfire and burn your own Yule log, a tradition with roots in Northern European pre-Christian times. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany. The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony.
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Create a Yule Log Centerpiece for your Table!
Create some beauty for your Christmas table with this Yule Log centerpiece. Using a log and evergreens and other natural elements you can make a wonderful focal point for you and your holiday guests to enjoy. – Find a log from outside and cut it to a nice size if necessary. – Brush the dirt from the log and place it on a foil-lined sheet in a 200-degree oven for 1 hour. – Drill holes on the top of the log for candles then melt some of the bottom of each candle into the hole to hold the candle in place. – Stick cloves into Clementines or oranges. – Hot glue greenery, pine cones, and the Clementines around the candles. – Place the yule log on a tray or piece of wood with some additional greenery around the edge to keep the log from rolling.
Decorate Your Home with Nature During the Winter Solstice!
Get Creative in making homemade natural decorations and gifts. Deck the halls with real holly this year and bring Nature into your home using seasonal foliage, dried oranges, cinnamon, pine cones, ribbons etc. Homemade natural decorations not only bring joy to the whole family, but also avoids the harmful disposable culture of non-biodegradable plastic decorations.
The Winter Solstice is the Shortest Day of the Year!
The day that the Winter Solstice occurs is the shortest day and the longest night of the calendar year. After the Winter Solstice, the days get longer, the nights get shorter until the longest day, and the year’s shortest night occurs on the Summer Solstice. The Spring and Fall Equinoxes occur between the Winter and Summer Solstices when day and night are equal.
Release the Dark During the Winter Solstice!
The primary intention of most Yule traditions and Winter Solstice celebration ideas is to release the dark in favor of the light–literally and metaphorically–and to welcome back the sun (light) as each new day grows longer. As we celebrate the light, we must also take the time to spiral within to acknowledge our shadow self and the wisdom that it shares with us–so we can bring the light of awareness into the darkness.
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