Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice heralds in the winter season today. And while it is, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year, it also signals a lengthening of days. Thousands of cultures and communities around the globe will celebrate the sun’s eventual triumph over the darkness. It is a just-right time to turn inward for self-reflection, to be in tune with circadian rhythms.

If your home is at all like ours during the break from school, my 3 teenagers are never far from their phones. On this solstice, try to minimize your use of technology and encourage those you might live with to do the same. Instead, find quiet spaces where you can journal, be creative, or find other ways to reflect. Gather as a family and discuss your past year’s roses, thorns, and buds - for 2022 (parents, if you don’t know about rose, bud, thorn, just ask your camper!) Use natural light during the day and, where safe, light candles after the sun sets. Light is one of the most powerful symbols of winter solstice. Let the candles you light remind you of hope, renewal, and the cycle of life.

Winter is a time of rest for most of nature, and it’s the same for us, as well. How can you follow nature’s lead and rest? Find ways to hibernate or prioritize self-care during the season of winter? What are you most excited about as you look forward to spring emerging? Who do you want to be when it arrives?

For us here at GRP, we begin to look forward in earnest to our upcoming program season. It’s less than 6 months until our Session 1 kicks off and we could not be more excited about it! If you feel so inclined, we would love to hear about your roses of the year in our comment section. In the meantime, we hope you are able to celebrate the solstice in a way that feels most authentic to you.