Solstice Reflections 2012 is an online gathering of reflections by five lovely women on the spirit of winter. My hope is that this may offer you a momentary respite from a sometimes hectic season, allowing you to sit with your own reflections as you enter your personal winter. Click here for all posts to date.

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The days leading up to the solstice for me can bring up feelings of joy and sorrow. The sun setting earlier and earlier each day bring the darkness into our lives in a way that reminds me to honor the waning of the light. There is sacredness to this time. A time to turn inward, to reflect, to hibernate.

My natural inclination is to stay home by the hearth, basking in the fire's warm on cold days, making hearty soups and stews. To gather and nest and nourish my soul. A time of extreme self-care that can be a challenge in the flurry of activity around here between the Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

By the time the solstice grows closer and the days turn again to growing longer, the spark of new hope starts to burn in me.

My writing always reflects what's going on for me and I wrote this poem as I reflected on the solstice.

THAW

for weeks
pen
lay frozen
far from
page
emptiness
seemed
vast, eternal
then
a flicker starts
like match
to candle
light grows
brighter
pen flows
on paper blue
rhythm of hand
awakens soul
the thaw
begins
again

~~~

Karen Delaney is a healer, through words and images, who is known for her empathy and her ability to deeply listen. She is a highly sensitive person, which she used to regard as a curse, but understands now is a gift. Currently trying to find her way through Art and Story.