Can you feel the energy building?

It’s been building through this month, having increased in momentum after the new moon solar eclipse on the 14th.

Whether you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere a climax will be reached on the solstice: the darkest night or the longest day. A transition point. Cycles and patterns beginning and ending.

Cultures and faiths the world over have been celebrating this day since ancient times. And while you can apply any practices or notions, ceremonies or beliefs, based on where you come from and what you espouse, if you tune in to the energy and observe nature, there’s no denying the power of this day.

According to many ancient calendars the solstice was observed on the 25th day of December, and it marked the new year.

In the north, it marked the turning point where the sun, in its weakest phase, would be reborn and slowly begin to wax again. It heralded the promising return of light, life, and warmth.

In the south, it marked the height of the sun’s power and the zenith of life force - a time of magic and ceremony - before its power begins to wane.

While in times past I’ve looked forward to my solstice ceremonies and traditions with excitement, this year I feel more contemplative. I’m reflecting on what we’ve been through, and on all those who did not make it through 2020. I’m also reflecting on how we all responded - it was a mix of intense extremes.

While there are those who profited, I see this largely as a year of loss. But loss, in and of itself, is also a healing and growth process.

This is something the ancients have always understood: it’s all a part of the cycle of life.

Loss is an ending but also a beginning. It’s up to us to find what can be gained from losing.

“Loss is an ending but also a beginning. It’s up to us to find what can be gained from losing.”

I’ve hit many breaking points (endings) followed by breakthroughs (beginnings) in my life. This year I took that hit more than once.

The fears of losing my business, my home, are just as real for me as they are for others. My mom, who’s differently abled and for whom I am primary caregiver, would have to go into a nursing home (no way!). My dogs into a shelter (absolutely not!).

In my utter refusal to give in to those fears, I worked extra hard, even though my burnout was hitting a a crisis level.

My breaking point hit when I was so exhausted I felt I couldn’t do this anymore.

In a place of despair, I turned to my stones and got real with myself: I had a choice. I could give up and give in, or I could accept how I was feeling, let go of the effort-ing, and seek out my inner truth.

The truth is: I am meant to do the work I do, but I had to let go of the old ways of doing it, and an old belief that my level of success is a direct reflection of my worth.

Out of that breaking point, that sense of loss as well as fear of losing, I reclaimed a true sense of self and found a new way forward. And that gave me some peace, and more importantly perhaps, some hope.

The Solstice Will Be This Kind of Healing Event

I don’t know what you may have lost (or gained) this year, and I also don’t know that there’s always a silver lining (especially in the case of losing loved ones - holding the teachings and memories a little more dear? The reparation of old wounds before the final threshold?).

What I do know is that between the time of the eclipse through to the solstice, many of us are going to be guided to fully, consciously, let some things go in order to make way for new beginnings.

The benefit of doing this consciously is that it precludes a certain measure of suffering. In other words, the Universe doesn’t have to boot you in the ass, you’re already on it.

Maybe it’s simply making peace with this year and embracing the lessons.

Maybe it’s letting go of something that in your heart you already know you should, even if you don’t know what will take its place.

As my first spiritual teacher said to me once: “Shift happens when you surrender”. I’ve never forgotten that counsel, it’s helped me through many hard times since.

The solstice invites us to surrender, and let the shift happen.

Crystal Healing for Ending and Beginnings, and this Month’s Solstice

If you wish to take some time out and work quietly, deeply with your crystals, the time leading up to and just after the solstice is prime time for healing.

Below I’m suggesting different stones and practices that can help you.

Grief / Emotional Recovery

For those of you who are still grieving, I recommend wearing mangano calcite, chrysocolla, rose quartz, and apache tear on your person or over the heart chakra on a daily basis. These crystals gently help you to accept what’s happened, feel deep compassion and empathy, start healing and slowly releasing the pain.

Inner Truth / Clarity

For help in connecting with your inner truth, or in clarifying that which you need to let go and why, I recommend meditating or sleeping with sodalite, amazonite, black moonstone, or snowflake obsidian. I recommend sleeping or meditation as sometimes we need help passing through inner resistance or defences, and it helps to do this work while in a more subconscious or theta state.

These crystals help to reveal patterns, beliefs, and your authentic self + feelings to your conscious mind.

Inviting in Positive New Beginnings

Letting go and making space within creates a neutral space, not unlike the void from which springs all creation. Working with crystals that help tune or key your energy to high frequencies of joy, abundance, gratitude, and love will help you not only to attract in more of the same, it will immediately improve your outlook and how you feel inside.

I recommend wearing all four of these crystals on a daily basis or as needed after your healing work. It’s a juicy combination - it may even become your new favorite! 😊

Love - Pink Kunzite
Joy - Citrine
Abundance - Green Aventurine
Gratitude - Hiddenite

And finally, I’m reminded of how powerful it is to live with purpose. What happens in the world is beyond our control, and we’ve all had those experiences where we feel Fate has dealt us an unfair hand.

We need to honor our feelings when this happens, we need to grieve and process. But if we then choose, powerfully, purposefully, to refocus on our highest visions for ourselves and the world and to consistently move toward that vision, we triumph.

Choose your path wisely. Your joy matters, and that is worth hanging on to even in the darkest of times.

Check out my crystal classes to broaden your practice or deepen your work with the stones in my Crystal Alchemy, Mediumship, and
DNA Light Coding Program:
Istaria Crystallis® 👇