CAULDRON MEDITATION FOR WINTER SOLSTICE 

Winter Solstice marks the Longest Night of the year. The sun appears to wane and die. Ancient peoples feared the sun would disappear and never return with its warmth and life-giving power. People all around the world, of many religious beliefs, celebrate birth and renewal at this time of year.  Winter Solstice is celebrated on or near December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

 Place a cauldron or bowl, with sand or kitty litter in it, in the center of your space. Have a candle, paper and pen ready nearby. If you wish, light incense. Breathe deeply a few times to release all tension.

Visualize yourself walking in woods in the dark of the longest night. You are at peace and in harmony with all around you. As you walk you come to a small clearing in the woods. Within the clearing you see a stone circle, about nine feet in diameter, with eight spokes radiating from the center. You see your own cauldron or bowl sitting at the center of the circle. Sit near the center of the circle, along the north-south axis; the axis of the Solstices.

In this longest night of the year, with distant memories of ancient fears that the sun will never return, think now of your own deepest fears.  Examine them gently, unhurriedly, one by one. Write each one on a piece of paper. In the silence and dark, know and trust that the sun will return and grow stronger. Light the candle and place it in your cauldron or bowl.

When you are ready, take the papers, one by one, and release your fears into the flames of the Cauldron. (If indoors, be careful!) As the paper burns, realize that your fears have no power over you, unless you yourself allow it. Remember that you have the power of choice and free will to overcome these fears.

Sit in silence. As sunrise approaches, feel the rays of the newborn sun warming you, filling you with strength and energy and power, and blessing you. Celebrate the birth of the sun!    

When you are ready, visualize yourself leaving the stone circle, and the Cauldron of Wisdom. Return along the path through the woods. Return to your own space, renewed, and with your own spirit reborn.  May the blessings and wisdom of the Cauldron remain with you!

Blessed Solstice!