Winter Solstice Reflections

—Traditional Yule Prayer

Ancient cultures embraced the Winter Solstice as a turning point—an ending and a new beginning. The winter months were an opportunity to slow down, turn inward, cultivate patience, and prepare for the next cycle of life. The ancient Nordic and Celtic rune, “Isa,” symbolizes the lessons from ice/winter. It is a time to go within—not only indoors, but deep inside yourself. They viewed winter as a period of restoration and renewal at the deepest level. Isa also signals hope in that “the seed of the new is present in the shell of the old.”