Solstice Sunrise(s)

The balance of light and dark invites introspection and contemplation. The pre-dawn morning is the time when I capture and record my inner thoughts. These are the moments of the day reserved for nurturing awareness, cultivating gratitude, and setting intentions. This is sacred time.

On the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, we have an opportunity to bow in gratitude to the teachings of the darkness and turn again towards the gift of light. However, it was December 20, the day before the solstice, when the sunrise captured my attention and this poem tumbled out.

Solstice Sunrise

As the veil of night lifts

And sky lightens,

Oranges and pink shade the horizon,

Pale grey blue overhead.

There is no fanfare

To celebrate 

This auspicious day,

The shortest of the year.

The land and the critters feel

Gentle, subdued and sleepy.

Noone stirs in my house.

Perhaps we are meant

to greet this pale sun

with a soft smile

before pulling the covers high

And retreating to dreams

Until the sun has climbed higher.

The next day, on the winter solstice, I actually did sleep until after the sun had risen well above the horizon. It was the first time in weeks that I had not been awake to witness the transition from night to day. I was sad to miss that special time but I was grateful for the extra sleep. 

Re-reading this poem after watching this morning’s sunrise, I realize that I had suspected a sleep-in was coming. While it was not at all intentional, it seems the solstice was meant to be an opportunity for me to snuggle deeper with thoughts and dreams. That is the magic of the pre-dawn morning. That is the wonder of living in harmony with the rhythms of the earth. The sun, the moon, the critters, the plants and the body are teachers.

This morning, the sun rose behind a heavy curtain of clouds. The sky was shades of purples and grays. I made note of the imbalance of light and dark. I gave thanks for the circumstances that have brought me here, to this place and time on the earth. I set an intention to honor the swinging pendulum between balance and imbalance in my life.

Whether you are in the north greeting the light or in the south welcoming the dark, I hope that the shifting solstice energy offers you an opportunity to meet the season with deepening awareness, gratitude and intention.