Tag Archives: Midwinter Solstice

Midwinter Solstice

by Gail Z. Martin

We’ve just come from the midwinter solstice, which is a time of year that has captivated human beings since people began keeping records and noticing the stars.  There’s something very magical about the struggle between day and night at this time of year.  It’s no wonder that the tension between daylight and darkness was retold in epic terms throughout mythology, as a battle between gods and other supernatural creatures.

So I’m working on reawakening my sense of awe in these dark days of the New Year.  I’ve seen articles that suggest that when we experience something greater than ourselves—call it awe, reverence, mystery—it activates different portions of our brains from what gets used on an everyday basis.  Pretty cool.  I’ve always been drawn toward awe and mystery—if you’ve read my books, you know I like the rituals that are involved with creating a place where magic can happen.  The trick is to create a space where “magic” can happen in the real world—where possibilities can unfold, dreams can take shape, and visions can manifest.  I want to dwell in “luminal space”—the term for the places where the veil between one world and the next is thin.  Liminal space is a place of possibility.  I want to start my New Year’s journey there.

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