Our sun-dappled Michigan December felt like one long, happy, Holiday celebration, beginning with a standout Workshop at Yoga Life in St. Joseph, Michigan. We then enjoyed our Annual Aho ho ho Down and Open House as well as a Ceremonial Winter Solstice Circle. That’s our crew up above (ate), lit up from behind as well as the inside. For some, the Winter Solstice is simply the shortest day of the year and longest night, a harbinger of the coming cold, dark months ahead. But for many ancient civilizations and indigenous people around the world, the Winter Solstice marks an important milestone. Some cultures referred to this time as Yule, a celebration of the Goddess (Moon) energy and birth of the sun as well as the spiritual sun within us, a powerful force for regeneration, renewal and self-reflection. We also welcome The Year of The Rat later this month, a period representing the beginning of a new day (Hokahey!) as well as critters that are clever, successful and content with living a quiet and peaceful life.
Enjoying a balmy 50-degree, colorful, Christmas day, Winter’s brutal majesty and the serene season is right around the icy corner. We’ll be taking our annual January Winter break, but back the first weekend in February with our monthly Ceremonial Gathering, our first Winter Silent Retreat Weekend February 19th-21st, and a regular monthly Meditation and Mindfulness 101 class beginning Saturday February 29th, all to assist you in leaping into the New Year 2.0. See you soon!