Winter Solstice Service
A collective message, meditation, & journal prompts for welcoming winter
Hello Soul Journalers!
I’m excited (and nervous) to introduce a new offering. This is a variation of something I’ve always wanted to do, and I will continue to add to it and refine it over time.
As a way to honor the transitions and shifts of the seasons, I created what I’m calling (for now) a Soul Journaling Service. I grew up Christian, attending a mix of traditional and more modern churches, and while I am no longer religious or part of a church (a story for another time), the sacredness of the ritual of a church service still speaks to me. As a kid, I would sit and take in the wisdom of the pastor as well as call in my own internal wisdom—church was my special time to sit and reflect in a way that was meditative, and well before I even knew what meditation was.
In the spirit of these memories, I’ve created my version of a “service” around the Winter Solstice. This includes:
A “sermon” or message brought forth from a Tarot/Oracle card spread I created and then pulled cards for
A meditative journey to tap into the energy of the season and honor the Winter Solstice
A meditative journaling session to translate the themes of the message into our lives
And meditative sound healing music that is intended to flow with and honor the season is used throughout the service.
To help you make the most of this experience, I have split the parts up below into three separate audio tracks, so you can approach each one as your time allows.
I would love to hear what you think. If you love this idea of a Soul Journaling Service, or if you work with any parts of this service that really resonate with you, please let me know. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t have the words yet—you can just click the heart button on this post, or leave a heart emoji in the comments so I know that you support this offering.
You may also leave a comment below if you’d like for me to pull a card for you for the season, to add a personal layer to the collective message.
I hope you enjoy this new creation!
The Winter Solstice (December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere)
The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. After this day, the light begins to gradually return and the days become longer. This service is intended to honor the darkness and the deep reflection that winter brings as well as the return of the light, which is here to support us and light our way back to ourselves.
The Winter Solstice Card Spread & Our Collective Cards
Below is the card spread I created and pictures of the cards I pulled for the collective message. The decks I chose to work with for this season are the Yuletide Tarot by Kristoffer Hughes, with art by Erin O’Leary Brown, and the Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle by Lorriane Anderson and Juliet Diaz, illustrations by Giada Rose. (In the below images, the first cards pictured on the left are from the Yuletide Tarot and the larger cards on the right are from Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle.)
You could also use these questions as journaling prompts, tapping into your intuition rather than the cards, and/or you can pull your own cards to see how these collective cards and messages translate to your life.
What experiences from the past year are ready to be acknowledged?
What lessons are being integrated through deep rest and reflection this season?
How can I protect my right to deep rest and reflection?
What possibilities and opportunities will this reflection and the return of the light bring to me?
How will I emerge from this season transformed?
The Message
Success, happiness, fulfillment—the pursuit of these can dominate our days on this Earth. What will make me happy? How will I reach success? How can I be the most fulfilled?
This past year has brought significant shifts for you in this area, as you came to realize that what you thought success, happiness, and fulfillment was . . . is quite simply not true for you.
You grew up viewing success—having it all, being it all—in a certain way. You have a very particular image of it, one that you were taught and then internalized. But the last year has proven this view or definition is either unsustainable, unfulfilling, or simply not possible in the way you expected it to be.
All the possibilities and opportunities presented to you on the path to reach this view of success are certainly worthy of being acknowledged. You worked hard and did good work. Each milestone reached was a win, bringing you one step closer . . . until you stalled out. Until you burnt out.
The possibilities and opportunities weren’t as exciting as you imagined them to be, and in some cases, they left you feeling more overwhelmed than ever before. You were doing, doing, doing, in the name of growth, growth, growth. But this was not contentment, this was not peace, and you’ve come to realize this was not meant for YOU.
All the things we’ve been taught to chase, that you were chasing, were distractions—shiny objects that felt fun and good and right to want at the time but ultimately ended up lacking real substance. And the fallout of this realization is what you’ve been working through mentally, emotionally, and physically in the past year.
Ultimately, this has brought you back inward, back home to yourself, to the wisdom that resides deep within. The soul knows the truth, and so now you turn to the soul to lead the way.
The past, however, does not erase itself as you begin on this new journey. It lingers in the form of memories and elaborate stories—some of them true, some of them not. There exists here a mixture of past hurt and disappointment, as well as nostalgia for the moments of beauty that occurred amongst the things that did not work out as planned. There was happiness in here, too, rituals and traditions and connections we do not want to lose in this next phase.
And so we must look at what adorns our lives right now. Who is here, what is here, and where am I in it? What decorates my life? And ask yourself, honestly, if everything here is aligned with the legacy you truly wish to leave.
By all means, please keep the beauty that is aligned, but then have the courage to let the rest fall away. It is not until you do this that you can fall in love with your life as it is, right now. The love is always here, and all of these changes are beckoning you to fall in love with your life again—your life without the unnecessary distractions and decorations of what you once thought success was. No, it is time to let those go, their ending has been written. This is about falling in love with you, as you are, no gimmicks or upgrades or upleveling needed.
As you move into deeper rest and reflection to integrate this knowledge and wisdom, you must be willing to feel the loss, the disappointment, the hurt and the pain of that which did not work out in the past. This is the path to releasing it, and sorry, there is no other way but to confront it.
This does not have to be an adversarial confrontation. Approach it with curiosity, with the willingness to learn and know yourself better than you ever have before.
Learn the art of the pause, of surrender, of being still and silent until the feelings move through you and the answers come. No action is required other than stillness.
This is a lot to move through, and while stillness is important, while inner work is important, you do not need to spend the entirety of this season alone to gain the benefits of reflection. When you need a break, when anything becomes too heavy to carry on your own, turn to the welcoming arms of your family, of those who are your blood-related or chosen family. These are the people who love you most and who you love most. These can be those who are in the physical world with you and those who reside in the Spirit world. Your work does not need to be done in complete isolation.
Remember, this time of deep inner work is not a punishment for things not working out as planned, nor is it punishment for getting distracted by life’s shiny objects. This is a gift and an invitation to know yourself and your soul better, and to come back into full alignment. The lessons of the past were necessary and part of your soul’s path. You would not be hearing this message if you were not ready to break free from these restrictions and move forward.
The gifts of wisdom and true fulfillment await you on the other side of this time of deep inner reflection. And as the light begins to return, your diligence and devotion to your inner work will bring you an expertise you hadn’t expected. Not an expertise in a skill you can market and sell—an expertise in yourself and your soul. This is a knowledge no one other than you can attain, and it is the ONLY expertise that matters. It is the key that unlocks all the doors before you that you’ve been knocking on, hoping to be let into the inner circle. No one needs to let you in, there is no test to pass, and there is nothing to prove. Rather it is you who needs to figure out how to open the door.
What is it to truly know oneself? What is it to be at peace with oneself? Seek the wisdom of your elders as you explore this question. Call in the guidance of your ancestors. You do not know it all yet, and those who came before you can help make this path smoother for you.
As the season comes to an end, you will gradually see the restriction and tension within your life begin to release. No longer will you feel the need to force outcomes, to hold so tightly onto the things you thought you needed to get ahead, that you thought you needed to get what you want.
A sense of lack and the need to hold tightly to everything you have—physical items, knowledge, energy, time—will gradually slip away. You’ll begin to move with more ease and grace, letting things happen at their own pace time. You’ll begin to find yourself guided by intuition far more, moving into flow with the Spirit world and your truest, highest self and soul.
As you emerge in the Spring, you’ll see you no longer need to hold on so tightly to the magic within you, to the gifts Spirit has given you. You’ll know when the time is right to let them emerge, without fear of judgment or that they’ll be suddenly taken away or copied.
Your true essence, your deepest gifts, can only be nurtured, grown, and transferred into the world by you. They will be ready and waiting for you, a version of you who is now fully prepared to embody them in their purest, truest form.
Don’t be afraid of the darkness of this season, and remember to honor the light when it shines through. Hold space for both, and you will emerge transformed.
The Meditation
Your Journal Prompts
What misaligned view of success, happiness, or fulfillment am I ready to release?
What have I learned so far about what success or fulfillment really means to me?
What tough or challenging conversations do I need to have with myself around this? How can I approach these with compassion?
What will support me in living my own definition of success and fulfillment?
What is the first, small step I can take toward transformation this season?
Journal along with me on this audio track, complete with music and some grounding to get us prepared to write. This is designed to be a meditative journaling experience for you to channel the wisdom of your Soul and Higher Self, so make this part as much of a ritual as you’d like—burn a candle, work with a particular scent, or bring out your crystals. Do whatever feels right to you in the moment, and feel free to pull any additional Tarot or Oracle cards for yourself if you need additional clarity.
I hope this new offering helps you tap into the energy of the season, and I wish you all a wonderful, peaceful Winter Solstice!
With much love and gratitude,
Marcy
One of the best gifts I could get this season is your support in spreading the word about Soul Journaling Sessions. If you enjoy my creations, please consider sharing them with a friend, writing a Substack recommendation, or restacking this post on Notes. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support!
Love these prompts! I will take some time to do these. Can you pull a card for me?
I just journaled on the prompts/cards and listened to your message. Your cards and messages resonated with my reflections of 2024, as well as my time between solstice and New Year's Day. Thanks for sharing Marcy!