Winter Solstice Mandalas – Light & Dark Nourishment
December 21st, 2018
Winter Solstice, when winter begins, is a time to honor both darkness and light. Winter is womb time, a quiet time of gathering energy within.
My “Going Within” Mandala
Christine Torlina “Spiral” Mandala
It is a time of gestation of dreams, hopes and becomings. It is the in-breath needed for the co-creative out-breath expression of life.
Ann Brune “Dreams” Mandala
(Triangles signify dreams, goals, visions)
During our Mandala Circle we created Winter Solstice Mandalas a few days before this December’s solstice, full moon and Ursid meteor shower. All three take place within a few day’s span.
My “Winter Solstice – Full Moon” Mandala
The winter solstice takes place on Friday Dec. 21stat 4:23 pm, Central Time (my time), marking the shortest daylight of the year. Winter officially begins and the growing light of daytime continues daily. This year’s last full moon, sometimes called the long night or cold moon, will shine fullest on Saturday Dec. 22nd. Although the full moon will brighten the sky, the Ursid meteor shower will peak on Friday and Saturday. Look near the Big and Little Dippers in the night sky.
Ann Brune “Night Sky” Mandala
During our Mandala Circle we started with a guided meditation about this time of inner darkness and light. We used white and black paper, painting on iridescent colors and gold.
Nature was the inspiration for my mandala showing bare branched trees. In the winter their branches call to the heavens to receive the energy of the cosmos. The branches bring the love of heaven into a tree’s body and sending it deep into the earth through the roots .
Christine was inspired by a frosty early morning tree walk where the sun shone through the trees and illuminated the frost on the shimmering waves of the reflections on the lake.
Enjoy the quiet inner time of winter. There is beauty in going within and letting darkness replenish our souls.
The elegant simplicity of Anne’s golden mandala reflects the beauty of the Wendell Berry poem about darkness.
Ann Brune “Golden Dark” Mandala
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
Wendell Berry
Ann Brune “Evergreen Dreams”
ENJOY & CREATE