The Winter Sources for 2022 happens on Wednesday December 21st. This is the astronomical first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day of the year. After a winter solstice, we start to get back our sunlight, little by little, until we make it to the summer solstice. The term solstice is derived from the Latin words for sun and to stand, so solstices are days when the sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The Winter Solstice, also known as the Pagan Festival of U.L., marks the midpoint of winter and brings the promise of new beginnings as we move out of the darkness and into increasingly lighter, warmer days. It signals the return of light after the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, as from this day forward a new cycle begins of increasing daylight as the sun begins its journey northward, each day becoming a little bit lighter. This winter solstice seems to disobey the laws of nature but it is true. After the day, although the sun shines longer and longer on the Northern Hemisphere, it does not get gradually warmer. This is because these release a very large amount of heat when the Earth's temperature drops, and the ocean accounts for 70% of the Earth's surface. This causes the Earth to receive solar energy from the sun, which is much less than the last energy of the seas, so the weather in the Northern Hemisphere is getting colder and colder. How does the winter solstice affect people? You may feel lethargic and generally exhausted because your exposure to sunlight is limited during the winter solstice. It can also affect your sleep pattern. You can cope with this feeling through a vitamin D supplement or using an electronic light box to augment your lack of exposure to sunlight. Boost your serotonin levels. Because the sun sets earlier and the amount of sunshine is limited, there will be a drop in your serotonin levels. It can make you feel a bit melancholy and moody. Self-care is important every day of the year, and more so when winter arrives. You can give your serotonin levels a boost through yoga, leisurely walks, meditation and deep breathing. Take a walk in nature and be mindful of the dormant state of the land. Concentrate what needs to transform in your life as you commune with a natural world around you. Look for humans and the animals, the trees and the clouds. Doing any or all of these activities can improve your general well being in your mood. You may get bad headaches due to the changes in the weather during the winter solstice. Prevent tension headaches by taking warm baths. You can boost your mood and soothe your headache by adding essential oils that will keep you come to your bath, such as chamomile, lavender, rose, and red. Resolute your body and mind. Since this time of year is associated with light, celebrate with string lights, sparklers and candles. Join in the Jewish tradition of the festival of lights, with eight days of ritual illumination or participate in a community bonfire and burn your own eulog, a tradition with roots in northern European-Recrition times. Elevel is the name of the old winter solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany. The eulog was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. Create some beauty for your Christmas table with this eulog centerpiece. Using a log and evergreens and other natural elements you can make a wonderful focal point for you and your holiday guests to enjoy. Find a log from outside and cut it to a nice size if necessary. Press the dirt from the log and place it on a foil line sheet in a 200 degree oven for one hour. Drill holes on the top of the log for candles then knot some of the bottom of each candle into the hole to hold the candle in place. Stick clothes into climbing tines or oranges. Place glue greenery, pine cones, and the climbing tines around the candles. Place the eulog on a tray or piece of wood with some additional greenery around the edge to keep the log from rolling. Get creative in making homemade natural decorations and gifts. Deck the halls with real holiday this year and bring nature into your home using seasonal foliage, dried oranges, cinnamon, pine cones, ribbons etc. Our homemade natural decorations not only bring joy to the whole family, but also avoids the harmful disposable culture of non-biodegradable plastic decorations. The day that the winter solstice occurs is the shortest day and the longest night of the calendar year. After the winter solstice, the days get longer, the nights get shorter until the longest day, and the year's shortest night occurs on the summer solstice. The spring and fall equinoxes occur between the winter and summer solstice's one day and night are equal. The primary intention of most yule traditions and winter solstice celebration ideas is to release the dark in favor of the light literally and metaphorically and to welcome back the sun, light, as each new day grows longer. As we celebrate the light, we must also take the time to spiral within to acknowledge our shadow self and the wisdom that it shares with us so we can bring the light of awareness into the darkness. Join us at www.secretserendipity.com where great insights reveal deep discoveries. Where great insights can impact future choices and attitudes. While we strive for a deeper understanding of the power of the universe.