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December 19, 1999 - Winter Solstice

"Sometimes the journey is just as
important as the destiny."

-- Della Reese

"Take your talents, whatever they
may be, out to the world. When
you do this, the love you so desire
will come to you."

-- Douglas P. Gill

Winter Solstice

New Year's Revelations and The Tapestry of Life

For sheer survival on a day-to-day basis, I wear what I call "a variety of hats". In addition to the writing, editing, teaching, consulting and volunteer work that I do, I have continued to work in the fields of fiber art, design and renovation as well as computer technology and communication, not to mention being the single mother of four marvelous daughters. As everyone might imagine, throughout the years my friends and family have expressed concern that I always spread myself too thin, saying over and over that in order for me to be "successful and effective" I should focus on one of my many endeavors exclusively. Though I would laughingly respond with a remark like, "Not a chance... I am a Renaissance Woman", internally I was troubled. What if they were right? To test this hypothesis, for a number of years I followed their heartfelt advice and attempted to compartmentalize my life.

The result of doing so was that while I did receive a steady income and became "societally acceptable", I felt trapped and totally miserable: so much of what I had always cherished about living was missing. At great risk, I finally made the decision to be who I am and do the things that I love quite competently, despite the fact that many people to this day look askance at my curriculum vita and/or resume. Fortunately, I have been blessed with marvelous teachers, particularly Walter and Lao Russell, who by example taught me that I could indeed survive as well as thrive in the context of expressing my multi-dimensionality. They taught me that while I am not what I do, what I do and how I do what I do is a unique and indelible expression of who I essentially am, which also happens to be so for all of the billions of us who populate this planet at this time.

Somewhere deep inside, all of us are aware that in order to feel fulfilled and complete, we must pay attention and take exquisite care as we weave the luminescent tapestry of our lives. In the world today, however, all too often we feel stretched and pressured by daily concerns and obligations to find the time to take a good look at who we are and what future direction we wish our lives to take. As a result, we often begin to weave fantasies about the future without taking specific steps toward our dreams. How often have we said to ourselves, "When the kids get older, then..." or "When I retire, then..." or "After this big project is finished, then..." or even, "Once I hear the results of this test, then..."? The word "then", used in this context, generally precedes statements such as "I won't have to work so much" or "I can begin to travel", or "I will make a life-changing decision", ad infinitum. Unfortunately, when we conduct our lives in this manner, another "then" reliably comes along, leaving us in a place of perpetual stasis accompanied by a frustration and an unspoken sense of failure. This particular phenomenon becomes glaringly apparent to most of us who live in this culture at the time of the New Year, which is traditionally when we are expected to make Resolutions that will positively impact our lives. Generally, few of us are able to follow through with these vows to ourselves, compounding our feelings of powerlessness and reinforcing our tendencies to postpone pleasure as well as meaningful purpose. Is there a way out of this incessant loop that seems to affect us all?

This year, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 22 at 2:44 AM EST. The celestial energies prevailing at that time will be in place until Spring. We are supported to take a good, hard, realistic look at how we are orchestrating our lives, both publicly and privately, and assess whether our daily actions are serving our dreams. Perhaps most significantly, we are encouraged to stop making mundane resolutions which we will break within a week. Instead, during the coming months, we have a window of opportunity through which we can see clearly the exact direction we wish our lives to take. Toward this end, rather than making Resolutions for the coming year, if we take this special time to review and rethink, to quiet our minds, we will receive the gift of New Year's Revelations which will assist us in this marvelous and magical journey we call life.

© Kristina Strom

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