Joy Filled Winter Solstice

'"Always maintain only a joyful mind.
—Lojong Slogan 21

Shasta seems to generally "maintain . . . a joyful mind."

The Winter Solstice is quickly approaching. It is also know as Yule and is the astronomical first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Light is Returning" by Starhawk:

"The Darkest Night Approaches

Solstice, Yule: the longest night and shortest day approaches. We have entered into the darkness, but just as it grows to its greatest extent, the light is reborn. This is a time to celebrate all that warms us and gives us hope. There is much reason to hope and celebrate, as well as so many reasons to feel pain right now.

These are times of extremes, but Solstice reminds us that the greatest darkness contains the seed of light—as, on the opposite pole of the year, the triumph of light begins the descent toward the dark.

The world is dynamic, not static; the wheel is ever-turning."

It is the time of the year to naturally go inward. The Winter Solstice is also an opportunity to joyfully celebrate. 

Dwight and I joyfully decorating
the Japanese maple tree that
has shed her leaves, leaving
bare red branches which invite
holiday decorations and lights.
Leigh, who was here visiting from
Seattle, and Dwight put up
lights. Above, we are hanging
the straw ornaments I purchased 
on the San Antonio, Texas,
Riverwalk when my parents
were visiting from Iowa.

One way to begin this season is to turn one's attention to his/her body. The below practice of turning the mind toward the body by Joan Halifax is one way of doing so. 

"Turning the Mind toward the Body

Do this practice laying down, sitting on a meditation cushion or a chair.

Breathe deeply into your belly, letting your body feel open and safe.

Now bring your attention to your scalp.

As thoughts arise, just let them be.

Move your attention to your temples and forehead.

As you breathe in, let your temples and forehead feel open and soft.

Breathe into your eyes and let them soften.

As you breathe out, let go of all hardness in and around your eyes.

Bring awareness to your ears.

Breathing in fully, open your ears.

Exhaling, feel grateful for being able to listen and bear witness.

Bring your awareness to your mouth. 

On your inhalation bring a slight smile to your mouth.

On your exhalation feel yourself letting go of any tension in your face.

Gently move your awareness to your throat and neck.

Breathe into your neck and throat and breathe out gratitude.

With your awareness on your shoulders, breathe into your shoulders, letting go of any burdens you might be carrying.

Let your awareness be in your arms and hands.

There is nothing that you need to hold on to.

Shift your awareness to your spine, letting it stretch with your inbreath.

Feel the strength of your spine on your outbreath.

Bring your attention to your chest and lungs.

Breathe deeply into your lungs.

Now breathe into your heart and be aware of any tightness in and around your heart.

Feel your heart open, as it trusts your attention and your breath.

Bring your attention to your stomach, bowels, bladder, and reproductive organs.

Give your entire pelvic area a feeling of space and ease.

Be aware of your legs.

Breathe into your legs as you settle your attention into them.

Breathing out, let your legs soften.

Breathe into your feet, aware of any tension in your feet.

To complete this practice, slowly, gently, and smoothly bring your awareness from your feet to your legs; to your pelvic area; to your chest, heart, and lungs; to your spine; to your shoulders, arms, and hands; to your neck; to your face; to the top of your head.

Breathe in and out smoothly as your awareness travels up and through your body.

When you have reached the top of your head, return your awareness to your breath, then let it gently spread to your whole body.

Take a few moments to relax with an open and quiet mind."

                                                                                    Roshi Joan Halifax

In the distant past, while attending gi gong practice in San Francisco, we also engaged in this movement to shift our attention from outward directed to inward. Cathie's teachers, Charlotte and Da-Jin Sun, now reside at their Daoist hermitage located in Moscow,Idaho. We are exceptionally grateful to them for our two month long, life changing trips to China with them.

Sunrise at Bosque del Apache viewing the take off of the Sandhill Cranes
in search of food throughout the Middle Rio Grande Valley.

Another way to celebrate with joy is to venture out into the wilds. Here we can often experience the joy of other living BEings. Above is a picture we took when doing so while living in New Mexico. At Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, New Mexico, one can feast one's eyes on upon thousands of Sandhill Cranes who spend their nights in the water to protect themselves from predators. Before our extended (almost 4 years) "vacation" in Santa Fe, we had gone to the Central Valley in California to view the Sandhill Cranes. While seeing the cranes was exciting, the setting was not nearly as spectacular as that near San Antonio. I feel immense joy just remembering the outing with my husband and I and Shasta, who of course had to stay in the car so not to scare the resting birds.

This year, as had been our tradition before living in Santa Fe, we went into  the National Forest North of Bridgeport, California on our return home trip, to cut our Yule tree and a small one for Auntie T as well. The picture above shows Dwight securing the trees on the roof rack as Shasta enjoys the smells of the high Sierra Mountains desert.

Our small by previous standards but gorgeous Pinyon Pine is decorated as you can see in the night time picture below. The tree's luscious smell wafts through our home . . . delicious for many senses!

And may we all find time to rest for deep rejuvenation for each and everyone of us. Shasta is such a good model of resting as the picture of her below in her doorless crate demonstrates:

As we all frequently get caught up in the dither of the holiday season, may we take time for a cleansing of our emotions with a