Winter Solstice 2020 - Reflecting On The Qualities Of The Mind

Winter Solstice Self-Reflection December 21st,

2020.

Every year on the solstice I do an end of the year inventory for mind and soul.

And as with any inventory,

It's good to know what we have too much of,

What we want more of,

And what we have stored for too long.

Particularly this year.

To put it in other terms,

When we're released from this virus,

What do you want to recover and what do you need to be done with?

We pick this time of year,

The winter solstice,

The days leading up to and after,

As the time to remove obstacles and foster renewal.

The shorter days leading up to and after the solstice provide a natural space for reflection.

This is inside work,

And a space of hibernation,

A space that may be hard to find when we're in a season that's filled with consumerism and overstimulation.

And our modern lifestyle provides the tools of avoidance,

Electricity for computers and phones,

TVs,

Alcohol,

Excessive food and overeating,

And even just lights to stay up as long as we want.

Look outside,

The earth naps and it's dull brown,

Gray and white blanket.

What appears to be dead is replenishing.

And for us,

Even after nine months of sabbatical of uncertainty and social isolation,

Nature has not altered its course.

It still wants quiet.

This is not a punishment,

It's our inspiration to slow down and nourish.

As we do every year,

We've changed individually and collectively,

Perhaps more so in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

Consider these questions,

Listen to your answers with honesty and grace.

We'll be using the yoga philosophy of the Trigunas.

Yoga gives us the three dosa types that govern the physical body and the three gunas that represent the psycho-spiritual energy of our mental body.

The quality of each guna determines behavior and essence and everything in and around us.

I use the analogy of a lake.

The first guna,

Thomas.

The lake is murky,

Stagnant,

Maybe even frozen.

The second guna,

Rajas.

There are springs in the lake moving things,

Waves on the top,

Perhaps even white caps.

And the third guna,

Satva,

Is a gentle flow of a current with a clear view all the way to the bottom.

As we go through this self-reflection,

Just do your best to answer the questions openly and honestly.

Only you can hear your response.

Accept it with love and kindness.

During the meditation,

Let it be enough to just listen to your replies.

When you're done,

There will be time to write down anything you want.

We start with the quality of Thomas in the mind.

Thomas represents relaxation for the mind.

The energy is unmoving.

Inertia provides stability and rest.

When Thomas is out of balance,

It's like the force that obscures the sun,

Leading to ignorance,

Illusion,

Laziness,

Denial,

Depression,

Exhaustion.

We'll explore Thomas within the mind.

How do you feel about being in the dark phase of the year?

Do you ever vanish into the dark or go underground?

Do you take time to find out what lies dormant in you?

Which seeds have failed to germinate this year?

What are you consciously or unconsciously incubating?

Do your thoughts create veils or obstructions?

What is hidden in you but always present?

What do you keep from yourself,

From others?

Who do you perceive as casting shadows on you that obstruct your growth?

What gets prioritized when you feel banished or isolated?

Do you see your darkness as a force to resist or do you surrender to it?

Next we'll explore Rajas Guna.

Rajas is stimulating to the mind.

Energy going outward.

It's the transformer.

It's considered the dominant guna in our society and that which the pandemic has altered.

It's the energy of motion,

Passion,

Socializing,

Enthusiasm,

Action and pleasure.

When Rajas is out of balance it leads to anxiety,

Attachment,

Perfection,

Living in the past or the future.

Rajas is also the initial cause of the addictive mind.

We create the need to use stimulants to prolong pleasure or depress displeasure.

What have you achieved since the last winter solstice?

What's important to you?

What do you desire or what turns you on?

Who are the people in your life that light your fire?

How do you express your creative energy?

What's its fuel?

Do you do anything in excess that depletes you?

What do you do to create vitality?

Is your drive and passion ever a source of anxiety or aggressive behavior?

How do you honor,

Direct and constructively channel righteous anger?

Can your fiery side ever be destructive to yourself or others?

How do you respond or react when you enthusiastically pursue something and it isn't attained?

What obstacles would you like to burn away and what needs purifying by the fire of intention?

Of the seeds that failed to germinate this year,

Which are deserving of more of your energy?

Can you do something differently to ensure success next year?

Next we'll explore the space of sattva in the mind.

Sattva is the space of healing for the mind,

Energy moving inward and upward.

Sattva guna represents purity,

Harmony,

Peace and luminosity.

It's a space of balance,

Balancing inertia with activity,

Acceptance of what is without attachment,

The intention of change without expectation.

What has your spiritual practice or wisdom tradition brought you in 2020?

How can you balance the manifestation of light,

Rajas and action with the nourishing qualities of the dark,

Tamas,

Stability within yourself in your mind?

Do you have sattvic people in your life that help you embody your light?

How do you bring warmth,

Nourishment and passion into relationships with yourself and others?

Can you give and receive radiant love?

Do you believe in a higher power and that it will support you?

Do you have faith that your source will provide light for you even in your darkest days?

With the light of awareness ignited through these questions,

We see our mind pass through the energy of the three gunas.

We may have experienced tamas ranging from relaxation to depression,

Rajas running from activity and change to anxiety.

Sapa is simply the space where the human condition of tamas and rajas are recognized in the mind.

The recognition itself is the overcoming.

The recognition of the trigunas in the mind invites us back into the light.

Even in the darkest dark,

The light of consciousness always wants to illuminate what's for your highest good and the good of all.

Invite the light back.

Imagine the lighting and the brilliance of the sun on your skin,

The warmth on your face.

Love activates your instincts,

Brings you into the light.

Get comfortable with the mystery of the dark.

Don't try to master the darkness,

Surrender to it.

The darkness doesn't force itself on us,

But it reveals the ashes of our growth.

Don't look for the light to find your way,

Become the light.

The light nourishes all.

The sun doesn't shine only on the most fragrant flowers and it leads the day without trying to control it.

Let go of the need for approval from others.

The sunrise doesn't care if it's too pink or too red.

Do your work for the highest good of all and be done at the end of each day.

And as we come towards the end of the meditation,

Make a mental list of the tools you'll need to gather in these dark days to plant your seeds in the spring.

Meditations,

Nature walks,

Writing,

Music,

Any ways that you replenish and remember that the universe supports you in your growth,

That you are radiance at your deepest essence.

Give yourself a gift,

The gift of insight and kindness.

The more we recognize and normalize the gunas within our own mind,

Our own light and dark,

The more we can live in the sattvic state of compassion and joy.

Being present in yourself is your greatest present to yourself and to the greater good of all.