(photos copyright Jonathan Zap)
Since this is the turning point when the light principle is going to emerge from the darkest day of the year and begin to grow, this is an ideal time to consult your intuition and possibly the oracle of your choice on what needs to be brought into the light and given more life in the new year.
An essential meaning of the Winter Solstice is recognized in I Ching Hexagram 24—Return, The Turning Point From the Wilhelm/Baynes I Ching:
The time of darkness is past. The winter solstice brings the victory of light… After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that has been banished returns. There is movement, but it is not brought about by force… the transformation of the old becomes easy. The old is discarded and the new is introduced. Both measures accord with the time; therefore no harm results…
The idea of RETURN is based on the course of nature. The movement is cyclic, and the course completes itself. Therefore it is not necessary to hasten anything artificially. Everything comes of itself at the appointed time….
In winter the life energy…is still underground.
Movement is just at its beginning; therefore it must be strengthened by rest, so that it will not be dissipated by being used prematurely. This principle, i.e., of allowing energy that is renewing itself to be reinforced by rest, applies to all similar situations. The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.
The solstice is a great time to ask yourself the question:
What needs to be brought out in the light of the new year and given life?
Consult your intuition and, if you are open to it, the oracle of your choice.
You can consult the 664 Zap Oracle for free: http://www.zaporacle.com/online-image-oracle. A free membership will save your readings indefinitely. Its unique function, “Theme Tracker,” analyzes a reading, or all readings in a time interval you specify for archetypal themes.
The photos in this article are from Zap Oracle card #466, Lights Through the Veil of Darkness which is related to the solstice. Here’s the text that goes with the images:
Even in the midst of veils of darkness, points of light may be seen. If you are open to them, you may notice moments of compassion amidst the noisy business of human transaction. There are moments when the world reveals its inner beauty and novelty and categories like good, bad, natural and artificial fall away as you behold the beauty of suchness, the implied magnificent precision of the whole phantasmagoria of light and dark forms coming at you throughout human incarnation. If you see only darkness then your vision is woefully incomplete. The scintillations of light all around may be offset more brilliantly by the surrounding veils of darkness.
