Solstice Magic

Wishing you all a peaceful Winter Solstice and Yule today, and a Merry Christmas for the days ahead! I’m switching off for the festive break now, as well as officially going on maternity leave, although you’ll still hear from me every week through my newsletter (unless I’m in labour, soz). How are you feeling about Christmas? I wrote in last week’s newsletter how I’m finding myself more closely aligned with Samhain than Christmas these days, but on reflection, I’ve also realised I’m tuning in more with the solstice than more mainstream Christmas celebrations. That’s not say I don’t love glitzy lights and candy canes, but whether it’s because I’m pregnant or just because the world is a bit much at the moment, I’ve been focusing much more on observing the moon, stoking the fire, sipping mulled cider and baking - simple, tactile activities that allow me to focus on one thing at a time and escape the chaos outside. It’s exciting, really. I still love the festive season, but my mind is naturally recalibrating, like a camera refocusing on a different point in the same image.