Winter Solstice 2023: Becoming Light

Today marks the triumph of light over darkness — Sol Invictus. As the darkness reaches its maximum, imagine yourself pouring everything out. Become empty. Whatever you think you know, whatever you feel you must cling to, just set it to the side. If you need it, it will be there. If you don’t, let it go forever.

As Jesus says in the Gospel of Thomas, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of grain. While she was walking along a distant road, the jar cracked, and the grain spilled behind her on the road. She did not notice. When she got home, she discovered the jar was empty.”

This world will always try to convince you that you are somebody particular, especially during such agitating times. But whether you do it now or wait till you die, it’s always possible to discover who you really are. Be still and know.

Here’s another one from the Gospel of Thomas, apt for the Winter Solstice: “There is light within a person of light, and it lights up the whole world. If it does not shine, the world is dark.”

What are you waiting for? Who are you waiting for? Ain’t nobody gonna light the world up but you. Of all the mass movements possible, the only one I hope for is this: that enough people awaken their light.

Finally, if you have the sense that human consciousness is evolving, as I do, then ask yourself what this really means. Don’t you have the sense that everything is just. . . so. . . old? All the partisan bickering, ethnic conflicts, morality policing, identity obsession, greed, personal ambition. . . I’m not saying I don’t sometimes fall prey to the same human foibles as the rest of us, but my God. . . It’s just so old. Have you ever looked at your assumptions, behaviors, and opinions and thought, “AGAIN???”. I know I have!

But. . . I have also seen things I never thought possible. The moment I stop beating the dead horse, it sprouts wings and carries me to a more beautiful realm. Reality is not a fixed thing. Maybe we are evolving to know how to navigate that. Dualistic thinking is an old and increasingly useless organ, like fins on land animals.

What is this evolution we’re going through? I don’t know, but I compare it to sea creatures coming on land. We’re entering a new medium. Yeah, we’ve still got these stupid fins. But have you noticed the new legs you’re starting to grow?

As night reaches its maximum, ride peacefully all the way to the bottom, where the light is reborn.

P.S. If you need some help in the emptying process, catch the replay of my FREE 1-hr Feeding Your Demons webinar. This is a simple and powerful shadow work process that changed my life. I hope it helps.

Alex Stein is a teacher, coach, astrologer, and shamanic sound healer. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the California Institute of Integral Studies in East-West psychology, in the hopes of finding a new language to bring awakened understanding into public discourse. To learn more, or book a session, visit Alex at https://www.twentyfirstcenturyalchemy.com/