Solstice Stillness: Ancient Wisdom for the Holiday Season

Season 2: Episode 14: Solstice Stillness: Ancient Wisdom for the Holiday Season

In This Episode Kristin explores the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and how its ancient wisdom can help us navigate holiday overwhelm with more presence, rest, and grounding.

You’ll Learn

• What the solstice symbolizes and why cultures have honored it for thousands of years

• How its inward, reflective energy balances the outward busyness of the holidays

• Why winter naturally calls us to slow down, rest, and conserve energy

• Simple ways to weave solstice practices into your modern holiday season
  

Practices & Invitations

• Light candles or a fire with intention

• Use evergreens as symbols of resilience and renewal

• Pause for reflection or journaling

• Spend a few mindful minutes in nature

• Use sound, breath, or stillness to regulate your nervous system
  

Announcements

• Year Ahead Workshop in January

• Sound Sanctuary Retreat Boxes for at-home rest + ritual

• 2026 Tulum Retreat (Four Elements Retreats) — deposits opening soon
  

You don’t have to choose between celebration and stillness.

You get to honor both the light and the dark, the joy and the rest.

That balance is the true wisdom of the season.

Learn more at ⁠kristinsvets.com⁠

💻 Visit  ⁠Kristin’s website⁠ or connect via Instagram @kristinsvetscoaching⁠ 

🎧 Subscribe to the Abundant By Design Podcast for weekly inspiration and energetic alignment tools.

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Transcript

Season 2: Episode 14- Solstice Stillness: Ancient Wisdom for the Holiday Season

Hello, my friends, how are you handling the holiday chaos? I know we are right in the middle of it all and that made me want to bring up one of my favorite things that happens to fall in the middle of all of this holiday chaos and it is something ancient and somewhat mystical and what I see as profoundly necessary and something that we all can embrace. And that is the winter solstice. It's December 21st. It is the longest night of the year. So it's that moment when the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky before beginning its gradual return, which always makes me so happy. This window after the time change in early November until December 21st, especially living in Chicago, it's like the sun is setting all day long. And so I love knowing that that is about to switch and we're about to move into more light.

Something interesting about me is that every year I think about hosting a solstice gathering like having a women's circle or sound bath or something. So I just envision the whole experience of it right with candles and we're meditating and it's just this ritual of honoring this sacred turning point because I know people do it. These are held out there right? I see the value so clearly especially because it's during the season, during the holiday season, when everyone is just like running on fumes and just adding more and more to our already really full plates, right? And because of that, that's why I hesitate. I've thought about reaching out to some of my favorite studios that I partnered with and asking them, but then also for me, it's so close to Christmas. And I am busy. I might have family in town. I might be traveling. Other people are busy. And so then I always wonder, like, would anyone actually come? Would anyone, like, choose to pause in the middle of all the busyness to give ourselves the gift of deep sacred rest and even have it be an honoring of this moment that has been honored through ancient civilizations. It's an interesting like counterpoint to the holidays, right? Cause the holidays are like do more and be everywhere at once and shine bright. And winter solstice is slow down and rest and honor that it is the darkest 24 hour period of the year. So while I'm still navigating whether or not I'll host a formal solstice event someday, it's not happening this year, although I might be having a last minute sound bath over that weekend. I am so intrigued by the wisdom of it and the fact that it's such a cool, balancing practice to think about to bring in to everything else that is going on. So I just want to invite in the magic. I want you to invite in the magic of what the winter solstice is and just view it through a lens to experience this holiday season differently because it actually holds so much wisdom for us and we can honor it through all the other things that we're doing, but just through a deeper presence and a deeper awareness.

I do really feel like this longest night carries some ancient wisdom that we have forgotten and we get to honor both the joy of the holiday season and the sacred stillness of the solstice. So let's talk about what the solstice actually is and why cultures around the world have honored it for thousands of years. It does mark a moment when the Earth tilt is farthest from the sun. So of course that's why it's the shortest day or shortest day light and the longest night of the year. And what makes it so significant is that it is the turning point. From that moment forward, the days begin to lengthen, the light is returning and of course it slowly, but we feel that energetic shift. For ancient people, this was monumental because they didn't have heated homes or guaranteed electricity. And so the return of the sun wasn't just symbolic. It was literally survival. It meant that the warmth would be coming again. It meant that warmth is coming again and that crops would start to grow again and that life would flourish outside of, you know, whatever they had to do back in ancient times that actually was probably somewhat of a hibernation, right? And so there's all the monuments that I'm sure you've seen around the world. That's what Stonehenge is honoring. would, you can still gather at dawn to witness the sun rising over those stones. And those aren't just random buildings. These ancient cultures had this wisdom and even, I like to think that there were prayers within the way that they gathered and within the way they honored those moments. There's another one in Ireland that I can't think of the name of right now. But, you know, there's so many different historical things. That's actually even what the Yule log is about, right? So we hear that and see it, and I think it's, you know, kind of even laughed at in holiday celebrations. But it was a really important part of an ancient German practice and it was a festival. It was a 12-day festival that would bring good fortune for the year ahead and it included evergreens and so all of those things are actually hinted at in our modern holiday traditions. Decorating with evergreens, gathering around the firing candlelight. You know, even having big feasts with loved ones on our holidays, giving gifts. And so, yes, those also come from the historical practices around Christmas, around celebrating Hanukkah, around all of the other holiday and religious traditions that are there, but they all include this natural reverence for the cycles of nature and honoring this return of the light.

So what's so nice to bring that back into our awareness is that it reminds us that we're not separate from the seasons of nature. We are a part of them. And so when we honor them, when we bring it to the forefront and we can see it in the ways that we're actually doing things anyways, that allows us to live with more balance, more harmony, more awareness, and more presence. And that allows us to enjoy the holidays that much more, right? It's inviting you to remember why we celebrate in these profound moments of transition. Of course, we're celebrating for religious reasons but I mean also celebrating the change of seasons. And it's a promise that also has a spiritual fulfillment behind it, right? The promise that the light's returning, that warmth comes again, and that life just continues its eternal cycle. And we are supposed to live within those cycles. We are supposed to honor the season that we're in and the stage that we're in.

So how can we bring the ancient wisdom into our modern lives? And especially right now during the holiday season because it's the tension we're all living in and the holidays do require us to shine outwards, right? We are gathering and we're celebrating and we're giving and we're hosting and we are attending things and then we even like to like sparkle and perform right like holiday clothes for women there's always a lot more sparkle and fun to them. There's a beauty in that that I actually love how it connects to the fact that it's the darkest time of year because we are bringing in the energy of light to enlighten this darker time of year right. And at the same time, the natural energy of winter and the energy that the solstice is honoring is asking us to turn inward, to slow down, to even conserve our energy and to rest more deeply. And it is this great time to reflect rather than just produce.

So what if we don't actually think about these as opposites in this scenario? But that they are complimentary, right? That again, as we talked about in last week's episode, that the stillness gets to be a foundation and that in turn helps us shine so much brighter. So think about it even with nature, that every plant and every animal changes its rhythm according to the seasons. They align their rhythm with the seasons. So the trees let their leaves fall and then they enter this dormant state for winter and bears hibernate and bears hibernate. And even the earth feels like it's resting and restoring its energy beneath the surface for spring's renewal when we get all the flowers and the greenery comes back. And we've just convinced ourselves somehow as a culture that we're exempt from this. And we've decided that we have to be productive all of the time, there is no season for productivity. We should just operate at the same pace all year round, regardless of what our bodies and the natural world is telling us to do. So the solstice is just whispering this different truth to us, that you are not a machine, you are a living being, and you are connected to these cycles. So honoring them isn't a weakness, it is actually feeling the call and honoring the ancient wisdom that lives within you. And we get to hold both. We get to enjoy the gatherings and the celebrations of the holidays because it is one of the most important times of the year in spiritual and religious traditions. And within that, yes, create the space for the sacred stillness. And what I have noticed in my own practices is that when I give myself permission to honor this inward energy of winter, even while navigating the holiday commitments, which I love, everything shifts. I'm more present at the gatherings because I'm not running an empty. I have more to give because I've actually filled my own cup. And so that lets me hold space for joy because I've also held space for rest. And so that is my invitation to you is just to see it as a balance, not as a rejecting modern life, but as remembering ancient wisdom and bringing that into our celebrations, grounding it into our modern life, because it is a part of our natural cycle.

And so I do think it's interesting when we think about, you know, seasonal depression, and I know that is a really real thing for people, and I can't help but wonder if it isn't also coming from the fact that we weren't ever taught to honor how we feel differently in this time of year. And if there were more tools taught of how to honor it, that it isn't something that we just have to get through, we can learn how to nourish ourselves and hopefully offset some of that struggle. And don't get me wrong, I am a summer girl. I want all the sunlight and all the warmth. I'm not saying that I think that it's super fun or beautiful. I do not like being cold. I don't. And that is why this has been so important to me to learn how to honor it.

Okay, so let's talk about that from a practical perspective though, because how do you actually honor the solstice in your modern life? How do you bring this ancient wisdom into your daily reality, especially when it's the holiday season? We all have a lot going on. So some of the easy practices that are already happening in your life around the holidays that are also ancient traditions is something that I want to bring into your awareness so that you can see it as a winter solstice celebration, an honoring of the winter solstice, and that allows you to tap into the ancient wisdom that lives within you. It's an invitation to return to your true self and see it in all of the things that are going on anyways.

So of course, one of them is light and fire because for thousands of years, people have lit fires and candles on the solstice to honor the return of the sun. It was a powerful way to mark the moment. So on the evening of December 21st, or any night that feels right, just light candles in your home with that intention, or if you're using your fireplace and you light a fire, add the intention of watching the flames and reflecting on what you want to welcome back into your life. What warmth, what light, what energy do you want to cultivate as the days begin to lengthen? And you could even keep a candle burning throughout the day. That could be your own modern yule log, so to speak. And actually, I know some friends that do this anyways because they love the light, maybe they love the scent of the candles. And you could add this intention that it's a reminder that when the light persists, even through the longest night, we also have that lovely fire burning within us always.

We could do this with when we're doing our decorations for the holidays. Evergreens are brought into homes as a reminder that life continues, even in winter's depths, right? We can put up Christmas trees and they live on for a while. We bring nature into our home and we can add that extra intention behind it that when you pause and you really see the needles of the tree and you really breathe in the scent or if you're using evergreens in another way, just allow these to remind you that resilience is actually natural and that you too can remain vibrant even in these seasons of rest.

We gather with loved ones at the holidays and eat so much food, right? So back in ancient times, that was called a feast, right? They would have a solstice feast. And it's really one of humanity's oldest ways of marking sacred moments. And so we're already doing this anyways, but you don't need it to be a formal moment. It could just be that you're simply preparing a nourishing winter meal of root vegetables and warm soups or hearty breads and sharing it with people you care about. And as you eat together, you could be sharing intentions for the coming year or just even just expressing gratitude for the light that you've brought into each other's lives. I know that might be hard or awkward with family. I don't know that my boys would be game for that. But there are times with friends or with loved ones that you can bring that in and maybe it's just something that you reflect on internally for yourself.

And so that is the segue into the next part of just reflective stillness. So the solstice is this threshold that it's this moment between what was and what will be. So it just naturally creates a powerful time for reflection because when we have more darkness and we're going inward, that just feels like quiet contemplation, right? So if you can find some time to yourself to journal about what you're completing from this year and what patterns or beliefs you're ready to release and what wants to emerge, as the light returns. You don't need answers, you can just ask and listen. This is where all my favorite tools, meditation, breath work, sound healing, they can all be really powerful. They help you drop beneath the mental chatter and access your deeper wisdom.

Now, if you want support with this, if you didn't hear in the last episode, I did create a retreat in a box that has some sound healing tools and it has some guided practices and they are designed for these moments of sacred pause. I want each of you to start creating a sacred pause in your life every week, every day, however you can bring in like a mini retreat experience into your home, that is what I want for you. So I created these boxes, they could be gift boxes, it could be a gift to yourself so that you can create space for yourself even in the midst of these busy seasons. So you can find that on my website or you can just reach out to me on Instagram if you are interested in one of those sound sanctuary retreats in a box.

Now, other ways to continue to honor the solstice and bring it into modern day life is as simple as connecting with nature. And even though it's cold, and you've heard me say I don't like the cold either, but there is something powerful about being outside. And especially so on the solstice. So, you know, if you can take a walk in the winter landscape and notice how the bear trees reveal the architecture of their branches. Notice how the crisp air invites a deeper breathing and how the early darkness just creates a different quality of light. And if we have snow this year, that is always fascinating to me after it snows, how much quieter it is. I really actually want to dig into the science behind that because it's just such a beautiful softness that is going on outside. And you could even take care of nature during the winter. I think it's so cute to see at bird stores selling bird seed ornaments and leaving food outside for the birds when they are dealing with the harder part of nature. And I also have a question about that from a science perspective. So I'm like, oh, but then we're like yet we are helping, but then we're interfering in ways that, you know, can't they, don't they just naturally find it on their own? But we're also interfering because we build houses and live in their space. I'm not sure. Anyways, I think it's super cute. And it's again, a beautiful way to honor that connection during this darker season and that we're moving into something else. That the light is coming back.

And of course, you know, I'm not going to talk through all of this without talking about sound because sound creates sacred experiences. We can think of all of the indigenous traditions where drumming and chanting, they have been used throughout time to mark the solstice. And sound is just particularly powerful at thresholds because sound is so powerful that it helps us shift our energy and mark these significant moments. So whether that is singing or humming or playing a ball or simply just listening to music that moves you, use sound intentionally on the solstice. Let it recalibrate your nervous system and let it help you transition from one cycle to the next.

And speaking of transitions, after we honor the inward energy of the solstice, January is when we begin to consciously direct the energy towards the year ahead. So I decided that I am hosting a year ahead workshop. It'll be virtual. It's in January. And we will set intentions and create a vision energetically for the coming year. So it'll come from a place of alignment, not just like goal setting and hustle. And so after this solstice invites us inward, this is how we begin to move outward again with intention and with purpose. So I would love to have you join us for that. Check out my website. All of the details will be there to sign up and the date and time and everything is on the website.

And so just to close this out. I want to invite this sacred balance of the holidays and the solstice and what feels like opposite messages to me is actually deepening both of them because it's grounding them into something that feels just ancient and true and it is what's happening. You're giving yourself permission to honor the natural rhythm of winter and when you create this space for stillness, even in the midst of celebration, you are showing up better for everything else, for the gatherings, for your people, for the moments of joy and connection. And honestly, our ancestors understood that. I mean, maybe they didn't have the big celebrations that we have, but they definitely understood this celebrating the return of the light was something that just naturally made sense. They knew it was meaningful to honor the longest night. They knew that feasting together was nourishing their community because back then they also had fasted, right? They knew that the community gatherings were sacred because they had spent time in solitude. And it's just balanced. That's the wisdom, I think all of the seasonal markings, the two equinoxes and the two solstices, winter and summer, and then spring and fall equinoxes. It's a reminder of balance. That we're not all light, we're not all darkness, that we're not all doing, and of course we're not all resting, but we're finding our sacred rhythm between the two. And when we learn to move with this rhythm, with the season that we're in, we create a foundation that we get to create from a place of overflow.

Again, you discover that rest isn't the opposite of success. It is the foundation of success. And this is the deeper message in all of the work that I do. So in sound bass, in one-on-one work, and in even my retreat experiences. And I will tell you that that is the feedback I've received from so many women that come on my retreats, is they didn't know how powerful it was gonna be to be in stillness and hear their own voice. So I combine all of these things on my retreat, the sound baths, the mindfulness practices, some workshops, and the medicine of a place to help you reconnect with your own natural rhythms and to hear your inner wisdom. And so my retreats are designed for those of you that want to dive deeper into that. And if you've been feeling that call and you want to have some great connection with other women and immerse yourself in nature, and the four elements, and not just to temporarily relax you, but to teach your nervous system how to use these transformational tools, not just on the retreat, but in your everyday life. I would love to have you join us on one of our future retreats.

The first one that I know will be happening is in April of 2026. I will have a retreat in Tulum for four nights. It'll start on Wednesday, April 22nd. And April 22nd is Earth Day. So I'm also loving that. The name of my retreat business, I don't think I've announced that anywhere, is Four Elements Retreats. So we'll be using the Elements of Nature. We'll be in Tulum on the beach. And so we will have earth, water, fire, and air, and we will dive into all of that. So again, you can find all the details on my website. We will be taking deposits very soon. So if you want to reserve your spot, there are limited spaces. We're going to a small boutique luxury hotel. I am so super excited about it, and I would love for you to join us for that. And we'll have lots of sunlight then.

So in closing. As we move through these final weeks of the year and the holidays are swirling around us, I invite you to just try some little bits and pieces of this, right? Find your own way to honor the longest night, light a candle, sit in stillness, reflect on what you're completing and what you're calling in, and just connect with that ancient wisdom that lives within you that has guided humanity throughout infinite winters and know that this allows you to flip that thought switch of choosing between the busyness and stillness. No, you get to have both the joy of the holidays and deep sacred rest that the solstice reminds us to take. You can have both. You can celebrate and you can rest. You can gather and turn inward. You can shine brightly and be still. This is the balance that your soul is asking for. This is the wisdom that this season offers if we're willing to receive it. And so that's my invitation to you is to receive it.

So thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening. May you find your own sacred balance in the light and the dark and the doing and the being, in the celebrating and in the stillness. I wish all of you the very happiest holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, all of the other holidays that are being celebrated, we'll be taking off the week of Christmas. I'm not dropping a podcast on that Tuesday before Christmas, but I will be back the week in between because I would love to talk about visions for the new year. So until next time, have a beautiful holiday season, honor some moments of stillness, and remember that true abundance is success of the soul, sending you so much love.