Winter Solstice
An Acupuncturist's Reflections on the Winter Solstice and Holiday Grief. Written by Creative Programs and Communications Director for Sound and Memory, Lillianne Atlihan LAc.
The winter solstice is the nadir of the year, the longest night, the tipping point from which we gradually and inexorably move towards the summer solstice, and then back again. Calendar time is, after all, a circle. We have festivals and holidays at this time of year to celebrate the spark of light that shines in the long, dark nights. As an acupuncturist, I think of this also as the season of greatest yin.
What is yin? Yin is the counterpart to and co-substance of yang. Yang is animating, moving, warming, light. Yang is fire, summer and the sun. Yin is material substance. It is dark, cold, rest, and death. Yin is water, the moon, and winter. These two cannot exist without one another and are forever co-creating one another. In the context of Chinese metaphysics, the worldview from which Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emerges, their dynamic interplay creates all the phenomena of the world as we experience it.
TCM uses metaphors of nature to describe the internal experience of humans, and our relationship with the natural world. As I often say to my patients, despite the ways the culture and capitalism demand we shape our lives to human inventions like Clock Time, we cannot outrun our animal bodies. We are of the world, and our bodies were formed over countless ages. What does this have to do with the winter solstice and its yin nature? What does any of this have to do with grief or death work?
While we sometimes acknowledge that winter is a time to slow down, that’s impossible for lots of us because of the cultural and economic demands of the holidays. Sometimes, the delayed need for rest erupts as bodily illness that forces us to stop. Sometimes, grief itself is interwoven with the experience of the holidays and they become a source of dread, misery, or explosive tension. But from the perspective of TCM, the best thing we can do for our bodies and minds is to do as little as we must. At this time of year, trees have pulled all their sap deep into themselves to keep their heartwood nourished. This is not a time for growth. It is a time for honoring the sacred stillness of death. It is a time for deep rest.
From Sound and Memory, we wish you a peaceful and restful holiday season.
It’s that time of year when people are considering end of year giving
⭐️ Give the gift of music to the bereaved
⭐️ Support death positive public programs delivered through music
⭐️ Sponsor a person in need of death doula support (end of life planning and legacy building)
Make a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to Sound and Memory
