As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to dread this time of year. This time around, however, December has been pretty amazing. It’s also been incredibly busy and full of hustle and bustle and socializing and some delicious experimentation. I’ve been enjoying myself and loving life.

Photo by graywacke/A Landing a Day

I have, however, noticed a certain theme coming to my attention more than normal: that this time of year is ‘supposed’ to be about quiet, silence, reflection, ‘going inside,’ etc. I agree — normally I’m all about those things, especially right around now. But this year the hustle and bustle has felt good. I haven’t felt like I’ve been missing anything.

I went to a ‘sacred sexuality’ gathering this past weekend. It’s a group I’ve been meaning to attend for a few years, but hadn’t due to timing and apathy and general hesitance to walk into situations where I can’t gauge what the energy will be. The focus of the group this time around was “the fallow time,” and we just did some really simple ritual. Nothing at all sexy, although it was quite intimate.

When the lights went down for the ritual and the silence began, the simple candlelight brought me into that familiar light trance feeling. I realized there, in a small group of strangers, that I have been neglecting the inner in favor of the outer and that it’s important that I change that. I sank into how good the silence felt. Listening to a poem. Listening to personal offerings from my fellow ritualists. I just remained silent.

I realized that I had an instinct at the beginning of the month to plan for the last two weeks of the year to be quiet and reflective in honor of the torrent of change that has been 2014 (And much of 2013 too, for that matter. Well, shit. I guess it goes back to like 2009?). Time for integration and healing and hopefully some long steeps in tubs of hot water.

I also realized that I haven’t really committed at this point to doing anything like that at all. I see myself happiest in the forest with maybe a friend or lover and a lot of silent simplicity. I could probably keep rushing through the month and be just fine (although I can feel my immune system starting to disagree with that), but there are several astrological events in the next week or so that are such fantastic opportunities for ritual, intention setting, reflection and honoring of all that has happened this year.

I am hard pressed to let opportunities like these go by unmarked. The solstice, New Moon in Capricorn, and Uranus stationing direct all happen in the same day (today!). And then there’s that blessed event I’ve been giggling about for a month now — Saturn getting the hell out of Scorpio. Hooray!

Writing a weekly column on the topic of ‘spirituality’ has been an interesting adventure for the past six months. Most weeks I can find a thread that sparks my heart and makes the words flow. This week, however, I’ve felt a flatness whenever I try to write. Or a lack of time when inspired to write about something more in depth that could use some academic backup or research. I’ll admit, sexy explorations have trumped writing this week. My heart (and my body) is quite happy about that.

So in light of the above, and in reverence for the fact that we are heading into a week during which the astrology is inviting us to re-frame our narratives, as both Ms. Painter and Mr. Wallick have said, I have an invitation for myself and for any of you who’d like to join in.

Let’s make a point of reflecting in the next week, shall we? Perhaps that means an exploration into the events of the year and a re-collection so that we can begin the integration process. Perhaps it’s something deeper than that, an inquiry into our shadows and attachments so that we can consciously let things go during this potent phase. How can we reframe our personal stories, and how have we? How can we celebrate that?

Next week I’ll share with you what I’ve learned. I’m grateful for a forum like this that promotes accountability. I’d invite you also to share something about what you learn in the process, at whatever level you’re comfortable with. We have a wonderful container here at Planet Waves, and there’s nothing quite like the power of being witnessed.

May you find joy, comfort, silence, or whatever it is you need at this time.