The Christian season of Advent, which includes the four Sundays prior to Christmas, comes from much older folk practices. Many European cultures observed the moon cycle leading up to the winter solstice as a time of preparation, anticipation & laying down seed for "the coming" light.

Advent season invites us to step away from and counter the frenzy of consumer holidays. Capitalism encourages excess, work, gluttony and striving. It becomes harder to find the rest, stillness and quiet during the darkest time of the year.

Advent is an opportunity to slow down, practice quietude and reflection, commune with silence, rest in stillness and behold the mystery of darkness as we faithfully await "the coming" of the light. It would benefit us greatly if we intentionally reclaimed the ancestral values of self-restraint and reflection that once epitomized this holy season.

To honor the roots of this indigenous European observance we will gather together in silence on the four Sundays leading up to Winter Solstice for one hour in restful contemplation, prayer or meditation. How you choose to engage in silence is up to you. We also invite you to bring a candle to light at the beginning of your practice.

DATES:

• Nov. 27th,  8-9pm EST
• Dec. 4th,  8-9pm EST
• Dec. 11th,  8-9pm EST
• Dec. 18th,  8-9pm EST

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Please come into the space with your mic muted.
• If you have your video on, we invite you to be in a dark space for the duration of your practice with your candle lit.
• There will be no speaking or facilitation. This is a space to simple BE in silent communion together.

MEDITATION PRACTICES TO CHOOSE FROM:

Below I offer a few ideas of ways that you might like to engage in silence. Simply read over the list and sense if one of these practices call to you. For any of the practices offered you might like to begin in this way:

Find a comfortable seated posture and come into complete stillness. Simply notice any tendancy to want to move or fidget. Allow your spine to be tall and lifted as though suspended while the lower part of your body descends into gravity's embrace. Invite your body to relax as your breath becomes gentle, soft and consistent.

• Flame Gazing: stare into the flame as you contemplate the power of your own inner light and how you can share that light with others
• Courting the Heart: Breathe into and touch with tenderness your energetic heart space. Rest there in your inner home.
• Rooting: Turn your awareness to the base of your posture at your sit bones. Invite your awareness to anchor here at the root. Sense into the aliveness of this connection as you allow gravity to receive you. Allow your lower body to become heavy as it merges with the ground and your heart/spine lengthen toward the sky like a tree.
• Body Scan: beginning at the base of your posture, ideally at the feet, use your awareness to scan every part of your body. For example, you might begin with the big toe and sense the entirety of your toe from the inside out. Move to the next toe, and so on. Allow your awareness to rest within and explore every part of your body.

If at any point your mind wanders, which surely it will, you can simply come back to the anchor practice.

WINTER SOLSTICE CEREMONY

• We will also be hosting a Winter Solstice Ceremony leading up to our Silent Beholding on December 18th from 7-8pm. You can register here to join us for that: https://www.wayofbelonging.com/event-details/winter-solstice-ceremony-silent-beholding-1