Winter Solstice

Every Winter Solstice, our father and grandfather, Carlos Barrios, shared with us the teachings he had received from his Mam lineage teachers about this significant moment. 

They told him that during the Solstice, known in the K'iche' Maya language as Nuch Lu Pam Ri Q'ij, which means "the stomach of the sun is small", Father Sun settles in one of the corners of the sky, thus initiating a five-day period of rest. According to the teachings of the wise elders, in this time of Father Sun's rest, we too must pause. This position of the Sun gives us a moment of stillness and reflection that we transit according to the energies of the Cholq'ij, the Sacred Calendar of Life. 

This teaching, which came to us through oral tradition, made a lot of sense when we saw that it could be confirmed by observing nature. If we pay attention, we can see that during this time the trees drop their leaves and take a time of pause, various animals retire to hibernate and even the sun itself takes a few days of rest. But, in these modern times, we expect to be productive all the time, we put pressure on ourselves to be active. However, everything around us is teaching us that quietness and time to connect with our being are also essential. Let us use these five days as a valuable tool to recharge and explore our inner selves. 

We will be sharing the energies that emerge with each of these five days so that, as the grandmothers and grandfathers say, we can all walk this Solstice time in harmony with the Cholq'ij. 

During these five days, we can take a moment during the sunset to make a meditation. Light white, yellow and red candles with the purpose of kindling the Sacred Fire, which acts as the light that illuminates us during this period in which we turn inward. 

Have a beautiful Solstice! 

~Eline and Denise