In the interesting of continuing ‘the Pagan agenda,’ I am writing this blog to bring awareness to the upcoming Winter Solstice which will take place Monday, December 21, 2009 at 9:47 in the morning Pacific Standard Time.

The Winter Solstice may be thought of as the “new moon” of the year, a time of seed-planting. At this point–just after the longest night on the 21st–the days will begin to get longer, ushering in the proverbial light. Many people perform rituals or simply hold intentions in their heads at the new moon each month. The Solstice contains a similar spirit, but in a way it is the seed-planting for the entire year. This is, at least how the Mayans saw it. Perhaps that is why the traditionally accepted end date of their calendar was December 21, 2012–Winter Solstice time.

This year’s Solstice is a particularly potent one whether you follow (sidereal/vedic) astrology or the Mayan calendar.

Firstly, it occurs in the middle of a Mars station (Mars stations retrograde on the 20th so its arc of influence is a few days on either side of that date). When a planet stations direct or retrograde its energy hangs heavier in the sky and has a more intense (strongly felt) influence.

This is also a “13″ energy in the Mayan tzolkin calendar, therefore the highest “ascension” energy. For me this is personal because it will be “13 Kan” (or 13 Lizard). Kan happens to be my Mayan Day Sign. This energy will nevertheless affect everyone and set a tone for the year. Kan or Lizard represents heightened creativity as well as sexual energy (seeing as both emanate from the same place and require the same type of flow). It is a year to focus on your personal creativity and how you can best create.

At this time Jupiter and Neptune will be in a conjunction and Venus, Pluto and the Sun in a loose (within five degrees) conjunction, setting up more powerful energies. The Jupiter and Neptune energies together tend to produce the feeling of being “blissed out,” for lack of better terms. This combo is rife with the energy of optimism and idealism. Venus, Pluto and the Sun will likely conspire to produce a sense of reinvention, breakdown and breakthrough–both in yourself and the ones you love (or your values).

This is the best day of the year (I’m actually already attributing these configurations to 2010) to plant seeds. Meditate or do whatever makes you centered: housework, gardening, hiking, exercise, golfing, whatever…but be open to receiving the thoughts of what your soul’s true intentions are. What do you REALLY want?

This first step is really important because without it, you cannot know what will bring you passion and passion is a necessary ingredient for manifesting whatever. Once you have done that, put your intentions out there.

A lot of self-helpy people tell you to write this down. Personally I find that to be a load of crap (unless you’re doing it casually like in a journal and not writing an ordered list). I find that keeping the flow of ideas in your head (rather than putting it “out there”) is what works. Somehow when you write it down, it loses a little of the push. I’m not saying nothing can happen but part of the energy dissipates. This is why many of the great and powerful secret societies passed information and wisdom on through word of mouth. Something happens when you write something down–it becomes indoctrination, expectations ensue, etc.

My plan is to go macro/micro in my intentions. I want to start with a personalized creative intention for the world in 2010. ‘Peace on Earth’ seems like wasted assertion to me–and it’s loaded with phoniness. If you REALLY want peace on earth, manifest an area, an invention, an energy flow that might create that, rather than uttering the words with self-aggrandizing glee, “Peace on Earth.”

Next I would think about my friends and family and how I’d like to see them in 2010–what their dreams are and how this could happen. Then I’m going to go into my personal intentions.

At that point I am going to completely let go of all of it–of thinking of any part of my intentions until at least New Year’s Eve. Why then? Because that’s another landmark energy day–a full moon eclipse in sidereal Gemini. At that point, I will begin to see some of my intentions sprout up into what I like to call “mini-festations.” These are minor outward signs like finding a dollar when you were intending a lot of unexpected money coming your way or being invited on a road trip when you were intending a free trip to Europe or something. When these sprout up–on the lunar eclipse–I can then decide if I still want to bring those things in my life or to block them with opposite (new) intentions.

If I do still want those manifestations in my life, I can begin to take a (small) role in their activation at the full moon eclipse. This doesn’t mean pushing and “making” something happen. It means getting creative about related intentions. For instance, if you manifest that trip to Europe and get the mini-festation of being invited on a road trip locally, you might plant new intentions of getting invited to a special opening party in Europe (so it relates to you original, larger intention).

Anyway, that’s my two cents. After some of the insane things that have (very literally) manifested after my japa meditations (japa being akin to mantras), I am a full-time, life-long believer. I wish you all the best of luck on the Solstice. Put it out there and enjoy!

Posted by Shana Ting Lipton