The Solstice Reindeer
Bring enchantment back into the holiday season
Goodness. We are in the midst of one of the busiest times of year - the holiday season. This is certainly a season of “more” - more stuff, more food, more travel, more parties, more indulgences. You may already be dreaming of January when you can get back on track with your healthy habits. Me too.
The Holiday Machine
This season of consumerism, blinking lights and the hustle and bustle of the holiday chaos calls up resistance deep within me instead of joy. I find myself feeling resentful of the machine that tells us what to do on certain dates on the calendar.
Do we really require cards, chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day to know we are loved? Now that I have done the work to finally know how to properly fuel my body, I have no desire to spend hours cooking a feast so I can stuff myself on Thanksgiving with too many carbs. As someone who made the choice not to have children Mother’s Day is particularly othering. The calendar is full of obligations and “shoulds.” I no longer want to “should” on myself.
Instead, I’ve been thinking about how to bring more enchantment back into the season. What does it really take to make the season “merry and bright?” Here is what I’ve come up with: Laughter. Quality time with loved ones. Meaningful family traditions that honor our ancestors. Ceremonies and rituals to connect us back to our nature and our spirituality.
The Christmas season is about being present, not the number of presents under the tree.
Unlearn Your Way to Happiness
Winter calls us into a time of rest and hibernation. My soul wants to slow down, not run around. I want to wrap myself in cozy blankets, not wrap presents. I want to be surrounded by my nearest and dearest kin, both human and more-than-human making memories. I want to go inward vs. out there where everything is so people-y and rushed. Can you relate?
So how do we bring more enchantment back into the season?
I invite you to unlearn holidays and embrace seasonality. What can you let go of that feels like an obligation based on the calendar? Even a small tweak can make a big difference. Could you redirect the money you would spend on gifts to create shared experiences instead? What could you do instead that would feel more magical? The possibilities are endless if we pause to listen to what our spirit knows. One of the paths to our inner knowing is through guided meditation.
The Imaginal Realm
The imaginal realm is a powerful place. I am a visual person who can easily drop into my imagination through a guided meditation. For years this has been one of the ways I travel to the place that chose me.
I was not raised in this place. I have never lived there or anywhere near it, and yet when I stepped on the land well over a decade ago, I felt closer to God there than anywhere else on earth. That moment felt like coming home deep in my bones even though it made no logical sense. Somehow, I knew I was chosen to steward that particular forest. I lovingly call this place Serenity Ridge. It is where I go to recharge, to make weird art, to write, to just be quietly in nature.
At this point in my life, I am only able to visit there physically a few times per year, but I can journey there whenever I want in my imagination. Every time a guided meditation asks me to go to a familiar place where I feel safe and loved, there I am at Serenity Ridge. It feels as real as if I were actually standing on the land. For that I am grateful.
The Solstice Reindeer
On a recent guided meditation, I was once again asked to return to a familiar place of safety. When I opened the door of my imagination and stepped on the land at Serentiy Ridge I felt the cold winter air on my skin. It was a dark night, yet the stars were bright, and Grandmother Moon was putting on a show with her fullness.
At first, I was there alone just taking it all in - the stillness, the air on my skin, the stars twinkling in the inky sky, the moon shining just above the treetops. Then, I heard a snort. I turned my head and saw a large reindeer walking toward me, his hooves crunching on the hardpacked snow as he approached.
I looked on without fear as this large being moved closer and closer until he was standing just a foot away from me. He snorted once again, and I could see his warm breath in the cold night air.
I put my hand out to greet him and his head nodded beckoning me to approach. As I moved slowly toward him, I could smell an earthy musk that felt ancient and wild. I put my hand on his wide strong neck and slowly began to stroke his fur. It felt course and yet held a softness and warmth.
We stayed like this for a while in the quiet night. No words were exchanged. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a mixture of corn, grain and pomegranate seeds. He eagerly ate from my palm handful by handful. His muzzle felt velvety in my hand as he munched.
Throughout this entire exchange what I remember most was his eyes. They were a deep amber with flecks of gold that twinkled in the winter light. There was a steadiness in them, a wisdom that was unhurried and present. His gaze asked nothing of me. I felt calm, at peace and fully seen.
The Message of Enchantment
Soon I was guided to leave this place once again to return back to my body and to reality. As I returned to the present world, the word “enchantment” rose within me. As Sharon Blackie says in her book The Enchanted Life, “Enchantment isn’t about magical thinking; it is about being fully present to the world.”
“Enchantment isn’t about magical thinking; it is about being fully present to the world.” Sharon Blackie
The message was clear. To bring more enchantment back into the holidays we must slow down and be fully present. That deep sense of calm, peace and being full seen was a gift from the reindeer to reminded me how I want to show up for others and myself today and every day.
Enchantment is available to us every day regardless of the actual day on the calendar. Enchantment offers a delicious invitation to listen to our own deep knowing to create meaning in the mundane. It invites us to remember who we are in our bones. It beckons us to approach life with a sense of childlike curiosity, wonder and awe.
A Winter Solstice Blessing
On this night, may the stillness of winter open a doorway within you.
May a glimmer of enchantment find you.
May the reindeer step softly into your inner landscape,
hooves silent on the snow of your imagination,
breath warm as a lantern in the dark.
May he carry the old magic in his fur,
the kind that smells of lichen, frost, and distant starlight.
May his presence remind you that wonder is not a story you outgrow,
but a doorway that opens when you pause long enough to feel it.
As he gazes at you with those deep, amber-dark eyes,
may you remember the part of yourself that still trusts mystery.
May you feel the quiet blessing he offers,
a steadiness, a knowing, a gentle nudge toward the path
that shimmers just beyond your ordinary sight.
And as the Solstice dawn begins its slow return,
may you walk forward with a touch of the reindeer’s magic in your soul,
a spark of enchantment in your step,
knowing that to bask in the warmth of light,
we must also appreciate the magic of the dark.
May it be so. Frolic on.
NEW Online Event: Live in Alignment with the Snow Moon
Each month I lead a guided journaling practice to help you live in alignment with the moon. This event is free and open to anyone who would like to know more about how to work with the upcoming lunar cycle through the lens of eco-spirituality.
Attend in person to gift yourself time to actually do this practice while you enjoy sharing the experience in community with others. Recordings are available as a benefit to paid subscribers.
Join me on Friday, January 16th at 4:00 pm eastern on Zoom for a 45-minute guided journaling practice to set your intentions with the Snow Moon lunar cycle. Bring a journal or a large piece of paper and something to write with. Let’s frolic!
In addition to writing, Barbara Doane is a soul-aligned career coach and entrepreneurial doula. She works with individuals one-on-one to help them find clarity of purpose and birth their ideas out into the world. Work with Barbara to create a life that regenerates instead of depletes your soul. Our time here is limited. Stop waiting for “someday.” It’s time to Find Your Frolic today
