Winter Solstice: The Quiet Turning Point


Welcoming Winter!

Hi Reader,

As December unfolds, we arrive at one of the most sacred turning points of the year: the Winter Solstice. The longest night. The deepest dark. And quietly, almost imperceptibly, the return of the light.

Winter invites us into a different rhythm. The world around us slows. Nature rests. The noise softens. And we are invited to do the same -- not to disengage from life, but to listen more deeply within it. This is the season of the North on the Heart Compass: a direction of wisdom, guidance, and inner knowing.

For many, this time of year brings mixed emotions -- gratitude and grief, relief and weariness, hope and uncertainty. If you’re feeling reflective and restless, thoughtful and ready for something to shift, you’re not alone. Winter doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out. It asks us to return to center, so that we carry forward into the new season that which is rooted, aligned, and true.

Whether you’re new here or have been walking alongside me for years, I’m grateful you’re part of this community as we welcome this new season together.

💞 Returning to Center Before Moving Forward

Our culture often treats the end of the year as a sprint -- wrap things up, set goals, make plans, push through. But winter offers a wiser invitation.

Before movement comes grounding.
Before clarity comes listening.
Before action comes discernment.

Returning to center is not about stopping your life or delaying change. It’s about creating the conditions for wise movement. When we don’t pause to listen inward, we risk carrying exhaustion, misalignment, or old patterns straight into the new year. But when we take time to reconnect with what matters most -- our values, our energy, our deeper longings -- we move forward with greater confidence and peace of mind.

The North direction of the Heart Compass reminds us that guidance doesn’t always arrive as answers. Often, it shows up as a felt sense. A quiet knowing. A nudge toward what feels steady, honest, and life-giving.

This is why discernment matters, especially for those in mid-late career and life seasons who are sensing change but don’t want to rush into the wrong next step. Discernment helps us separate urgency from truth, fear from wisdom, and pressure from calling.

As the year turns, winter invites us to ask not “What should I do next?” but
“What wants to be honored before I move forward?”


📚 RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Something to Participate In: Returning to Center for 2026: A Kinder, Gentler Start for the New Year

A great way to ease into 2026 with in-person and online options. See more info below in Upcoming Offerings

🎧 Something to Listen To: 15-Minute Recorded Meditation: Stillness & Harvest

A short, guided meditation designed for this season—offering space to reflect on what the year has held, what has been gathered, and what is ready to rest.
Perfect for a quiet morning, an evening pause, or a moment of grounding before sleep. Listen here (starts at 1.35 min mark).

Something as Practice: A Winter Solstice Ritual & Prayer

A simple, meaningful practice to mark the Solstice -- honoring darkness and light, release and rebirth. A blessing and ritual for the first day of winter based on the Celtic tradition. It is written to be done at sunrise, but could also be done at sunset starting with the north and ending in the west. Download here.

❄️ UPCOMING OFFERINGS

💫 Returning to Center for 2026: A Kinder, Gentler Start to the New Year

A half-day retreat offering spacious reflection, guided practices, and creation of your own Personal Heart Compass for the year ahead. If the usual hoopla of resolutions, big dreams, and high-pressure goals feels a bit too overwhelming, I invite you to join us for a kinder, gentler approach to beginning the new year.

  • Online: Sunday, January 11
  • In-Person: Saturday, January 10

This retreat is for anyone who wants to begin the year grounded, aligned, and intentional -- without rushing into resolutions.

Click on photos below to learn more and register.

🌅 Free Consult – Your Next Chapter: Gaining Clarity in Mid-Late Career

A complimentary conversation for those feeling at a crossroads and wanting support discerning what’s next -- without pressure or premature decisions.


💚 PRACTICE OF THE MONTH

As you move through the days of winter, you might sit with one or two of these questions:

  • What is asking to rest, release, or soften as this year comes to a close?
  • What inner wisdom or guiding value wants more room in my life right now?
  • What do I want to carry forward into the new year with greater care and intention?
  • What is one small, grounded step that feels aligned -- not rushed -- for the season ahead?

You don’t need to know the whole path forward. Winter reminds us that clarity unfolds in its own time -- and that returning to center is often the most faithful first step.

May you find space to breathe deeply and be fully present for this season of returning light with the solstice and all the holiday traditions.

Blessings,

Lisa

Lisa Beacham
Coach | Spiritual Director | Workshop Leader

www.lisabeacham.com

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Wisdom of the Heart

Wisdom of the Heart provides inspiration and resources for living life with deeper meaning and purpose as you navigate life’s transitions. As a coach and spiritual director, Lisa helps accomplished, spiritually minded people in mid-late career who feel burned out, empty and stuck to reconnect with their purpose, gain clarity about what they most desire and transition to their next fulfilling career or into a thriving retirement with confidence and peace of mind.

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