{"id":173,"date":"2011-12-21T10:56:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-21T10:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2011\/12\/solstice-meditation\/"},"modified":"2011-12-21T10:56:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-21T10:56:00","slug":"solstice-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2011\/12\/solstice-meditation.html","title":{"rendered":"Solstice Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H1BwN1_jaDE\/TvIPDMx-LPI\/AAAAAAAAAwE\/l5wliNyJjLs\/s1600\/00+road+to+the+Yukon.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-H1BwN1_jaDE\/TvIPDMx-LPI\/AAAAAAAAAwE\/l5wliNyJjLs\/s400\/00+road+to+the+Yukon.jpg\" width=\"400\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Tonight is the longest night.  As we wait in anticipation for the rebirth of the Sun at dawn, it\u2019s helpful to contemplate where we have been and where we are going in the coming year.  <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to recognize and celebrate your successes.  You have accomplished much, perhaps more than you realize.  Name your triumphs and mark your progress.  They aren\u2019t isolated to this year \u2013 they\u2019re an investment in your future.  Build on them as you continue on your chosen path.<\/p>\n<p>But make sure you haven\u2019t forgotten something important \u2013 is there something you\u2019ve left behind you will need?<\/p>\n<p>What have you learned about balance and moderation?  Does your spiritual practice make you feel good?  Does it also equip and inspire you to make the world a better place?  Take care that your achievements don\u2019t cause you to withdraw from the Great Work.<\/p>\n<p>Our dreams can inspire us and show us possibilities we didn\u2019t recognize.  But at some point we must make a choice and begin the work of turning one vision into reality.  There will be forks in your path.  Do your homework, make a decision and then move forward boldly.  Remember, you\u2019re striving for real growth and true prosperity.  Even if you\u2019re sure you\u2019re right, make sure the prize is worth the fight.<\/p>\n<p>The path may be rocky and the way uncertain, but you know where you need to go.  The load will be heavy, but you are strong enough.   You have wisdom to gain and wisdom to share.  <\/p>\n<p>When the time for contemplation ends, the time to act begins.<\/p>\n<p>May the blessings of the reborn Sun be with you and in you in the coming year.  Happy Solstice.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tonight is the longest night. As we wait in anticipation for the rebirth of the Sun at dawn, it\u2019s helpful to contemplate where we have been and where we are going in the coming year. It\u2019s important to recognize and celebrate your successes. You have accomplished much, perhaps more than you realize. Name your triumphs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Solstice Meditation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tonight is the longest night. 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