RCG-I Seasonal Salon

A Gift in the Void

At winter solstice we celebrate, among other things, our journey into the void, to the place between death and life, between endings and new beginnings, the place of pause, the place of resting, the place of infinite possibility.

This year as our local circle gathered to celebrate winter solstice, I lit a candle for my aunt who was in the midst of her own transition between life and death, between endings and new beginnings. I lit a candle to honor her life, to honor her transition, to send energetic support in her transition. Together we sent love and blessings and strength and courage, that she might face whatever fears still needed facing, that she might resolve any issues that still needed resolving, that she might go in her own time, and that she might go in peace, in gentleness and ease.

At the beginning of the day, we had all lit candles to name ourselves into the circle. By the end of the day, her candle was one of the last to go out. I found out later that she passed over and entered the void around the time we opened our circle for the day.

Personally, I had been energetically holding her for several days, knowing her transition was near. I called in others to join me in the last couple of days. Ultimately, I was humbled by the timing of her passing, coinciding with the opening of sacred space in which she was honored and supported. I know that others in my family were also supporting her. Her husband, brother and children were visiting her, supporting her physically. Others were praying christian prayers for her. And yet I can not shake the feeling that what we were doing was very different and that it filled a gap that could not be filled by others.

I believe the timing of her passing was a validation of the work we were doing. Unlike christian prayers that were calling on a higher power to take care of her, we were energetically empowering my aunt in the final days of her life. We were empowering her to do the healing work she needed to do before she passed. We were empowering her to choose the timing of her death. We were empowering her not because we held the power, but because we know the significance of empowerment. We were able to help her reclaim part of herself that others may not have even realized she needed.

Part of what sets us apart as Goddess wimmin is the recognition of the cycles and the seasons, knowing that endings are also beginnings, knowing that there is life even in the void. Part of what sets us apart is the knowledge that we work in partnership with Her, we are not subservient to Her. We are not simply receptacles of divine power, we are active co-creators of our own destiny. We hold that balance of awe of being in Her presence with the knowledge that She honors us when we work with Her. And that changes us. Whether it be at an early age of our life or at that point of transition from life to death, Her recognition and partnership with us changes us. And when we help others step into that place, we offer a gift that few others can offer.