Today marks another new cycle and change of seasons as we welcome in the Winter Solstice (for the Northern Hemisphere and Summer Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere) of 2013. This brings the end of the old year’s cycle, as we begin anew, and provides a supportive time to make leaps in consciousness by moving within to shine your light, as the light lessens on this shortest day/longest night of the year (or longest day of the year for you Southern Hemisphere folks).

We’ve been continuing to clear in preparation for new and more natural ways of living from our highest and likely you’ve been experiencing heightened awareness of all things in your life through varying ways of experiencing these, relative to each, and coming to feel more self alignment and merging taking place.

This is creating an upsurge of excitement, as you feel the energy field welcoming you into your truth more than ever.

Where ever you are in your journey, is perfect, and likely you have that sense, even if moving through the “ick” still, that there’s something different this time in the experience.

I simply would encourage you to let go, do what ever you can to maintain your own inner balance and harmony so that you can vibrate at your own relaxed and natural personal frequency, and compassionately realize that you are different than everyone else and therefore you only need to exercise your own sovereign free will and lovingly allow them to do the same.

More and more you will be experiencing, embodying, and emanating so much more light, which is not to be feared, but to be celebrated.

Through this Winter Solstice “gateway” you can be mindful of this turn of seasons to be more soul driven and may feel called to take some moments to honor this flowing change of life cycles. Perhaps creating a special sacred space or ritual act to honor the “return of light” that this Solstice is reminding us.

Candles and crystals come to mind when I think of ways you might symbolically create that space, or perhaps simply envisioning and imagining (imagination is a powerful tool) the light and inner fire of your heart and soul expanding and filling your entire body and emanating out and joining with the light of our Great Central Sun, allowing yourself to take up more space and be who you really are.

This calls to mind Candle Quartz (sitting with me right now), which is a newer crystal friend (from Madagascar) in my own experience that feels so perfectly aligned for this day and the new energies in general. She instantly had called my attention despite, and because of, her imperfect perfections – more inconspicuous, natural, and with an opening chip at her point which is self-healed, creating a doorway for her inner light to flow out of. She reminded me of the importance of standing in the knowingness of your divinity EXACTLY AS YOU ARE.

Since we are talking about that “return of light”, reflected from within by embracing all of who you are, these crystals came to mind.

I have found these crystals to carry such a sweet energy that is like that inner, loving glow, which has power in its grace and gentle tenderness. But it also feels very aligned with our need to shine brighter than ever, and can be a perfect companion to support that with loving nudges.

Candle Quartz is a light-bringer for the planet and for those assisting the Earth to change vibration. It brings hope and also your guardian angel closer, highlights your soul purpose, enhances intuition, and attracts abundance – bringing a sense of abundance in every day life, opening one spiritually and energetically to abundance and prosperity.

It is also good for working in a group, as it radiates love, creating harmony.

Candle Quartz brings healing to the hurt inner child, helps to heal ancestral lines, and karmic inheritance. It dissipates feelings of oppression, depression, and despair, while creating tranquility and confidence.

These sweet crystals teach you that you are never truly alone, when you connect to the core of divine love in your inner being. Independence, heart healing, and feeling good about your body are also benefits to the energy they can support you with.

Candle Quartz is a stone of insight leading you to a greater knowing and understanding of yourself, as it helps you to look inside and discover who you really are, what your individual mission is, and the path that will assist you with that. It will also illuminate and clarify issues and challenges by transforming uncertainty into hope.

There is also the benefit of increased tranquility they can help you to experience by enhancing your confidence and sensitivity.

If sense of balance is what you’re needing (which we all need more of) it will help to create that sense of balance between the physical and mental, as well as harmonize the higher vibrational energies of the light body. And although Candle Quartz has high energy, they also ground energy so the energy of the higher planes can be brought into reality and every day life, which is excellent for manifesting the spiritual into the physical.

They are very good tools for channeling and they are holders and keys to stored information including Akashic records.  Candle Quartz brings strength, vitality, healing to the heart, and are great for grid work in your sacred or healing space.

Candle Quartz was first found in Madagascar, but some have also been found in Russia. They merge two aspects of quartz together making them embodiments of the best of both worlds – they have a strong main shaft and single point for focusing energy, but also have clusters (many, many tiny points) that have grown around the point so that they can receive and give energy from all directions at once. They derive their name from the fact that they look like a candle that has wax drippings all around it.

This heart stone (which opens, balances, and soothes the heart chakra) is also sometimes known as Pineapple Quartz or Atlantean Lovestar. The latter name comes from their being said to bring ancient knowledge from Atlantis, which you can access through meditation. Legends say that they were given as heart gifts in Atlantis.

It is considered a mysterious crystal with a very gentle, but strong and persistent energy.

You don’t need a Candle Quartz to be a source of light, as you already are and always have been – you just haven’t recognized this. Yet all the things we do symbolically and otherwise, can help us to remember, integrate, and consistently stay in our highest frequency so that we may flow more gracefully with the cycles of life, just as the nature of reality and the Earth does.

However you choose to celebrate this Solstice, I hope you will (if you haven’t already) start celebrating your soul truth by standing in the light of who you are.