Winter Solstice 2026

An Online Gathering for Reflection, Release & New Beginnings

WINTER SOLSTICE GATHERING
Sunday, December 20, 2026 • 3–6 pm EST • Online
Sliding Scale: $25 | $35 | $45 | Choose Your Own
Attend all or part of the gathering. Recording included.

The Winter Solstice marks a threshold between darkness and returning light, a natural moment to pause before stepping into a new year.

Join me for a soulful and creative gathering as we reflect on the journey of 2026, release what we no longer wish to carry, and honor the seeds we want to continue nurturing in the year ahead.

Through guided meditation, mandala making, reflection, and ritual, we’ll create space for what has been and listen for what wants to emerge next.

Honor the journey you’ve made.
Release what you’re ready to leave behind.
Nurture what you want to carry forward.

A Threshold Moment

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year.

For centuries, people have marked this turning point by gathering, lighting fires, and honoring the gradual return of the light.

We’ll create our own threshold together.

We’ll look back at the year with compassion, acknowledging the joys, challenges, changes, losses, discoveries, and unexpected turns that became part of our journey.

Then we’ll turn our attention toward what comes next.

Not with a list of resolutions or pressure to reinvent ourselves, but with curiosity:

What has taken root in my life?
What am I ready to release?
What seeds do I want to continue nurturing in 2027?

What We’ll Experience Together

Release Through a Guided Soul Journey

I’ll guide you through a meditation that includes an inner fire ceremony, offering a symbolic way to release experiences, patterns, or energy you don’t wish to carry into the new year.

There is nothing you need to force or figure out. Simply bring what is ready to be acknowledged and let the fire do its work.

Creative Time for Reflection & Intention

We’ll set aside spacious creative time to reflect on the year behind us and prepare for the year ahead.

You may choose to create a Seed of Life mandala using colors, words, patterns, or symbols to reflect on the seeds you planted in 2026 and what you want to continue nurturing in 2027.

Or you may use this quiet time to write your 13 Wishes, allowing the reflections and meditation from our gathering to help you listen for what you truly want to call into the year ahead.

A printable Seed of Life mandala will be included with your gathering materials, or you’re welcome to draw your own.

There is no right way to use this time. Follow what is calling for your attention.

Begin the 13 Wishes Ritual

If you’re participating in the beloved 13 Wishes tradition, we’ll review how the ritual works, answer questions, and prepare to begin together.

Whether you arrive with your wishes already written or use our creative time to write them, you’ll be ready to burn your first wish on your own that evening, followed by one wish each night for the twelve nights that follow.

Learn more about the 13 Wishes Ritual

A Special Community Mandala Reveal

There’s one more piece of this gathering I’ve been especially looking forward to sharing.

During our time together, I’ll reveal the completed 2026 Community Mandala for the first time.

Each participant created an individual piece without knowing exactly what the finished mandala would look like. At the Winter Solstice, we’ll finally see what all those individual contributions became when brought together.

And then we’ll begin again.

Winter Solstice participants will be the first invited to take part in the 2027 Community Mandala.

Participation will be limited, so those attending the gathering will have the first opportunity to claim a place before the invitation is shared more widely.

You Get to Help Choose Where We Go Next

The Creative Pilgrimage may be ending for the season, but another journey is waiting.

During our gathering, you’ll get to vote on the theme you’d most like to explore for the 2027 Creative Pilgrimage:

Celtic Pilgrimage
Journey Through the Zodiac
Journey Through the Chakras

I’m genuinely excited about this piece because it turns the Solstice gathering into more than the conclusion of 2026.

The community gets to help point the compass toward what comes next.

Your Gathering Materials

Before the event, you’ll receive a printable companion PDF that includes your Seed of Life mandala and materials to support your reflection and creative practice during our time together.

If you’d rather draw your own Seed of Life, you’re welcome to do that too.

Bring a journal and your favorite pens, pencils, markers, or colored pencils, along with your 13 Wishes if you’re participating in the ritual.

And, of course, a cup of something warm is always welcome.

Come As You Are

You do not need to have participated in the Creative Pilgrimage to join us.

You don’t need experience drawing mandalas.

And although we’ll talk about the 13 Wishes tradition, you can still participate in the gathering even if you choose not to do the ritual.

Simply bring yourself and a willingness to pause at the threshold.

WINTER SOLSTICE GATHERING
Sunday, December 20, 2026 • 3–6 pm EST • Online
Sliding Scale: $25 | $35 | $45 | Choose Your Own
Attend all or part of the gathering. Recording included.

We honor what was.
We release what is finished.
We nurture what continues.
We help choose what comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all! This is your retreat time to use however you’d like.

You may draw your own Seed of Life mandala or color the one included with your gathering materials. You might prefer to work on another art project, spend the time journaling or creative writing, pull out your Tarot or oracle cards for a reading, or simply sit quietly and reflect.

Maybe what your body really needs is a power nap. That counts too. 😊

Your Retreat. Your Way.

No. The three-hour format gives us plenty of spacious, unhurried time together, but you are welcome to join us for the entire gathering or only the portions that speak to you.

Step away when you need to. Make yourself something to eat. Stretch. Take care of yourself.

This is a retreat, not a marathon Zoom meeting.

You’re still welcome to register. All registrants will receive the companion materials and access to the event recording, so you can experience much of the gathering on your own time.

Because our Sharing Circle and informal conversations are not recorded, there are some parts of the live community experience that won’t be included in the recording.

The recording will include the 13 Wishes presentation, Soul Journey Guided Meditation, and 2026 Community Mandala Reveal.

To protect everyone’s privacy and create a comfortable space for personal sharing, the Sharing Circle and participant conversations will not be recorded. We also won’t record the extended creative time when everyone is working independently.

Yes. During our community portions of the gathering, I ask everyone to have their camera on.

Participants at previous gatherings have shared that it can feel uncomfortable to open up and share personal stories when they can’t see who is listening. Being able to see one another helps us create a more connected and trusting space.

Of course, you’re welcome to step away from the gathering whenever you need a break.

Not at all. Sharing is always optional. You’re welcome to simply watch and listen.

Sometimes people begin a gathering planning only to listen and later discover that they feel comfortable enough to join the conversation. Others prefer to remain quiet throughout. Both ways of participating are welcome.

The Sharing Circle is an opportunity to be seen, heard, understood, and celebrated among other soulful and creative seekers, but you always decide how much you’d like to share.

No. You can enjoy the entire Winter Solstice Gathering whether or not you choose to participate in the 13 Wishes tradition.

If you’re curious about it, I’ll explain how the ritual works and answer questions. You can decide from there whether you’d like to make it part of your own Solstice experience.

No. Some people arrive with their 13 Wishes already written, while others prefer to use our creative time during the gathering to write them.

If you’re participating in the ritual, you’ll want to have your wishes ready before you burn your first one on the evening of the Winter Solstice.

Absolutely not. You don’t need any drawing experience to participate.

A printable Seed of Life mandala will be included with your gathering materials if you’d like to color or embellish one rather than draw it yourself. And remember, you can choose an entirely different creative activity during our creative time.

No. The Winter Solstice Gathering stands on its own, and everyone is welcome.

If you’ve been traveling through the Creative Pilgrimage, the gathering offers a beautiful opportunity to reflect on that journey with the community. If this is your first True North Arts experience, you can simply begin here.

Everyone registered for the Winter Solstice Gathering will receive an email after the event with the first opportunity to sign up for the 2027 Community Mandala Project.

Spaces are limited. If spaces remain after gathering registrants have had an opportunity to join, I’ll send the invitation to my email subscribers.

Choose the registration rate that best fits your circumstances: $25 Supported Rate, $35 Standard Rate, or $45 Supporting Rate.

Everyone receives the same gathering experience, companion materials, and recording regardless of the amount paid. The Supporting Rate helps me continue offering a lower-cost option for those who need it.