The Winter Solstice bringing us longer daylight hours as we reflect on the end of the year and new beginnings. Julie Potiker leads you through this guided meditation focusing on the light within and around you. She completes the meditation with a reading of the poem, "Snowy Night", by Mary Oliver.

Snowy Night, by Mary Oliver

Last night, an owl

in the blue dark

tossed an indeterminate number

of carefully shaped sounds into

the world, in which,

a quarter of a mile away, I happened

to be standing.

I couldn’t tell

which one it was –

the barred or the great-horned

ship of the air –

it was that distant. But, anyway,

aren’t there moments

that are better than knowing something,

and sweeter? Snow was falling,

so much like stars

filling the dark trees

that one could easily imagine

its reason for being was nothing more

than prettiness. I suppose

if this were someone else’s story

they would have insisted on knowing

whatever is knowable – would have hurried

over the fields

to name it – the owl, I mean.

But it’s mine, this poem of the night,

and I just stood there, listening and holding out

my hands to the soft glitter

falling through the air. I love this world,

but not for its answers.

And I wish good luck to the owl,

whatever its name –

and I wish great welcome to the snow,

whatever its severe and comfortless

and beautiful meaning.

-Snowy Night, by Mary Oliver

Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.