Embracing the Winter Solstice & Gemini Full Moon Renewal | Energy & Astrology Update | Magical Michelle Orwick

Imagine lighting a candle in the longest night of the year, feeling the warmth spread as you prepare for the return of sunlight—both in the skies and within your own soul. Join me, Magical Michelle, as we journey through the enchanting week of December 16th, where the winter solstice invites us to pause and reflect. Discover the powerful shifts that come with the full moon in Gemini and as Mercury goes direct, guiding us to embrace both endings and new beginnings. This magical time isn’t just about clearing clutter from our homes but also from our hearts and minds, making room for the light to return. Through personal tales from the cozy confines of the Anchor Inn, I share the warmth and wonder that this season brings, encouraging you to honor the light within and around us.

Unravel the threads of deep relationships and meaningful connections as this episode nudges you to introspect and practice self-care. Embrace gratitude as a path to healing, even amidst the shadows of Mercury and Mars retrograde. Whether you’re celebrating personal achievements or letting go of what no longer serves you, this episode is your guide to setting intentions and making conscious choices for the future. As we navigate this serene and spiritual time, let the essence of gratitude and the divine light within guide you to a peaceful winter solstice. Together, we’ll explore how to maintain inner peace and celebrate the divine spark within each of us, echoing a heartfelt Namaste to all.

Chapters

• 0:14 Winter Solstice and Endings
• 8:49 Renewal and Self-Realization
• 21:16 Finding Gratitude and Peace During Winter

Transcript

Magical Michelle Orwick: 0:14

Happy.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 0:20

Magical Monday. This is your host, magical Michelle, and it is a beautiful, powerful week to be living magically. So this is the week of December 16th and we are moving through the winter solstice portal. We started the 12-12 portal last week at the Thursday point and moved through Friday the 13th and into the full moon in Gemini and we started the week with this big, powerful full moon and we're at the point where the moon is starting to get smaller in the sky and I can't tell you how many people have told me they're feeling sort of a hangover energy this week, especially Monday, probably into Tuesday, because we also have Mercury stationing direct from being in retrograde. So it's this energy of slowing everything down. We still have Mars retrograde, we still have Chiron retrograde, so that's not meaning that everything is forward motion, but we do have this experience of starting to get a clear picture and starting to get some momentum.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 2:01

But there's a little bit of fog and a little bit of sleepiness and a little bit of that winter solstice coming on energy I felt all weekend long. All I wanted to do late at night was curl up with a candle and a story, whether that's a book or a movie and we were at the beautiful Anchor Inn if you're ever looking for a little getaway. It's an incredible bed and breakfast in New Smyrna Beach and these incredible people own it Liz and Tommy, also known in my world as Sasha and Brenna and they take whatever idea I give them for witchy weekend every year and they just like make my dreams come true and feed us super well and decorate for us really incredible. And so we were at this bed and breakfast and I was um, I was. Every time I saw the electric fireplace in the suite that we were at. All I wanted to do was turn on the fireplace, grab a blanket and a book and just kind of curl up. And that's sort of the energy this week that I think a lot of people are feeling, because we are on the darkest nights of the entire year. We are getting darker and darker and darker until Friday night is the beginning of the solstice. It will be the longest night of the year. We'll actually have the darkest night a little bit later in the month, at the 29th, when we have the dark moon. That will be our darkest actual night. But our longest night will be Friday night and Saturday night this weekend and we call that the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, or Yuletide, and so what's happening is the moon is going to get darker and darker and we'll just start having these long, darker nights and these shorter days.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 4:11

And we're being invited to go inward when you have retrogrades. We're looking at retreat, realign, repurpose and December for me is always declutter and disseminate information and gain clarity, and that's what we're going to want to do, and I find it interesting because we do gather and celebrate a lot during this time. So, whatever it is that you do celebrate yourself first, because someone else might not celebrate you you. You can do a little review right now. I feel like looking at how far you have come this year, in the last 10 years in your life will remind you to keep going and to keep manifesting and gaining in your life. As that happens, you might be in this review process looking for an ending. Things are coming to a natural end and we're going into a nine year. The next year is going to be a nine and there is an energy of endings and beginnings in a nine year. It's a time of completion and I even feel that that's starting now, where we're seeing things coming to a natural close. Maybe you have been living somewhere and it's time to move. Maybe there's a relationship that has been wonderful and it's time for it to move to the next stage and that could be a big pop where you're taking it to the next level. And that next level could be like going all in or it could actually be like okay, we've completed what we, what we came together to do, like our contract is starting to to be up. We've we've grown together, we've had this time together and it's, but it's coming to be up. We've grown together, we've had this time together, but it's coming to a close. And whether that's immediately or if you're wrapping up in the next year or even maybe the next three months, what is closing for you? What is it you need to finish?

Magical Michelle Orwick: 6:41

A lot of people are feeling the need to declutter and I know I've heard a lot of people say that they're decorating for the holidays really late. I think you're going to see a tendency to go more toward decorating like putting up trees and things a little bit late, decorating late and even keeping them up a little bit later in January, maybe even to 12th night on the 6th, or even as late as the English, old English tradition of keeping it up until the full moon in January, so you might leave your evergreen and your decorations up a little bit longer this year or later this year, but it is a time of returning to the light, lighting candles, lighting fires, lighting a fire inside yourself. That's why we decorate with sparkly, twinkly lights and flowers and live things, to remember that the light is returning, and that includes inside of us as well as in the light We'll be starting. Every day. Starting on Sunday will be every single day. The sun will grow a little bit bigger in the sky and every day will get a little bit longer and every night will get a little bit shorter. So Friday night is the longest night of the year and Saturday is the shortest day of the year and we celebrate that. And then, starting Sunday, we celebrate the return of the sun as we move into another set of holidays the following week, where, if you're celebrating Christmas or you're celebrating, there's many other holidays, and we'll talk about that next Monday.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 8:49

But this week I encourage you to look at your deep relationships, your close friendships. Is it time to take on a new mentor? And that might mean that you've just completed with one mentor and it's time to move on to another. Are you maybe taking a break from that? Is it time to spend some time with yourself? Is it time to make and book time to spend with a special friend or family member? And it might be that you're just planning it now and doing it as late as March, april, may next year.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 9:32

So there's a lot of that moving around in our mind. Now that Mercury is going direct and you're going to see that shadow period until the end of the year, we're going to have a big day. That big day is going to be January 30th, where on January 30th, we're going to see a new moon and we're going to see the shadow period for Mercury starting to close out and we'll start gaining clarity and momentum for the new year. But right now, take ease, take rest, take close friends and family and celebrate yourself, celebrate your success, celebrate how far you've come and even release anything that is. Maybe you didn't come too far enough on release it. It's time to let go that which is not serving you. Maybe you had a big dream and it just didn't come to fruition. It's okay. Sometimes it's time to recalibrate. There's a lot that's happened in the world, a lot of unplanned, unseen things and that's going to keep happening.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 10:50

2025 is not the easiest year we've ever seen in astrology. I really think that 2026 will feel more expansive than 2025. I think 2025, you're going to see completion and you're going to see wholeness, and I do like the energy of wholeness and I'm not afraid of 2025 in any way, shape or form. But it is the year of the snake. So there's going to be some shedding of an old identity and you know me if you know me at all you know I love identity work because to become the version of you that gets what you want, you can't be the old version of you. I really love the energy of the phoenix, or the energy of the snake, where you're always in the state of renewal and growth, and I do think this year coming up is going to have that quality to it. So the best way to start something is to be clear of what you're not going to do or what you're not going to take into the year.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 12:05

So it's a perfect weekend or week, anytime this week to do a bonfire. We did a bonfire on the beach at Witchy Weekend. It was so incredible to feel the earth, the air, the fire and the water. There's only a few places and certain times of year and certain rules to have a bonfire on the beach, to have a bonfire on the beach. And so we have mastered that little experience and had possibly one of the most powerful, meaningful moments of this year for me, this weekend, on Saturday, with this bonfire under the moon, and I'm going to continue to be lighting candles this week, your candles of letting go and your candles of intention, and reigniting your spark and your divinity.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 13:03

It is time for you to make bold claims, make decisions for yourself, take those big leaps of faith. This is a moment where leaps of faith can come in, and so that means like this is like so many people are going to start planning trips. I was, I was at Barnes and Noble today and we started planning a trip for later this year. So every single person in the world is being asked where are you going? That's like a theme this week. Where are you going? And that can be personally, that can be in travel, that can be emotionally, that can be physically, that can be on a soul level. This is the big ask this week, and the universe is listening.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 14:03

It's the last week of Sagittarius season, which is fire and Sagittarius loves a good trip, which is fire, and Sagittarius loves a good trip, a good travel, a good plan. So I'll just encourage you. If you've been looking at my trip to Egypt, it's a great week to sign up. If you are interested in signing up for witch school, this is a great time for that, and if you're looking to celebrate with your friends or your family or make special moments, this is an incredible week for that. I think you're going to see a lot of very nice friends and family gatherings this weekend and into next week and them to be more peaceful than usual, to be more celebratory than they would have been earlier in the month.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 14:55

Mars is still retrograde, so I will say be careful of aggression. It's going to be much easier to say and take accountability than to apologize later, because your words and your actions can't be taken back and Mars will make okay, I'm just going to say it. Mars can get mean. Mars in retrograde can be a very mean thing, and so if you want to say something mean thing, and so if you want to say something mean, remember you cannot take it back once it is out of your mouth. So it is a really good time to zip your mouth and not say anything other than maybe let's table this for a discussion on another day. And so it isn't necessarily a good time to fight for being right. It is a better time to find peace in yourself.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 15:57

It's okay to have closure. It's okay to say this is no longer serving me. This isn't a good time for this anymore. I'm going to stand for what I want, where I'm going, who I am. This is going to be a year of self-actualization. 2025 is going to be a lot of people deciding this is who I am. These are my standards. I'm not a big fan of boundaries, and I know people love to put out boundaries, but I would rather put out standards which are terms of how you treat someone and how you will allow someone to treat you. These are the standards that I live by and so decide is this person or this experience meeting my standards, meeting my experience? Is this good for me? Is it making me feel good? Is it making me grow? And if it's not, this is a perfect time to be allowing those kind of relationships, those experiences, to come to a natural end and a closure. So, remember, you can say things like that and be very, very kind.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 17:14

We have a beautiful oils temple in Altamont Springs at the absolutely stunning Center Street, a place for the heart. That is seven o'clock, with Patrick celebrating the Yuletide, celebrating Ashley Savage's birthday. We're going to be holding a candle, a lot of candlelight, cacao we might even have some cacao. We have Patrick playing his beautiful music and we will have our Egyptian oils out on Thursday, the 19th, and we will be celebrating the return of the new energy and this moment of stillness and darkness. So we do that on Thursday. It's a perfect time this weekend for you to celebrate.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 18:13

However, it is that you celebrate, but remember the journey now is that of the self, and you can be in community and you should. The self is served by being with like-minded individuals that bring you peace and joy. It is not necessarily served by being around people who bring you hurt and pain and I know the holidays can do that for some and so when you're in an environment that surrounds you with people that maybe their words, their actions are hurtful, do yourself a favor and add extra nurturing for self and remember to talk to yourself like the king or queen that you are, the sovereign being that you are, and remember that what another's words say to you about who you are is a reflection of how they feel about themselves. So keep talking to yourself, keep telling yourself what you need to be in peace, in love, in compassion, because compassion is going to be key here. Where we can take that compassion? For if you're hurting, you're going to lash out. The victims of victims make other victims, and when someone is hurting, they might say or act in a way that is lashing out that's Mars, retrograde. And so if someone lashes out at you or you feel energetically or verbally attacked, go back to compassion, go back to forgiving yourself, forgiving them and making sure that you have the dialogue with yourself that reminds you that you love yourself, that reminds you that you are worthy and you are deserving of that love. It reminds you that you are a powerful being of light.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 20:33

My favorite piece of information for the solstice is always to remember that the divine lives within you. You are a walking, talking part of the divine. This is the season to remember. The divine comes in as light through your heart, through your nervous system, through your blood, your skin, your bones. You are the light. Remember to light yourself up and ignite your flame, ignite your passion, ignite who you are in a way that brings you peace and joy.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 21:16

And I understand that this is a season where we sometimes grieve that which we are not, that this is a season where we sometimes grieve that which we are not. It is a season that we grieve those who are no longer with us. It is also a season where we can be looking back and saying this didn't happen. But I'm going to invite you to find the lesson and the gratitude and the joy, because gratitude will heal. Gratitude, seeing what is, what is there for you, what is possible for you, and what you did have or what you are going to have and what you're learning. And it's okay to take a moment, a pause, a sacred moment for yourself and for others as you move through this and be gentle with yourself, loving with yourself.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 22:12

This holiday season, this entire holiday season, all the way to the end of this year, where it is about my peace, is my priority and and I'm always asking can I be proud of what I'm, what I'm doing, what I'm saying, what I'm thinking, how I'm acting, and does it bring peace to myself and how can I bring peace to others? And so that's my advice for you this week. It is a shadow period where we have moved out of Mercury retrograde but we are not quite at full communication because we will be in Mars retrograde all the way till the end of February. So this is a time to be in that review state of what your actions and words and thoughts are doing, and it's the perfect time to release and let go and be gentle with yourself and to celebrate yourself, celebrate your friends, your family, your successes, while letting go of anything that no longer serves you. So I wish you all the most beautiful Yule, winter solstice, whatever you want to call this the longest night this entire week. May you be merry, may you be joyful, may you be cozy. Be merry, may you be joyful, may you be cozy, may you be filled with light and love and peace.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 23:53

I will leave with one last little statement.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 23:54

I asked one of the people that were with me this weekend because we were having this sheer moment of I called it peace, like stillness in the air.

Magical Michelle Orwick: 24:03

There's this beautiful moment where it was very, very still and we could hear nature and we could see the lights, and we were just in communion. And I asked what is this? It's always hard for me to share the experience that people have at a retreat, at a sacred retreat, and I said, and I am so grateful, and so it's peace and gratitude and comfort and joy that is this season. And I say that with the celebration and I celebrate you, I celebrate the divinity within you. It always reminds me of that statement, namaste, which was the bracelet I was wearing today, a gift from beautiful Dickie Jo, and it's a gold bracelet that says namaste, and namaste means I celebrate the spark of the divine, the light in you, as I celebrate and mirror back that understanding of the divine and the light within me. That is my wish and my prayer for you this beautiful week and this beautiful night. For you, this beautiful week and this beautiful night, happy winter solstice and live magically.