Winter Solstice Ritual: Setting Intentions with Your Jewelry

The Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year - has always felt sacred to me. As a diver, I understand darkness differently than most. I've descended into waters where sunlight barely reaches, where you have to trust your instincts and let your eyes adjust. And I've learned this: darkness isn't empty. It's full of possibility, transformation, and things waiting to be discovered.

The solstice is nature's invitation to go deep. To pause before the light returns. To set intentions not from a place of forcing, but from a place of flow.

Here's how I work with jewelry during this powerful window.

The Practice

Find a quiet moment on Solstice night (December 21st) or in the days surrounding it. You don't need anything elaborate - just you, your jewelry, and honest intention.

1. Create Your Space

Light a candle. Sit somewhere comfortable. If you're near water - even better. I do this ritual on the beach when I can, but your bathtub works too. Water amplifies everything.

2. Hold Your Jewelry

Take the piece you want to work with - a necklace, bracelet, ring - and hold it in your hands. Feel the weight of it. The temperature. If it's made with stones I've collected from the ocean, remember: this piece has already been on a journey. It knows about transformation.

3. Get Clear on Your Intention

This isn't about vague wishes. Get specific. What are you actually calling in for the coming year?

Not "I want to be happy" - but "I want to trust myself enough to take the leap." Not "I want abundance" - but "I want to stop playing small with my gifts." Not "I want peace" - but "I want to release what's not mine to carry."

The ocean taught me this: you can't flow toward a destination you haven't named.

4. Speak It Aloud

Say your intention out loud while holding your jewelry. Let the words move through you and into the piece. This isn't woo-woo - it's anchoring. Every time you wear this jewelry, you're wearing a physical reminder of what you committed to in the darkness.

5. Wear It Into the Light

Put the piece on. Sleep in it if you can (wraps and bracelets are perfect for this). Wear it as the light begins to return. You're literally carrying your intention from the longest night into the expanding days ahead.

Gemstones for Solstice Work

Different stones carry different energies. Here's what I reach for during the solstice:

Moonstone - The Intention Amplifier

Moonstone is my solstice stone. It's connected to cycles, intuition, and new beginnings - everything this moment is about. Moonstone helps you trust the process, especially when you can't see the full path yet. It's the stone of "not yet, but soon." Of patience and faith. If you're setting intentions around trusting yourself, starting something new, or embracing change - moonstone is your ally.

Abalone - The Ocean's Wisdom

I collect abalone during my dives in California's kelp forests, and every piece carries the energy of those wild waters. Abalone teaches you about beauty that comes from rough conditions - those iridescent colors only form through years of water pressure and movement. For intentions around resilience, transformation, or finding your own unique beauty - abalone gets it.

Labradorite - The Magic Keeper

Labradorite is all about magic and possibility. It's the stone that reminds you there's more happening than what you can see on the surface. Perfect for intentions around creativity, intuition, or believing in what hasn't manifested yet.

Tourmaline - The Boundary Setter

If your intention involves protecting your energy, saying no, or clearing what's not serving you - black tourmaline is powerful. It's grounding and protective. The solstice is a perfect time to decide what you're not taking into the new year with you.

Clear Quartz - The Clarity Bringer

When you need to get crystal clear (pun intended) on what you actually want, clear quartz helps cut through the noise. It amplifies whatever intention you set with it. It's like turning up the volume on your commitment.

After the Ritual

Wear your jewelry regularly. Touch it when you need to remember what you decided in the darkness. Let it be a physical anchor point.

And here's what I've learned from 25 years of making jewelry and diving in dark waters: the magic isn't in the ritual itself. The magic is in you deciding to show up for what you want, even when you can't see the full path. The jewelry just helps you remember that you already made the choice.

The light returns. It always does. But what you do in the darkness - that's what determines what you're carrying into the light.