this morning (monday morning), i did my last meditation in the dark. starting tomorrow, i will begin to light candles as i usually do when i meditate.
the ritual of lighting a candle before i begin my meditation has been something that has been with me for a long time. it is in outward, physical sign that i am about to do something sacred, holy, and meaningful. it symbolizes that i am setting aside a few moments to simply be. and to connect with the divine, who is true light + love. the light + love that is within me.
however, for the past 4 weeks, as i have celebrated advent and made my way to the darkest day + longest night of the year, i have meditated in complete darkness in the mornings. and it has been powerful. it was strange the first day, i admit. but, it has become something that i truly look forward to. a calming, grounding few moments. i think the darkness has helped me to be even more present in those moments.
but, as i said, tomorrow i will light a candle.
i reintroduce the soft, glowing light back into my meditation time as a ritual to celebrate the winter solstice. beginning with tomorrow’s sunrise, we begin our journey back toward the light over the next 6 months. the darkest days of the year will be behind us. if you live in the southern hemisphere, then you re soaking up the light right now, and beginning your journey back to the cozy, empowering darkness.
no matter where you are, though, today, tonight, and tomorrow morning mark a transition between darkness and light. in fact, this whole week, especially if you celebrate christmas, marks a celebration of light coming to the world. pagans, have also been celebrating the birth of the sun for thousands of years, well before christmas was celebrated. so, it is a powerful time to help us set intentions, dream our dreams, and prepare our souls for a new beginning.
we have learned much since the previous solstice (summer or winter). and now is the perfect time to reflect on that. to use these transition days to really discover what we have learned, how we have changed, and to begin to ask ourselves what we now want or need.
for me, i feel like i have been taken to another level in life. not better or higher, but deeper. an ever more empowered, authentic place. it’s as if something has awakened within me. the energy around me has changed. to what, i am not sure. so , i am just going to let it all swirl around me as i celebrate and rest and reflect during this powerful transition time.
i know what is waiting as the calendar turns to another year. well, i don’t know exactly. but, i feel the energy that is growing. come 2016, there is so much new on the horizon. so much active energy, calling me, calling us to begin to work on what comes next for us, for our souls, and for how we want to live our lives.
before the sun rises tomorrow, let’s take one last deep breath in the midst of the darkest darkness. let’s let all of the potential and possibility that lies within the darkness inspire us and teach us. let’s ask ourselves one more time. what do we want? what do we want? what do we want?
from the darkness our path will emerge. and beginning with tomorrow’s sunrise, we begin a whole new journey. changed. transformed. and evolved. we awake to our new destinies. it is time now to release and let go of all that has served us this past year. time to be present right now and breathe in the still, silent, peaceful darkness around us.
oh, what possibilities lie ahead.
Thanks for the reminder that today is the solstice! I live close enough to the equator that it doesn’t really register, but it’s nice to know.
I know that this solstice business might not be as obvious for you, but I am so thankful that you read and find something in my words anyway. 🙂
I would also like to thank you for reminding me that it is the solstice. Makes me hopeful.
You are so welcome! Hope you’ve had a magical one. 🙂
I think we all occasionally need the absence of something we rely on and/or take for granted to remind us of our inner strength but that this doesn’t equate to denying ourselves comforts forever – particularly when those comforts have symbolic meaning in part of a tradition. Returning to what you’ve always had or known after an absence is also a perfect way to signifying intent in making the changes that need to be made. As paradoxical as it is, there’s safety in being in the cave, in the darkness – its a (so-very-necessary) retreat, but without taking the strength you’ve gained and using it to effect change in your life and the external world, it’s incomplete. Your return to lighting that candle and you call to prepare our souls to embrace and meet our destinies, to emerge empowered, is so critical and a lesson I personally need to hear again and again. I love this call to action, Liz. Thank you for inspiring us all. Love and strength to your empowered journey. xoxo