Monday the 21st was the Winter Solstice here in the northern hemisphere, the time of the longest darkness followed by the returning light. I love the promise of the light but I also value the darkness & what it brings: the deep rest & the dreaming we need for ourselves & our world; the strength & willingness to see those things in ourselves & others that shy away from the spotlight. I like to take time to sit in the dark during the evenings before the Solstice. Sometimes a Presence that speaks to me is more easily heard in the dark.~Oriah Mountain Dreamer
You, darkness, of whom I am born-
I love you more than the flame
that limits the world
to the circle it illumines
and excludes all the rest.But the darkness embraces everything:
shapes and shadows, creatures and me,
people, nations- just as they are.It lets me imagine
a great presence stirring beside me.I believe in the night.
~Rainer Maria Rilke
Each person becomes a wanderer again and again in the course of life, as we find our true self by becoming lost. Each person carries a “story that could be true.” Each crossroad in life secretly asks the question: Who are you really?
~Michael Meade
may the season inspire a perspective of authenticity……..simply being…..simply living…..simply knowing……
Sit quietly and listen for a voice that will say,
“Be more silent.”
As that happens, your soul starts to revive.
~Rumi