~ celebrating the light within the darkness ~
By Lori Suzanne Holetz
Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace of the Light of the World to you.
~ Gaelic Blessing
It is a quiet time now, for the Earth.
It is a time of going inward.
The days shorten to the Solstice, the light waning.
And then the moment of the return of the Sun.
Bringing shining light, hope and faith.
Life will bloom again.
Within the peace of the Wintertime, there resides a solitude, a deep knowing that resonates within all life. The Sun low on the horizon, drives us inside to find warmth of home, family and friendship. Our health and wellbeing depends on these earth cycles, the synchronization of all, together. When we see this, respect, and honor this, within nature, within ourselves, life is enriched and made sweeter in this eternal dance. Nature goes to sleep in the darkness. And what is that deliciousness as the first rays of light return. What does the darkness feel like within us? And what does that hope feel like when the light does begin to return?
It is a Holy Season, a time to explore the light within the darkness; for we know, we cannot have one without the other. The pendulum of time swings and the seasons’ cycles have been a part of the Earth and Her beings since the dawn of time. We as humans are not separate from this, it is inherently part of our deep intuitive nature. Yet we have become so disconnected by and lost within our modern technological societies.
In celebration of the mystical substance that is the light, we go inward, alighting our interiors with warmth and security of home and hearth, the sparkly twinkling lights of the tree, bringing us joy within the darkness. The light is illuminating, shining upon the dark corners of our lives, inside and out. It is a time to turn our vision and attention towards those dark places and to sparkle and shine our own personal light outward to our fellow friends and loved ones. This brings us joy.
And what is joy? Joy is a feeling of great happiness and pleasure, made larger with sharing. It is to rejoice, in our blessed gifts from Mother Earth, and all the abundance surrounding us. It is a time to be grateful and pass those abundant blessings along, paying forward and blessing our own love with gestures of grace.
So as all of you, in the various ways you do, celebrate this mystical season of Holy Days, remember and touch upon the deeper meanings of all the traditions, no matter what spiritual social-cultural beliefs and practices you observe. The specifics do not matter, the heartfelt meanings do.
And the light and love they create, shines brightly with joy and happiness out into the world, as a glorious gift to everyone.
There is always light within the darkness. Blessed be the light, and within the dark of the season of Wintertime, most of all, I wish you great JOY!