Turning toward the light (a.k.a. The reason for the season)
Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy Solstice! Happy Hanukkah! Joyous Kwanza! and Happy New Year! I hope that everyone has found some degree of joy, rest, and peace during this time of year.
I wanted to reach out and touch on why humans have chosen to mark this time of year throughout the centuries: it is the nadir. We are at the darkest point, the closing of a phase. So, why all the joy?
We celebrate because we know that life is cyclical. This is the opportunity to celebrate that we know that things always get better. It is a time to celebrate birth, community, survival, and light. The days will start to get longer now. The calendar will begin anew. We can rest assured in the knowledge that we have been through the darkness before, and we have prevailed every time.
Most of the spiritual traditions have ceremonies in this season that revolve around light. My ritual is to light a candle at this time of year, reflect on what I am willing to leave behind, and offer my wish for the world in the coming cycle.
Regardless of your tradition, I invite everyone to take a moment to reflect on what it would take, even while in darkness, to trust that the light will return. How can you participate in that process?
Happy Cycle, Everyone!
PS: I know this post is very northern hemisphere centric. I guess that is the nature of our calendar. Sorry about that. A mi me encantarĂa escuchar las perspectivas del hemisferio sur sobre este tema.