Season of Darkness, Season of Light

Something happened on December 21st at 3:38 pm, PST. The sun was at it’s lowest point on the horizon, the point in the year where the the night is longest and the day is the shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. This is known as the winter solstice, and many people associate this with pagans, druids and Stonehenge.  However, it’s a natural, astronomical event that is scientifically calculated to the second.

Humans from ancient times on have observed this natural movement from the dark to the light, and have celebrated it in many different ways. It’s symbolic of rebirth and new beginnings, as the sun begins it’s conquest over the cold and darkness of winter. The days will now get longer and warmer until the summer solstice in June, when the sun’s daily path across the sky is at it’s highest. It then starts moving slowly closer to the horizon to where winter once again re-asserts itself.

I recently finished a book that  was quite excellent in portraying how indigenous peoples looked to nature for transformation and growth.  “Shaman, Healer, Sage”, by Alberto Villoldo, illustrates shamanism as one way that ancient people drew wisdom and healing from nature. He writes that this year’s winter solstice is accompanied by a lunar eclipse, further exaggerating the darkness, but symbolizing an opportunity to work on our inner transformation.

The following is from Villoldos’ email newsletter put out by his Four Winds Society:

Medicine men and women for thousands of years have celebrated the solstice as a time of moving from the dark to the light and acknowledging the continuity of nature’s cycles.  For indigenous cultures the sun was the source of life, and the center of spiritual awareness. This December’s alignment of the sun, with the moon, and the earth in this very short time period [eclipse] is significant astrologically and astronomically. For the shaman it gives … a heightened time of meditation and reflection, a time for inner work and transformation.

…the time of the dark…a time to explore not only what might be stopping you but as a time to plant the seeds you want to grow for the coming year.

Throughout the world there are many  celebrations this time of the year because  humans recognize that our existence depends on the light of the sun. We celebrate light, for example, with brightly colored lights hung on our houses and trees, and with holiday candles. We gather together to ward off  the cold and the darkness.

The most popular celebration is Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ, believed by Christians to be the Light of the World, and as God’s son, bringing the world from darkness to light.

Jews celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, and the Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day on December 8th, the day the Buddha received enlightenment. Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights celebrating the victory of good over evil. The list of winter festivals goes on and on.

Light is the universal symbol for the light of spiritual awareness.  To me, spiritual awareness is acknowledging and connecting with that part of us which is infinite, and all knowing. (You might call it God, Infinite Intelligence, Higher Consciousness, whatever your belief system…) As a hypnotherapist  involved in transformational work, my goal is to help people increase their awareness on all levels, and to shine this light of awareness on those dark, shadow parts of themselves that hold all of us back from realizing our full potential as creative beings.

A popular word this time of year is peace. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, can you take time to connect with the peace that lies deep within you? Connecting with that quiet place within will give you the space to plant the seeds of your own transformation. You might do this through quiet reflection, meditation or prayer. Take some time to yourself to think about your life, and how you want it to be.

Don’t wait until the New Year to plant those seeds. Begin now to write down goals, dreams and visions of what you want to create for the coming year: happiness, health, strength, confidence, abundance. Think about what’s working for you, and what needs to be released that may be holding you back. If you need some help focusing, give me a call.

Villoldo believes that we are seeing a new species of human born now on the earth which he refers to as Homo luminous. If this is true, (and I would like to believe that it is) then we are continuing to evolve as humans beings. Let us walk courageously through this dark time, as well as through our own darkness, as we celebrate the light within,  in all of our many different ways. The evolution of our human family need not wait for generations, but can happen now, starting with you.

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Wishing you a warm and peaceful holiday season,

TMan