It’s
dark – the darkest time of year. Short
days and long nights, however cold or warm the climate, evoke the search for
light. Many of our traditional holidays
at this time of year have imagery of bringing and sustaining light out of the
darkness. My own tradition of Judaism
builds the light, increasing candle by candle, over 8 nights.
Our
DNA fears the dark, prehistoric dangers remembered in the primitive brain. We light fires and candles at this time of
year as an anodyne for fear. Imagine our
distant ancestors wondering if the sun would really return. Even now, our children often need a
nightlight so they can go to sleep.
When
we are ill, or in pain, or depressed, or things are not going well, it feels
sometimes like being surrounded by the dark - not a warm friendly dark, but
rather the dark of winter, cold and bleak.
At those times, without even knowing it, we crave the sun’s light –
hours of it.
Imagine
that inside you, in a safe place, is your own life-giving sun, containing light
and warmth. Imagine its rays carrying healing
light through every fiber of your being, floating gently, exactly where you
want it to be. This lovely sunlight
wraps around you, inside and out, completely relaxing you, reminding you of
your own well-being, and wholeness. Finding
the light inside you can transform the dark of the year into a soft dark, a
velvet dark, the dark of being tucked into your own bed by someone you love,
and snuggled under the covers. With your
own light inside, you are always safe, and all is well.
I
wish everyone a New Year filled with good health, happiness, and joy, and
always, peace.
