No Darkness, No Light
In the Northern hemisphere, we just experienced the Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year and signals the return of the light. The daylight is brief, paired with long dark nights.
(And for our friends in the Southern hemisphere, we acknowledge you are celebrating long days of sunlight.)
On our Northwest Island where we call home, we enjoy dense forests with large cedar and fir trees. While walking a few nights ago, we both forgot our flashlights. It was the darkness that allowed us to see the starry night in its full beauty.
If it wasn’t for the darkness, we wouldn’t see the star-lit night.
Those of us who love the warmth of the sun’s rays would take it for granted if we had 24 hours of sun. It is the darkness that gives light its majesty and splendor. No darkness, no light.
When we fall into the dark, drama-filled times in our own lives, it feels like we will never get through them. The reactive drama can seem like a long day’s journey into the night, with no way out. In ancient times, people living in cold and harsh conditions were not sure they would live through the winter. They stored their harvest and smoked their meat. Still, survival was not assured.
This is the common human experience. When we experience dark times—when we are in the drama of difficult relationships with ourselves and others or face situations that challenge us in life—we wonder if we will find our way through.
Almost all spiritual traditions celebrate “the return of the light” in some way. It is a universal celebration because it signals a time for learning, transforming, and becoming new again. For many around the world, today is Christmas Eve, celebrating the birth and light of Christ.
You may not always love the darkness though, as a Creator, you can still appreciate the lessons embedded in the cycle of darkness and light. As the saying goes, “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”
In this same way, it is our wish that you may grow to embrace your drama, when it arises, as part of the natural cycle of human experience. As you observe and learn from your reactive thinking and behavior, may you view it as an essential step toward growth and transformation.
The winter holds the dormant seeds that will bloom in the spring. When your life drama emerges, what seeds of learning and change may it hold for you?
This time of year is a time of celebration. It is a time to pause, and to have faith that the light will return. We invite you to trust your own cycle of drama and light. In this trust, you will find an inner lightness that nurtures a way through the darkness.
