Honoring the Beauty and Necessity of Darkness
Growing up in California, winter was a fairly mild event. Then I moved to Alaska where winter lasts for nine months. That gave me a lot of opportunity to explore the beauty and necessity of darkness!
Just as Nature has a time of slowing down, getting quiet, going inward, I look forward to the soul season of winter. Part of my year end ritual is zenning up my home and office, purging books, papers, and computer files. It’s enormously satisfying and part of the creation process, liberating space for new inspiration and projects.
For many of us it has been a year of letting go in both our inner and outer lives. We have dug deep to weed out that which no longer serves us, composted our inner landscape with self love and tender care, and planted seeds for what is to emerge.
On a more global level it has been a year of change, maybe THE year of change. We have witnessed systems and structures collapsing, periods of suspension in the unknown, and for some of us hints of the vision for what is emerging.
There is a lot of focus on the upcoming solstice and the end of the Mayan calendar. My sense is that it not the end of the world, but of the end of the world as we have known it. Many of us are focused on a vision of respect and connection with all forms of life, a world where there is tolerance, generosity and kindness. What we focus on expands, and since energy has to shift before the form of anything changes, this lends potency to the transformative process.
To rejuvenate from a year filled with movement and change, I have a couple of practices that honor the beauty and necessity of darkness and are deeply nourishing.
One is night walks. There are galactic nutrients that are only available from the night sky. In the dark we can “see” more clearly with our other senses and “hear” more clearly with our hearts. Looking up at the big open sky fills me with gratitude and awe at the magnificence of the celestial altar above. I give thanks for the stars, planets, moon, and the mystery of darkness.
After a year of loving and serving, the second practice is about “assimilating the essence” of our experiences.
When we offer something of beauty to the world, whether it is a smile, silent prayers, or creating a new product line of alchemical medicines, we generate the energy of good fortune. This yummy energy can go unclaimed unless we open to receive it. In the quiet darkness I ask to become a magnet for receiving and assimilating the essences of all my experiences, and then open to be filled, nourished, replenished.
Try these practices and let me know what you experience!
May all that is unlived in you blossom into a future filled with love
May you revel in the awakening of your passion and purpose
May you arise each day with a sense of appreciation and wonder
May you lavish and be lavished with love
With deepest appreciation,
Jane Bell
Jane, I am so looking forward to trying out your suggested practices, especially on this auspicious day of 12/12/12. Thank you! My question for you is, which essences would you recommend for these practices? I am more familiar with those that help to relieve blocks and encourage the release of that which doesn't serve us any more, but what is especially helpful to prepare ourselves to receive? Blessings to you for all your wonderful gifts!
It is 12:12 pm on 12/12/12, what a great time to answer.
Sacred Quest holds our deep intentions for the inner quest to discover what has meaning and importance to us and how we can serve.
Timelessness helps us to shift our relationship with time...to slow down and listen with our hearts, to get clear about how to spend our precious time in the year to come.
Timeless Presence is a combination formula with both of the essences above. It is a self attunement formula to deepen inner listening before taking action. Really good when the culture encourages us to speed up and we instinctively need to pause.
Banyan Tree keeps us grounded when our lives are up in the air...helps us stay the course when we don't know what is next. Calms our frayed nerves.
Bamboo Orchid brings new possibilities for relationships for all of us who are calling that in for the new year. Evolves our capacity for all kinds of relationships...romantic, collective, and between the kingdoms.
Coconut Palm and Sunrise are so good for staying flexible, optimistic, resilient, resourceful, innovative...open to what is emerging.
Coral, Cup of Gold, Plumeria, and Pua Kenikeni, all encourage us to get our minimum daily requirement of fun and pleasure. Support for creating a pleasure filled life...which helps us heal, stay present and guide us towards what is good and right for us.
Night Blooming Cereus was made at night under a full moon. The light coming from the bowl was brighter than the moon. It helps us overcome fear of the dark...being out at night or of what we may discover hidden in the recesses of our selves. Shines a huge, accepting light to shatter the trance of unworthiness and imperfection so we can live in kindness and self-apprection.
We can give ourselves the gift of using our time wisely based on what has meaning, brings pleasure and serves what we love...to use this potent time to take stock of where we are in our lives with curiosity and acceptance..to explore new possibilities for the future...and to lavish and be lavished in love.