So it is that almost everyone is celebrating the return of the light! We have passed through another midwinter festival and so we can dance and make merry, for the Sun has returned!
And I want to proclaim to all the world, “Sssshhh… It is still dark! We are still in the very depths of winter!”
There’s an extra few minutes of daylight, it is true. But here where I live, mornings are still dark; the sun barely drags himself off the horizon; days are short; night arrives quickly and my soul body longs for more deep, deep rest. After all, it will be another five months before the trees are once again adorned in dazzling coats of green.
More of us are recognising the challenge of the dark – and how if we are prepared to let go and surrender to the descent, in its depths we can discover treasure. But I can already feel the pull of the collective hurrying out of this deep dark place, for the fear of being lost in it. They are scrabbling upwards again to the topside world where the lights are bright and the promise of happiness awaits.
What gifts, the dark?
I am solar-powered, I’ve always been sure of that – I love the kiss of the sun on my bare flesh and the promise of adventure delivered on the whisper of the warm wind. These last few years though, I have discovered the most powerful gift of the dark – the gift of stillness.
We have been trained to equate stillness with laziness, or apathy. So attuned are we to the societal and economical values of outward productivity that with no tangible evidence to the contrary – by declaring we are in meditation practice, for instance – we insist that being still is wasted time. And so we fill our time, prematurely chasing the light.
The truth is that stillness creates space and space nurtures possibility. Only when we are still, can we tune into the whispers of our soul self and discover our true story, our life purpose and greater meaning.
It is difficult to resist the bright and shiny, the new and the adventure-packed. It is very easy to distrust and be scared of the dark and unknown. But learn to navigate its depths, and you will see great reward.
Exploring The Void
During the month of January, my Mandala Magic class will investigate this most fertile ground, called The Void. They will practice resting in the darkness and confront the fears and challenges of their own unconscious, before they begin floating into the light in February.
The magic of the cycle of the Great Round of Mandala is that we don’t stay stuck in any stage, but neither do we rush out. By increasing our awareness and confronting our unconscious instincts, beliefs and behaviours, we can affect personal transformation in the best of ways, in tune with the season and our own, unique self.
p.s. Registration for Mandala Magic 2014 is available at a reduced subscription rate for a limited time. Lesson One is scheduled for release on 8th January 2014.
