The Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) is the longest night of the year; it’s a turning point from darkness to the emergence of light.

To the meditative mind, the solstice is a reminder that every moment is a turning point; that, in every moment, there is a seed of light that can be seen, felt and cared for. How can you find that seed of light, that emerging goodness when things around you and within you appear dark?

You attune to the emerging light by being still; this takes practice.

The reactive, fearful parts of your brain are uncomfortable with stillness. To them being still means being vulnerable—and being vulnerable means being prey, someone else’s lunch. Death.

That’s why the reactive parts of your brain propel you into action—they keep you busy to protect you, to keep you from being eaten.

When the reactive brain propels you into action, you can’t discern the light. All you can see is the darkness. The threat. The impending doom.
But reactively fleeing the darkness doesn’t take you to the light. Reactivity turns you in upon yourself—it entangles you in the knots of neurosis.

Rather then illuminate the way forward, reactivity buries you deeper in fear.

It takes courage to be still. The courage to open your heart to the reactive patterns within you and the chaos around you. Courage to infuse your experience with loving awareness.

To be present. To bring the gift of presence to that which is unclear, unresolved and tender.

Being present reveals the light. By bringing awareness to the experience of darkness, you infuse the darkness with light and reveal the seed of goodness that has been germinating deep within.

Yes, the seed of goodness, the seed of light is already there and it needed the darkness in order to have a safe and secure place to germinate.

The darkness isn’t your enemy; the darkness is your ally. While you’ve been busy, active, doing, doing, doing, the darkness has been protecting the seed of your emerging life from being co-opted by the busy-ness of your reactivity.

The darkness is aligned with your emerging life—it’s not here to destroy you but to bring you into a new way of being—a way of being that transcends anything you can plan for or control.

The solstice is a turning point. And, a reminder that your life isn’t stagnant or stuck.

That which looks like darkness is the holy matrix from which a new revelation is emerging. Don’t shy away from the darkness. Turn towards it with mindfulness and a meditative mind.

May you discover the emerging seed of light during this holy season.

May you be still and know.

~

Ed: Bryonie Wise

 

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Source: kathychiu.tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest.