Holy darkness batman! There are parts of winter I really do like. Yet every year I find myself trying to figure out how to relate to the dark.
Darkness is the absence of light but it is not the absence of the Divine. It is the fertile ground in which a seed is planted. It is the womb out of which we are birthed.
These images can be hard to embrace because few of us, especially in the city, experience much darkness. From street lights to alarm clocks, it is very hard for me to get my bedroom dark, even though there is all sorts of research about darkness being good for one’s health.
Years ago friends told me about a lecture exploring how electric lights have completely changed our relationship to night and experience with darkness. Our conversation inspired us to experiment with fasting from electric lights for an entire night. We call it our holy darkness practice. We bring out candles and get very cozy.
Turning off electric lights (and screens) slows everything way down. How have generations before us filled the darkness? With stories, singing, lovemaking, and sleep. Even our conversations are different in softer light. The dawn feels truly refreshing after a dark night.
We haven’t had nearly as many nights of holy darkness since my daughter came along. Yet I feel the practice calling to me this season.
The world is calling each of us to be even more alive. Your love is needed on a scale none of us have yet imagined. Perhaps one of the ways to unleash your brilliance is to allow yourself a potent rest in sweet darkness.
As I approach the winter solstice I hope to find at least one night where I can practice holy darkness. I invite you to do the same. And I’m very curious to hear about your experience.
With love,
emily
Winter Solstice Celebration – Thursday, December 21
Let’s welcome the return of light! Nourish your heart’s longing for renewal by tapping into the seed of potential that begins every year. This contemplative, participatory and embodied evening enters the fertile embrace of darkness as the starting point for new life. Individually and collectively it is an opportunity to shed what diminishes us. The community experience of music, meditation, and movement helps us tap into a deeper experience of connection. We gather on the solstice to remember our interconnection and access a wellspring of life that is ultimately joyful and liberating. No experience necessary. More details.
Introduction to Dance for Healing and Transformation- Saturday January 6
Dancing is one of the most profound expressions of harmony with earth and community. Most of us have lost a connection to dancing, place, community, and culture, a loss equivalent to spiritual exile. Earth-based European dancing traditions are tools for rediscovering our joyful interconnectedness and creative power. Dancing with embodied roots is a homecoming that supports personal and collective healing. More details.
