Longest Night, Shortest Day

Tonight in the Northern Hemisphere marks the longest night of 2016. How fitting! The world has been through many changes this year ~ including an explosion of violence (phrasing intended).

Tonight we embrace the long darkness. Tonight we encounter the shadow within ourselves. Tonight, no matter which side of any quarrel or battle we may be on, we share as a collective in that reflective shadow.

We are entwined with that Shadow ~ the collective and the personal ~ through this long night. In many of the ancient traditions, fires were lit to stave off that darkness. Stories were told throughout the night. Tales of encounter and battle with unseen and unknown foe would be told by the many of the elders. Children would be allowed to stay up or, if they fell asleep, would be kept close to the fires themselves.

In some of the even more ancient places which were built like Newgrange in Ireland to catch the first rays of the Winter Solstice sun, the night was spent in other forms of rituals. We have no clear knowledge of them except that the very building of the passage place would have taken much planning. Some of the labyrinthine caves and rock passages may have been used for the same type of encounters with the Shadow on that darkest night.

In our day and age, we have electric lights or candles or kerosene lamps. Most places have some way to insure the longest night doesn't have to be encountered in the dark. But when we do, when we allow our spirits to face the Shadow, we find the energy and strength to face it. We get a better understanding of the palpable Darkness and the Spirits that inhabit the dark spaces. After all that's been done and come undone in 2016, we would be wise to spend the time gaining that understanding.

Tomorrow brings with it the shortest day, with the moment of Winter Solstice at 10:44 UT. Light is often described as wan on short days such as this. Yet it also brings with it the reassurance that the nights are growing incrementally shorter and the days ever longer. Warmth and sunshine will follow close behind. Bleak, overcast, dreary days will continue for awhile longer. Soon enough, we will find ourselves in the midst of greenery and bright colored blooms. But for now, the Shadow remains our sole comfort.... or discomfort, as the case may be.

What do you see when you encounter the Shadow? How do you embrace the darkness? What do you want to find when you awaken into tomorrow's light? What does the Shadow mean to you? How will you continue to prepare for the lengthening light of the days?

Mythic Storytelling

Wisdom of Avalon by Colette Baron-Reid

I truly enjoy the art of divination: shuffling a deck with a question in mind, then choosing a card. Over the course of many years of doing this, I'm a believer. It's amazing how much I've learned through this method!

My question: What strength will I dance with tomorrow? I shuffled the deck through several repetitions of the query. I felt a nudge to finish with my shuffling and split the deck which I gladly followed. I was left with two choices, the 'bottom' card (the one shifted to the bottom of the deck when the cut is made) or the 'top' one. I wanted it to be the bottom one, but kept feeling that insistent nudge to choose the top one. So I did.

What a surprise! I got The Bard: music, poetry, myth, history, the enchantment of storytelling. What a hoot! I love myths and am a storyteller. My focus is reworking and reclaiming the myths that shape our lives and our world. I call it re-mything. More than that, I am participating in a writing workshop tomorrow where I am certain the mythic will show up. It always does.

Now if you're thinking is anything like mine, I wanted to check out the 'bottom' card to find out if the concepts were similar. That card was The Horse: accepting help from another, delegating authority. Very different messages.

What I recognize is that like most things, the choice is always mine. I can follow my instinct which made one choice or my mind which made a different one. The differences are not always so radical. Other factors often pop in to change it up even more: emotions, memories, chance. Whatever I follow is my choice. I love my choice this time. Nothing against The Horse. I'm simply thrilled with The Bard!

How do you make decisions? Is it different if they're big decisions or not-so-big decisions? If it's something as simple and non-crucial as a divination card, does it matter?

Storyteller Within

"Mouse. Mouse! It is not safe to go near Owl! It is dangerous!"
Mouse heard the chattered warning from the other woodland creatures as they crawled, slunk or flew away. Yet Mouse was not afraid.
Owl was the woodland storyteller, the ancient one who remembered the Whens and the In-the-beginnings. Mouse wanted to hear those stories again. Mouse wanted to become a storyteller herself. So she scampered up the stump carefully and quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping Owl and waited for the Storyteller to awaken.

There is a place deep within each of us where we ourselves become the teller of the tale of our being. Mouse awaits the awakening of the Storyteller to hear once again Owl's stories of the woods. What are Mouse's stories? What can awaken the Teller within her?

What do you think will happen when Owl awakens? What of your own internal storyteller? Is yours awake? What are the stories you tell?

Building Your Story

"It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. we build ourselves out of that story."

~ Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

When I wake each day, I retell the story of who I am. I rebuild my place in the world. If I rise telling myself that I don't want to get up, that I'd rather stay in bed, chances are fairly good that I will spend the day grumpier and less enthusiastic. If I rise with gratitude for the new day, with any semblance of joy and spring in my step, I will be in a brighter mood throughout the day. It's my choice.

As the day progresses, at every encounter, every juncture, I have choice as to how I react, how I proceed with the rest of my day. Sometimes, I don't feel very joyful or lively. I can choose to let those emotions rule the moment or I can choose to move forward as though I am in better spirits. At the end of the day, the story of who I am, of how my day has been, of what influenced my mood, is all up to me.

I build the story of my life day by day. I am a teacher ~ whether in the public school system or not. I am a writer. I am a healer. I am a mother, a partner, a sister, a friend. I have a good sense of humor, a quick and ready wit, a willingness to help. I am compassionate, kind and caring. These are some of the stories I build about myself day by day. At any given moment, one or another of them may be easier or more elusive to tell. I go forward telling them anyway.

What is the story you tell of your life? Does it change day by day? Are there some chapters of the story that are easier or harder to tell? How do you stay on track with your story?