It’s dark and getting colder in North America and much of the world.
Inviting you to slow down, light your candles, warm your hands by the fire, and enjoy your time indoors. It’s hard to miss the obvious invitation to slow down, go inside, nourish what is meaningful, and rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.
Yet, modern life has clearly disrupted your tendency to sync up with the seasonal wisdom.
It’s a social thing, this modern life. Artificial lights, smart phones, instant messaging, the world wide web, and scrolling on social media keep you connected all day, every day. Schedules, tasks, automobiles, and your people scattered about the world. It’s different than living in ancient times in a village where the seasonal wisdom reigned supreme.
Just because the wonders of modern life encourage you to “run, run, Rudolph” doesn’t mean you have to keep up the pace.
Imagine having the audacity to launch a social experiment in the midst of the hustle and bustle of all this holiday hoopla.
“Everyday?!?! How long?” screams the mind.
“What about shopping after work? I have gifts to wrap, meals to prepare, guests to host, travel plans to make!” The mind is going a bit crazy with this simple experiment. That’s to be expected.
You define the parameters of your experiment. 5 minutes or 5 hours. Alone or with others.
You may enjoy the lusciousness of non doing as you relax in the dim light listening to your favorite music or people. The body remembers the ancient times and will slowly settle in. Make sure you throw in some silence as you sit in the dark with the lights of the tree, menorah, or fire. The more you practice this during the winter season, the more memory awakens.
Ancient wisdom embodied in the modern world.
Moving back into the world of hustle, you’ll bring a slower rhythm out into the world. Returning to nourish in the quiet of your home. Allowing yourself to discover your own way of realigning with the wise movement of the natural world.
Every moment is sacred and filled with potential joy, wonder, and the warmth of love.
However you celebrate the Light of the Season, enjoy it. I wish you great peace and less stress. I hope you breathe deeply and carve out a single minute for yourself to enjoy your surroundings. Again and again. Every day.
1 minute of nourished wonder. Repeat. Repeat.
That’s another simple experiment. Don’t tell your mind. It will only freak out.
I hope you show up wherever you are to these invitations. So you may savor the light within and around you.
I hope you gather your friends and family around you so they may experience the peace within you and bask in your light.
I’m off now to bask within the Salon at Soul Sanctuary. Just for an entire minute. I’ll be thinking of you.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Northern Norwegians have figured out how to live joyfully in the dark days of winter. Imagine living in a place where the sun doesn’t rise (or only briefly peaks out on the horizon) from the middle of November through the end of January. It becomes part of the culture to nestle into the warmth of the hearth, love of family and friends, comfort food and activities. All the while, going about the daily actions of living, playing, and working. Rather than hibernating, you’ll find these Norwegians slipping into warm clothes while turning on their headlamps to light the way. Joyful dark days.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
When standing at a crossroad in your life, it’s natural to seek answers. To search for certainty about your next steps. To want assurance that the decision you are making will lead you in the right direction, with the best possible outcome. Here’s where your mind jumps in.
There are conversations you may instinctively avoid. Death. Dying. The journey beyond are among them. The final exhale. The closing of the body. The long walk home. The next place of being. In many ancient traditions, this is not an ending, but a sacred passage—a birth into new realms of being. Yet here, in this fast-moving world, death often remains veiled in silence, wrapped in fear, and avoided in conversation.
There are conversations you may instinctively avoid. Death. Dying. The journey beyond are among them. The final exhale. The closing of the body. The long walk home. The next place of being. In many ancient traditions, this is not an ending, but a sacred passage—a birth into new realms of being. Yet here, in this fast-moving world, death often remains veiled in silence, wrapped in fear, and avoided in conversation.
I was playing the game “Headbands” with my dog the other day. Playing board games and interactive games like charades are good fun. Given my kid has flown the coop, we hoodwinked our dog to play a rousing game of Headbands with us. We even let Milo choose the first card, but he seemed to have a hard time guessing what his card said.
As you celebrated the Summer Solstice and the New Moon this past week, our beloved shamans who are South of the Equator were celebrating the Winter Solstice in Cusco, Peru. Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, takes place on June 24th to commemorate the beginning of the Inca New Year and the Winter Solstice. Originating in the 15th century by Emperor Pachakuti, Inti Raymi was created as major Inca festival to honor the sun god Inti.
These past months have been filled with confusion, anger, and fear for many in this country. Witnessing deportations without due process, assaults on the courts and universities, flip flopping tariffs, and military action have shaken the foundational sense of safety and justice for many Americans. I’ve been listening to you and engaging in many conversations about how to live in balance during these times.
