issue 14: A Light within the Darkest Night

Today we honor what may be the most ancient and culturally unifying tradition we share as a human collective. The Winter Solstice, often referred to as “the darkest day” or “longest night of the year”, is both a symbolic and literal meeting at the threshold where death and darkness gives way to the renewal of life and light. The myths and traditions around this time serve as a perennial reminder to us all that even in the darkest of days the seed of light is always with us and within us, always there waiting to reemerge though necessarily dormant for a time.

These longer, quieter and colder nights of Winter naturally invite us into a slowing down and a drawing inward. Retreat into darkness provides a supportive container for gestation and regeneration so we may emerge anew with each day, each new season and year and with each turning of a cycle within our individual lives. Surrendering to the natural impulse of this time allows us to receive the gifts being offered. The invitation may be for more quiet and introspection, less stimulation, less striving, more nourishing food and activities, perhaps some self-care indulgences, more kindness and gentleness with ourselves and others... Whatever you’re called to, the Winter Solstice is a good time to dial down and be more receptive to the wisdom of our inner knowing.

Winter Solstice Wisdom in Myth, Nature, Tradition and Biology…

Myth

In the myth of Persephone, the young Kore of Spring is abducted by Hades, King of the Underworld. Hades feeds her pomegranate seeds, the consuming of which both binds her to the underworld and symbolizes her transformation from innocent child to fertile young woman. According to the terms of her curse (as determined by Zeus), Persephone is allowed to spend half the year as the regenerative light on Earth alongside her devoted mother Demeter (goddess of agriculture, harvest, fertility and sacred law) while the other half is committed to her reign in the dark Underworld with Hades. Winter comes to Earth as a result of Demeter’s mourning the absence of her beloved daughter. As chthonic goddess, Persephone wields significant power over the dead—those who’ve “crossed over the threshold”—carrying out curses and compassionately protecting those souls she finds worthy. By the time of her rising and return to Earth in Spring, Persephone is a transformed and more evolved being. Having reconciled her purity and innocence as a virgin maiden with her darker side as Queen of the Underworld, Persephone has become something altogether other which grants her a special kind of influence as a bridge between worlds. Persephone’s dual nature and dynamic roles represents the transient threshold and liminal space between the contrasting though complementary worlds of light and dark, death and renewal.

Nature

In much the same way, Mama Bear represents the cycles of fertility, growth, harvest, retreat into darkness and ultimate renewal of life arising from that dark space. With the coming of Winter, the fertilized female bear secludes herself in a dark cave or den carrying within her the seeds of new life to come. Though bears mate in Spring, the embryos will not commit to implantation within the uterine wall until mama has enough of what she needs to support herself along with her cubs through hibernation season. Once what is needed is acquired through hyperphagia (mass consumption of food), the tiny embryos gestate within as her body goes into a sleep-like stasis or torpor. Within the safety of the cave (a kind of second womb) the tiny cubs are born. They begin nursing immediately and throughout the Winter months so when they finally emerge in Spring, the cubs are much stronger, more physically coordinated and already somewhat oriented with the world they now inhabit. Mama Bear’s journey represents an archetypal inner retreat from the world where the seeds of new life to come may have adequate time to gestate and be nourished in expectation of a greater emergence into the light of day when the conditions are right.

Tradition

At the heart of the Christmas tradition honored at this time of year, we find similar themes again with the virgin or divinely seeded mother giving birth to the savior son in a dark and rugged den-like setting on a cold Winter’s night. This son, as the symbolic sun, is destined to rise as “the light of the world”, redeemer or reviver of the human spirit. In this story we find the theme of birth, death and renewal many times over. Prior to emerging within the public realm with his rogue ministry at the age of 30, Yeshua spent many years in a kind of “dark” retreat of study and introspection. The symbolism of Yeshua’s journey appears to coincide with that of a personal spiritual awakening or enlightenment process whereby the dormant energy at the base of the spine rises up the spinal column (of 33 vertebra coinciding with the 33 years of Yeshua’s life) and culminates in a “sacred secretion” from the pineal gland within the center of the head also congruent with his crucifixion in Golgotha or “Place of the Skull” (skull of Adam, the original human). It is here that Yeshua dies to his former earthly self, merges with the god self then reemerges from his entombment cave as the luminous transfigured savior and redeemer of the true human spirit. The story of Yeshua beautifully illustrates the multi-layered themes and rich symbolism related to the time of Winter Solstice: quiet retreat into darkness, cave-like processing and incubation time, ascending from darkness with an ultimate resurrection event representing enlightenment or illumination and a literal transfiguration…

Biology

The pineal gland—residing in the fluid-filled cavern within each our brains—also represents a “seed of light” within the darkness. Often referred to as “the third eye” as it has its own capacity for “seeing” and is largely composed of photoreceptors (light sensitive “eye” cells), the pineal gland is associated with transcendent states of spiritual awareness, waking visions, NDEs (near death experiences) and vivid dreams whereby we may receive profoundly important insights (inner seeing) regarding our own deeper processes along our personal journeys.

René Descartes referred to the pineal gland as “the seat of the soul” as he determined it to be the physical point at which the non-physical mind (or soul) and the physical body interact to form our thoughts, emotions and consciousness. The many processes served by the pineal (ie sleep, physical regeneration and metacognition) are central to how our body, mind and higher awareness function in support of our total wellbeing. To effectively serve its purpose, the pineal gland does require sustained periods of total darkness. It is the absence of light that triggers the synthesis and release of melatonin, aka “the hormone of darkness”. This hormone is crucial to initiating a cascade of bodily processes which repair and renew our physical, mental and emotional bodies so we may resurrect, so to speak, from our nightly slumber and emerge from our dark cave each morning in a renewed form, ready for a new day. Alongside the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of melatonin, the pineal gland also produces N-acetylserotonin, a metabolite that has been shown to promote the growth of new neurons in the brain (neurogenesis) which itself is a kind of transfiguration. As for the more profoundly transcendent spiritual experiences activated within the pineal, a symbolic or literal death process of the body will trigger a flood release of endogenous DMT (N-Dimethyltryptamine) which many who’ve returned from their own death experience (NDE) describe, at least in part, as a divine union. Something similar to this level of experience can also be achieved through deep prayer or meditation, Holotropic Breathwork, kundalini activation, initiation rituals, plant medicine or light deprivation experiences.

How to Align

As creatures of this Earth, we must align ourselves with the natural Earth processes in order to best support our highest physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing which further supports our personal evolution. What Nature, myth, science and our most sacred traditions all tell us is to honor death and darkness as a most vital aspect of life and regeneration of life.

Though we still have easy access and may be habituated to many of the trappings and distractions of a modern life, we are situated quite well here in the Greater World to enjoy the basic conditions which allow us more darkness as well as spaces of retreat and quiet so as to be more in sync with the natural rhythms of life.

Supporting the Shift: How can we support ourselves and one another to make best use of this time of renewal and gestation?

• Swap blue light screen time and the more stimulating evening entertainment for star gazing, shared stories and conversations by a fire.

• Invest in near and far infrared lighting/devices to help with sleep cycles and greatly facilitate the body’s natural process of healing and renewal.

• Forgo artificial lighting for candles. Candlelight is warmer, more soothing and the flickering effect is helpful for altering brainwaves from active beta to calmer alpha and even theta which induce states of relaxation and focus.

• Keep your bedroom completely dark (to whatever extent possible) and/or use an eye covering to block out any trickle of light since even small amounts can compromise regenerative deep sleep.

• Sun gazing at dawn and enjoying the evening light at sunset is a form of light therapy which helps to support our circadian rhythms along with hormone balance and other bodily processes.

• Enjoy the cold with brisk early morning walks, cold plunges or just sitting in the cold river. Alternating with sauna, hot mineral baths or red light is all the more regenerative.

• Read, reflect, journal… make time and space to prioritize inwardness, court dreams, metabolize unresolved disturbances and see what arises.

We are collectively experiencing a natural cycle of darkness around the time of Winter Solstice and we are experiencing dark times as a human collective on this planet as we transition through a natural process of collapse and renewal on our way towards birthing a New Earth. However we can support our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others is key to how we best emerge on the other side. Reminding ourselves and others that darkness does play a valuable role in our process while not overlooking more serious signs and symptoms of chronic apathy or deep despair is also important. If it appears that a friend or loved one may need some additional support, a simple act of compassionate outreach and a listening presence can make all the difference.

How we show up is everything. Whether you consider “community” to be your friends, family, coworkers, congregation, neighbors, the natural world around you or people you interact with at the grocery store… it is our quality of presence that makes these interactions truly valuable and nourishing. What we “seed” in the world is what will grow in our wake. What grows along the paths we leave may provide sustenance for those to come. Maintaining shared traditions around honoring of dark and light, death and rebirth cycles is a way of supporting one another while supporting the natural process.

May we all find deep renewal in this time and gestate good seeds to emerge in brighter days to come!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

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