Season
of Light
“May
the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within. May
the blessed sunshine shine on you and warm your heart till it glows
like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may come and warm
himself at it, and also a friend...”
Traditional
Irish Blessing (Earth Prayers)
'Tis
the season of Light—whether we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas,
Bodhi Day, Rohatsu when the Buddha attained enlightenment, or the
coming of the sunlight after the Winter Solstice. This time of year,
we light up the world because we have the longest days of darkness.
Christians celebrate the season of Advent, the coming of the Christ
light. The birthday of Jesus is actually unknown, but was set on
December 25th, around 336 AD by the Roman Emperor
Constantine. It is thought to have been conveniently tied to the
Winter Solstice and the birthday of Mithra, the Zoroastrian god of
light, when people were already celebrating with bonfires and candle
lighting.
Since
our cave days, we humans have been uncomfortable with darkness, both
within and without, and we respond to it by creating light. Often,
the darkness within is more frightening than the darkness without. We
find the light we seek by acknowledging the sacred in everyday life,
and by understanding that even darkness has good and worthy purposes.
It is the space for storing up, for incubating and gestating new
life, new ideas. It is our deep, primitive relationship to Mother
Earth.
“...And
may the light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in
the two windows of a house, bidding a wander come in out of the
storm, and may the blessings of rain be on you—the soft, sweet
rain...May the blessings of the Great Rain be on you, may they beat
upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there many a
shining pool where the blue of heaven shines, and sometimes, a
star...”
We
are seekers of light, and we seek in different ways. Some of us are
content to follow a well-trodden path, with familiar traditions and
sound foundations. Some of us prefer to light a torch and venture
into the unknown, looking always for a star to guide us; the natal
star, the one that leads us home.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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