Winter
“It is
our quiet time.
We do not
speak, because the voices are within us.
It is our
quiet time.
We do not
walk, because all the earth is within us.
It is our
quiet time.
We do not
dance, because the music has lifted us to a place where the spirit
is.
It is our
quiet time.
We rest
with all of nature. We wake when the seven sisters wake.
We greet
them in the sky over the opening of the kiva.
Nancy Wood
(Earth Prayers, p. 324)
Winter Solstice is
tomorrow, Dec. 21st. In the Northern hemisphere, it is the
time of greatest darkness—the longest night of the year. Here in
Alabama, darkness comes around four in the afternoon. In northern
Alaska, the sun won't rise again until sometime in January. Yet in my
kitchen windows, four out five orchids are shooting up bloom
stalks—they think it's supposed to be summer, because in their
native lands, it is. Our human bodies, in spite of our modern
arrogance, still respond to darkness and light in natural ways, but
they feel unnatural to us. I don't know about you, but I find myself
getting overwhelmingly sleepy as soon as the sun sets even though
it's only five in the afternoon.
This period of darkness
for native people meant extra rest—quiet time, time to meditate,
contemplate, and prepare for the next growing season. Time to gather
as family or tribe, to tell stories, to rebuild and mend things—nets,
clothing, hunting weapons. This is when native women did their
bead-work and made special clothing for weddings and festivals.
Winter is, for most living things, a time go inside, to restore one's
depleted energies. We humans don't pay much attention to natural
rhythms these days. Instead, we flip on the lights and keep rushing
around. If you don't believe me, try driving on any major highway
right now—it's bumper-to-bumper insanity.
Do you ever wonder what
your life would be like if you made time for proper rest? If you
actually claimed—at the appropriate season—quiet-time in the
midst of your day? How might that impact your mental and physical
well-being? We will be gathering with our people next week to
celebrate the winter holidays. Let's sit together, maybe light a fire
in the hearth, and tell stories. Let's drink some hot cocoa, and talk
of family and friends, remembering those who aren't with us anymore,
and what they would be doing right now if they were here. Let's let
winter settle into us, quiet our minds, and warm our hearts. This is
the season for doing exactly that.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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