"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world".
-William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.
On tonight, the night of the
Winter Solstice, It’s the darkest night of the year; for some reason the dark
makes everything feel colder, more bleak: It feels like all your deamons, real
and figuratively, has us all in a full nelson.
Perhaps this is why the
ancients engaged in the wild celebrations of this night, full of feasting, bonfires,
drinking dancing and merriment. For even though for the rest of the year the
universe will be working hard at bringing us closer to the Spring and Summer,
and the light and warmth it has to offer. While we use the Solstice to call on the
light, we need to be mindful of the rhythms of the world; this is not the time
to try to start new projects, or plant new things in our life; the Spring is
the time for that. However, from now until March 23 (the Spring Equinox) it is best
to cull the light in us, and decide what we want to bring into our lives, to
plant during the Spring, and harvest during the Autumn Equinox.
While green grass and warm
breezes are not too far away, the winter seems devouring and desperate.
Perhaps for this very reason we
string up lights around trees, windows and buildings; perhaps it is for this
reason that Hanukah is about the miracle of oil lasting 7 days longer than it
was supposed to, or of the shining North Star in Bethlehem hanging over the
birthplace of Jesus Christ.
These have been dark times
for us all; of course just the business of being Human means that we have to
slog through pain, joy, fear, magic and wonder mixed with madness of the world.
However, with the evil, uncertainty and terror we are all living with, now is
the time of all time to drum up the inner light that lies within all of us, and
use it to keep us warm while the winds rage and darkness surrounds us.
The Universe wants to helps
us out here; tomorrow we have a beautiful Venus/Jupiter opposition; we will
have a special verve and joyful energy. On Christmas day, Mars, the planet of
ego and energy will enter independent, inventive Aquarius. This is lucky for a
few reasons.
Uranus is in Aries; Mars is
the ruler of Aries; Uranus happens to be the ruler of Aquarius. When planets
“switch” the signs they rule, its called a mutual reception. For the next 2
months, this combo will give us insights and brainstorms from Uranus/Aquarius,
and the energy and drive to make anything we want happen.
However, there will be a
Sun/Uranus square that will make us itchy and edgy; if we use this energy
correctly, we can escape the traps of old traditions that no longer work, and
shake up unhealthy family dynamics.
So lets accentuate the
positive. Let us create the light we need to make our way through the next few
months. Let us do as the ancients did, and drink warm honey wine and eat full
beautiful meals. Let’s take a bite of a pepper and imagine it’s warmth
spreading through us.
We need to allow the light within us burn bright in the darkness ahead of us.
