The Longest Night of the Year
Dec 24, 2021
For years I have been talking and writing about the energetics of the seasons as reflected in the Summer and Winter Solstices, and the Spring and Fall Equinoxes. In reflecting on this year's Winter Solstice article, it came to me that my main message can be stated very simply:
It’s normal to feel different at different times of the year.
You may be feeling low energy, pensive, introverted. You may not feel like doing all the things you “normally” do. You may be worried that you're depressed or something is wrong physically. Seasonal Affective Disorder and end of year stressors are real, and life during a pandemic is ever more challenging.
But often these feelings are reflective of the natural rhythms of this time of year, rather than of something being wrong.
It’s normal to feel physically and emotionally different on winter days that are more than 5 hours shorter (in California) than summer days. Your Mind may simply take in the change of light as an annoyance and an inconvenience, but your Body knows it means more than that.
How to tell the difference between natural seasonal changes, and challenges that need direct intervention? Intensity and magnitude. Seasonal fluctuations are relatively gentle.
Tonight, take a few moments to reflect on this longest night of the year. Check in with your body, with your spirit, with your mind. When placed in the context of the season and this time, does what you're feeling “make sense”? If so, let a sense of rhythmic ease permeate your system. If not, and you need support, reach out to a trusted healthcare provider for guidance.
It’s normal to feel different at different times of the year.
You may be feeling low energy, pensive, introverted. You may not feel like doing all the things you “normally” do. You may be worried that you're depressed or something is wrong physically. Seasonal Affective Disorder and end of year stressors are real, and life during a pandemic is ever more challenging.
But often these feelings are reflective of the natural rhythms of this time of year, rather than of something being wrong.
It’s normal to feel physically and emotionally different on winter days that are more than 5 hours shorter (in California) than summer days. Your Mind may simply take in the change of light as an annoyance and an inconvenience, but your Body knows it means more than that.
How to tell the difference between natural seasonal changes, and challenges that need direct intervention? Intensity and magnitude. Seasonal fluctuations are relatively gentle.
Tonight, take a few moments to reflect on this longest night of the year. Check in with your body, with your spirit, with your mind. When placed in the context of the season and this time, does what you're feeling “make sense”? If so, let a sense of rhythmic ease permeate your system. If not, and you need support, reach out to a trusted healthcare provider for guidance.
To Know the Dark
By Wendell Berry
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
By Wendell Berry
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.