In a few days we’ll observe the night of the longest dark. This is my winter holiday, far more precious to me than Christmas. I’ve said before how I love the dark months, and I suspect I’ll say it a million more times in the future.

From Samhain until the turning of the calendar year, it seems like the sacred draws closer and speaks to me more clearly. So, while everyone else is otherwise occupied, I rise in the dark each day, make a cup of tea, and light candles on my shrines. I write in my journal by the soft glow of the candles and a string of twinkle lights, pausing every so often to look up and watch branches slowly materialize against the lightening sky. I take walks in the mini forest, enjoying the relative quiet as few humans are out in the dark and wet. I marvel at the beauty of raindrops and mushrooms, evergreens and brilliant moss. And I think about the year past, and the year ahead. And I sleep as much as my body will allow. 

This is what Yule is to me: fully immersing myself in the magic of darkness, and the exquisite beauty of small lights punctuating that darkness. It isn’t, for me, about surviving the dark time of the year, or about banishing the dark: it’s about reveling in it.  It’s about savoring the gentle flicker of the candle’s tiny flame; the whimsy of houses, trees, and shrubs draped in twinkle lights; the scent of evergreens and wet earth; the sweetness of a warm drink on a cold day. 

In other words, at this time of year, for me, the darkness is the point, not the problem. And I’m so lucky to be able to delight in it.

Questions to ponder:

What is your relationship with the dark months? 

What is your favorite thing about those months?

What is your least favorite thing?

Do you celebrate a holiday in December, of any kind?

If so, is it meaningful to you?  

Does it bring you joy? 

If it doesn’t bring you joy, what could you say “no” to, to grant yourself a little peace? 

If you think you can’t say no to anything, why is that? 

What’s the worst thing that would happen if you refused to do just one of the things you dread every year? 

What’s the BEST thing that could happen if you refused to do just one of the things you dread every year?

Photo by yours truly.

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