Embrace the Darkness
January 1, 2023
Although half of the country has been frozen, we here are lucky enough to have a different experience this winter. Nevertheless, when we think of winter, we often think of cold, damp, and dark nights. As a child, I was afraid of the dark or anything with a shadow. I remember my parents would leave a little light on in my bedroom when I went to sleep. Now I just want to curl up under a warm blanket and stare at the fire even if it is just a video image on the TV screen. But then darkness is also necessary because without darkness there would be no rest from the beating sun and all the world would wilt away. This reminds me of Ying and Yang, the principle of natural, complementary, and interdependent forces in the universe. Yang represents anything masculine, the light, sun, day, hot, dry, hard, summer, active, awake, and loud. Ying represents anything feminine, the dark, moon, night, cold, wet, soft, winter, passive, asleep, and quiet. One cannot exist without the other one.
The cold, damp, and dark do not necessarily mean negative. It is like the roots underground. Researchers discovered that although aboveground, everything about a tree seems to pass the winter in a prolonged dormancy, the tree roots seem to maintain a readiness to grow independent of the aboveground parts of the tree. That is, roots remain mostly inactive but can and do function and grow during winter months whenever soil temperatures are favorable, even if the air aboveground is brutally cold. This winter quiescence – where roots are resting but ready – is extremely important for the health of individual trees and, by extension, for forests in general. We, humans, need to pay attention to our roots in the winter just the same. We can rest and be ready too.
The modern world often seems to overplay the masculine, the sun, active energy, or anything above ground like the trees. It often neglects the importance of the feminine, the moon, passive energy, or anything underground like the roots. I also notice in this country, by adding an “ing” to any word, we can make any noun into a verb or an action. This is how “winter” has become “wintering”, which is a process of internal regeneration like the roots. In the thick of winter, we can discover our feminine side, which is resting and receptive to passion, intuition, and creativity. In the darkness, we will notice that our heart rate slows down and our minds expand. We can cultivate our energy from our underbelly, our ability to yield, and become flexible. We can find our power in the stillness and quiet in the deep water.
Brene Brown wrote, “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light” This is when I thought of the power of Persephone, the queen of the underworld according to Greek Mythology. To cultivate our feminine or shadow side, we need to descend like her down to the depth of the unknown which can be full of fear and self-doubt. But it also allows us to find our strength and courage like the ones we find in our mother’s womb. It is in the sweetness of stillness, emptiness, and the no-thingness we find our true selves. In the darkness, the mother’s womb is a cradle for the creation and a place of rest and respite where we are free to dissolve and return what no longer serves us to the earth to be composted, decayed, and returned to the source. When we are ready to ascent like the new sprout breaking out of the ground in the Spring, we will be ready and strong and show our true selves again.