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Celebrating the Creative Darkness
This holiday time of year can be so full and yet it is a time in which we are also called to go within amidst the darkness. Our ancestors who lived in cold climates would have stayed more at home with their closest of kin and hibernated much more than we are likely able to do now. That said, we can be in the practice of honoring ourselves by resting more, reflecting on our year and remembering what is most important to us amidst all of the holiday bustle.
I've been feeling the paradox of having so much on my to do list and also needing to slow down, sleep more, do less and reflect in order to be more intentional. Can you relate? I'm grateful that this past weekend I was able to find a balance by taking the time to create handmade gifts in the comfort of my own kitchen and to sleep in more. I was reminded that I can create from the beauty and warmth of the garden of healing connection that was harvested in the summer & fall amidst the darkness of the winter. That the light of the summer is still present it just changed forms and now is available through these ritual objects and medicines. I can now receive that warmth and light in moments of self care, ritual, sharing with beloveds and intentional gifting trusting that the light will return again.
I was also reminded that the process of making these gifts is much like the journey of ancestral healing and is itself a part of that ancestral healing. This process requires gathering the resources and guidance needed as well as taking the time to tend to the ground of the practice by cultivating the tools and skills. This is much like learning about gardening and then taking that learning into practice as one remediates the soil, sows the seeds and continues to tend to the growing plants. The practice of healing requires gentle tending just like plants and other beings require care to blossom and it takes time. There's the practice of both having patience and finally taking action to harvest the wisdom when it emerges before making the medicines that are to be received deeply and shared in service with others.
I feel so blessed and grateful to be in this journey with the garden of healing connection this year from reading about Slavic herbs last winter, to harvesting and creating these healing products. This vision has lived within me for years and because of the support and guidance I've received I was able to bring it into fruition with my ancestors as well as the spirits and ancestors of this land and my community. If you feel called to join me in honoring the creative darkness at this time learn more about local opportunities coming up and ways that you can stay connected to your own fertile darkness within . . .
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